It’s been almost 10 years since we reorganized how the content of the library website. A lot has changed in that time—the systems we use, the services we offer, and how users browse the web. This summer I’ll be working on the site’s “Information Architecture.” I’ll be changing the categories we use to navigate the site, and moving pages to where they make the most sense.
Currently we have four (4) categories of content:
- Find Materials
- Services
- About Us
- Help
There are two (2) more top-level links in the navigation, too: “My Account” and “Ask a Question.” More on those in a bit.
I observed how users search and browsethe website and wrote new categories based on our library goals. I also checked out how our peer libraries had organized their websites. Since the pandemic, there has been a lot of renewed interest in our spaces. I also want to highlight the work we do to support the teaching and research at the University. And while the category names are longer than they are now, they reflect our users’ words, not our jargon. Our new categories will be:
- Find, Borrow, Request
- Visit, Study, Learn
- Teaching and Scholarship
- About Us
The links to the My Account page and Ask a Question will move up to the header of the site. This is because both of these links are tools, not categories of pages. The Ask link will take folks to all the various ways to get help. (We are still working on the label.) The header will also get a direct link to our Chat service. I’ll share more about how the header will be changing as the summer goes on.
Keep tuned for future posts on what content will go in what category! My target dates for the new organization is for August, after Summer semester but before the Fall.