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“We tried to make it a good experience for the user and more intuitive when (they’re) searching,” said Linda Avellar, the library’s director of development and communication.
The website, which sports a prominent navigation menu and brightly colored banners, highlights the most popular aspects of the website for mobile users.
The catalog search, which allows users to comb through the library’s vast collection, is prominently featured, for example. This feature appeals to users who want to quickly find out whether the library has a particular book, Avellar said.
The mobile site also features a calendar with a monthly and weekly view as well as a new arrivals feed, which updates automatically.
“We really spent a lot of time thinking about how people navigate the site, what they’re looking for,” Avellar said. “We made it a little more user friendly in the things we’ve chosen to highlight on the homepage.”
While the new website has been accessible to users for about a week, Avellar said the site already has a good reception.
“(Users) are finding things pretty easily,” Avellar said. “We’ve heard really positive things.”
Wilton-based Imagemark redesigned the site, earning high marks from the library “They did a great job for us,” she said. “We were really thrilled with them.”
Since the library’s website was so robust, the project started back in July 2015 and only just wrapped up in March.
The library also plans to develop a Makerspace — an area where patrons can make tangible things — and already has an extensive digital collection. Officials are following the ethos that the scope of libraries has expanded in the digital age.
“It’s not just look for books and those kind of materials, but also (to) create things in an interactive, collaborative way," Avellar said.
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