[Marketing & Strategy]

Redesigning the Online Library Experience: A 2020 Case Study

On March 13, 2020, Jefferson County Public Library received word that it would be closing its doors indefinitely to the public to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Within hours, the Library transitioned from 10-location system with a Bookmobile, lobby services and community outreach, to an entirely digital experience – a narrative taking place throughout the nation. To better serve patrons in this new, fully digital landscape, the Digital Experience team at JCPL developed a new Online Library landing page and evaluated ways to better promote digital services throughout the site.

In early fall 2020, after most locations had reopened, but prompted by this continued emphasis on digital library service, the team embarked on a full redesign of the Online Library section of the website, comprising 63 pages and more than 120 online databases and resources. Using valuable tools provided by the BiblioCommons team, such as the updated Online Library V3 Custom Page Template and Data Studio template reports, the team created new, modernized and more-navigable pages to highlight resources by audience, format and topic. In this presentation, the team will share their progress and key project findings, including: How to use Google Analytics and Data Studio reports to create a data-driven project strategy; How to use community inputs to inform user-experience designs; Adapting BiblioCommons’ templates to your library’s brand; Working with key stakeholders to ensure community efficacy; How to benchmark success through factors like bounce-rates, outbound links, time on page, and more; Avoiding redundancies in content development; and The importance of re-thinking the Online Library experience in a post-2020 world.

Speakers:
Hallie Kaiser, Web Content Coordinator, Jefferson County Public Library
Joanna Waggoner, Digital Experience Librarian, Jefferson County Public Library