10:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Every library wants the best possible user experience for patrons to access their online collections and services. However, as libraries continue to offer more digital content from different vendors, patrons are increasingly sent to multiple platforms, each with its own interface and functionality. This multitude of platforms creates barriers for patrons, inhibits usability of library resources, and ultimately decreases the value of content purchased by the library. With usability studies driving web development made possible by the use of open source technologies and vendor provided APIs, libraries can unify and continuously improve the user experience to best meet patron needs. Garfield County Public Library District (GCPLD) and the Marmot Library Network have done just that, creating a responsive library website and online catalog that offer a consistent user-driven experience as well as access to materials from multiple content providers in a single interface. Hear about collaboration strategies between GCPLD and Marmot, the creation and use of tools to provide a uniform user experience across platforms (specifically access to CSS, vendor-provided APIs, and code snippets/widgets implemented using VuFind and Drupal), and the implementation of formal and “guerilla” usability studies to guide ongoing interface development.
