The web site is your library's most important feature. Think about it: Where do people go to find out if a book is available, or if you carry a particular DVD or magazine? Patrons use the web site for numerous functions, such as renewing materials, placing holds, requesting information, and accessing databases. The homepage is the place they turn to look up your hours, branch locations, policies, and events. Whether users are at work, at home, in your building, or on their iPhone, the library's web site is the interface that you provide for them. I often find myself sizing up libraries based on their homepages. You can tell a lot about an organization by the way it represents itself online. Is it conservative or progressive? Is the design cluttered and messy or slick and polished? Does the web site use cascading style sheets and dynamic content, or just static HTML? Is it experimenting with tools such as Twitter, Meebo, and MetaLib, or is it still using an old-fashioned 1990s design with Times New Roman font? Be aware of the message your library's web site sends. If the homepage is confusing, then patrons will undoubtedly perceive the library to be complex. If the site is filled with links and widgets, then users might feel overwhelmed or frustrated. If the design looks out-of-date, then patrons will likely feel that your library is also behind the times. Web design matters. So start thinking about your site as an ongoing personal experience and not just a URL. What is the next step for your web site? A new homepage, a complete redesign, a face-lift, or just some new features? When it comes to web development, there is always something new to try. Let's set aside the bells and whistles of current design trends and instead focus on elements that will update your web site's appearance, improve its functionality, and make a lasting positive impression on your patrons. Here are ten places to start.

---

1) Promotion

The homepage is more than a gateway to resources; it's the ultimate sales tool. It is where you promote events, collections, popular materials, technology, and various services. Use some combination of banners, photos, videos, blog posts, and other methods to draw attention. Placement is important; just because the information is on the homepage doesn't guarantee that patrons will view it. The sidebars and footer can be easily ignored, so put enticing information near the top, allowing visitors to find it as their eyes move downward. Be sure to refresh content regularly so that people don't just tune out. Give them reasons to come back and find out what's new. For example: Orange County Library System

---

2) Segmentation

When speaking to a small child, you are likely to use a different voice and tone than you would with a coworker. Why not apply that thinking to your web site as well? Libraries typically develop their pages for a mass audience, but various patron groups have unique needs for services and resources. We need to communicate with our users in a manner that is most effective for them. The wording, images, and style should be customized accordingly. A page that a teenager prefers is going to differ from the page his parents prefer. Consider developing separate content for your major patron groups. For example: Colorado State University Buffalo State College

---

3) Visual Cues

No one wants to read a web site filled with links, so help your patrons by using icons to break up the text. North Carolina State University's Learning Commons web page (www.lib.ncsu.edu/learningcommons) provides an excellent example of incorporating visual cues into a design. It uses symbols along with text to represent a wide assortment of multimedia items such as calculators, cameras, and ebook readers. You can also use visual cues to highlight specific materials types such as CDs, DVDs, or popular fiction. Grab viewers' attention by helping them to browse the site to find what they need. For example: North Carolina State University

---

4) Inspiring Photos

Pictures are worth a thousand words, so use them wisely and reduce the clutter on your site. Consider this a great opportunity to showcase distinctive features. Maybe your building has a unique structural design, an eye-catching view, or a stylish interior. Show off the ambience. Highlight people from your community using the library. Put a spotlight on the computers, café, quiet and collaborative spaces, and whatever else stands out. People viewing your web site may not be familiar with everything that your library offers, so use this chance to make a good impression. For example: Seattle Public Library

---

5) Search Boxes

Embed a search box on every page, maybe in the header or in the navigation bar, so patrons can perform a search wherever and whenever they want. Many libraries are even starting to offer a tabbed, federated search box on their homepage. This tool simplifies the search experience, enabling patrons to limit queries by particular types of materials such as movies or journal articles. Users can also perform a keyword search across multiple databases simultaneously, instead of having to access each one separately. Incorporating a federated search box into your homepage is a timesaver because it allows people to start using your resources quickly. For example: Free Library of Philadelphia University of Virginia

---

6) Mobile-Friendly Pages

In the early days of the web, designers worried about specifications such as browser compatibility and screen size variation. Now, a new set of questions pertains to the mobile web. Should we develop an iPhone app? Do our images scale to the small screen? Should we include a text-only option? We can no longer think only about the desktop or laptop user but must also consider attributes for patrons accessing library information via mobile devices. Can we offer quick and easy ways to search for books, check the status of accounts, text a librarian, or retrieve the GPS coordinates to our buildings? The future of web design is planning for the portable experience. For example: Kankakee Public Library

---

7) Feedback

The web site is an excellent venue to solicit ideas, concerns, compliments, and complaints, but don't merely provide users with a form. Dedicate a section on your site to posting user feedback along with the library's official response. Show your community that the library listens and has taken action, and use the opportunity to explain why a particular policy is in place or how certain decisions were made. This channel allows patrons to become more actively engaged with the library and feel that their feedback is valued. For example: Oklahoma State University

---

8) Redundancy

Have you ever watched people using your web site and wondered why they clicked on a particular link? Something that appears obvious to us might confuse our users. This is why redundancy is important. People interpret things differently. Help your patrons by providing them with numerous ways to find things. One of the biggest problems we face is with vocabulary. You might have a link for interlibrary loan, but that term may be meaningless to the novice user who simply wants to get a copy of a book that your library doesn't have. Assume that people are going to make mistakes, click on wrong links, and get lost. Instead of investing all your effort in funneling them through a proper pathway, build for error by providing escape routes along the way. For example: University of Washington

---

9) Analytics

The planning process doesn't end once a new homepage goes live. After a brief celebration, it is time to find the problems. Web design is organic and requires constant cultivation. One of the best things you can do is install Google Analytics in order to observe how your site is being used. With this free tool, you can measure the effectiveness of advertising, gauge the popularity of specific pages, observe click patterns, and identify common stumbling blocks. While you can learn a lot from usability testing, analyzing actual online behavior is also quite valuable. This type of data enables you to streamline wording, rearrange content, and find out what areas you need to focus on next. For example: Google Analytics 5 Great (Free) Web Analytics Tools You Might Not Know About Yet

---

10) An Easy Way To Ask for Help

It is now easier than ever to ask a question through face-to-face, telephone, email, or chat methods. While a great amount of effort goes into offering these reference services, be sure that you don't bury the Ask-a-Librarian link on your homepage. Make it as easy as possible for patrons to ask for help. A tool like Meebo is great because it presents web visitors with a simple textbox, eliminating the need for them to log in, install software, or click any further. This feature can also be embedded into the template design so that patrons will have instant access to library staff anywhere on your site. For example: University of Tennessee

---

Author Information

Brian Mathews (brian.mathews@library.gatech.edu) is User Experience Librarian, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta. He blogs at The Ubiquitous Librarian (theubiquitouslibrarian.typepad.com)