The DePaul University Libraries are very happy to announce that we are getting a virtual makeover this fall, beginning on August 27th.
The Libraries have been hard at work over the past year and a half preparing to launch a new discovery tool, WorldCat Local. This new library search engine brings together our existing library catalog, e-books and select article databases into one search experience. We’ve also been adding journal titles and our database packages to WorldCat Local, so you will be able to locate them by title through this single, Google-like search box. Plus, you will be able to retrieve library results from I-Share and libraries worldwide.
As we implemented this tool, we recognized that WorldCat Local would also allow us to simplify access to our resources, and this meant we could simplify our website.
Here are the changes we’ve made and how you can still get access to our old tools when WorldCat Local does not meet your needs.
1. First, we moved all of our links into drop down menus on the homepage
2. We’ve also removed the tools accordion which we found from user research was very confusing to students
3. Based on web analytics data, we identified the key tools and services from our website and placed them in a “toolbox” just below WorldCat Local
4. WorldCat Local sits front and center on the homepage, but you can still get access to the Classic Catalog, Journal Title Search and other tools right from the homepage
And we’re only getting started. This change is part of a year-long move to SharePoint, which we expect to be completed in January 2013, in time for Winter Quarter. It is also part of the more longer-term project to modernize the DePaul Libraries, align our web properties with DePaul’s strategic goals and make access to our resources easier and more relevant.
Please check our homepage on August 27th, and do leave comments in our online survey, available on the homepage when we re-launch.