New Website Staff Blog

When the new Library website launches this fall, it will offer key changes that will allow us to improve the way we serve our customers, including:

• Improved search experience that searches more than the catalogue
• New online brand and visual design
• Simplified user experience
• Up-to-date web features
• Integration with Symphony and iBistro

Please note that the final design is still in development and the mock-ups provided are for demonstration purposes only. 

IMPROVED SEARCH EXPERIENCE

The new website is built on Endeca, an industry-leading search and website technology. The Endeca search software runs on many websites including: Home Depot, Chapters, NCSU Library Catalogue, Phoenix Public Library, Oxford University Press and The Food Network.

Find materials more easily
Users can now refine their search in new ways, including limiting to items that are fiction or non-fiction, by genre or by items that can be checked out.

More than just the catalogue
Content in a user’s search include:

• The Catalogue
• Branches and Hours information
• E*vents Database
• Virtual Reference Library
• TPL web pages (Library’s main website, ramp for teens and KidsSpace)
• Library blogs
• Electronic databases (retrieves database and online product names, not database content)

Future enhancements will include multi-language search interfaces and digital collections. Endeca also includes tools to monitor and configure search. The Web Team staff will continually monitor search, review staff and customer feedback and make regular and ongoing improvements to the search experience. 

“You may also be interested in…”
Similar to many retail websites, TPL will now be able to offer related content dynamically based on search terms and where the users goes on the site. For example, if a user searches buying a new car,  we can promote products like the Auto Repair Reference Centre.  We will be able to display related links to any of the library’s materials, programs, services, library web pages or blogs.

NEW ONLINE BRAND
Our new online brand – Find Your Way – represents TPL’s commitment to service excellence by connecting the city’s diverse communities with what they’re looking for. The brand conveys who we are and the depth and breadth of our services and expertise. It says with pride that TPL is an undeniable part of the city. Visually, it means a modern new look that aims to convey that we are relevant, dynamic and responsive.

SIMPLIFIED USER EXPERIENCE
Staff and customers were consulted – through interviews and usability testing – to inform and enhance the user experience and information design.

The new website provides a variety of ways to find and discover all that TPL has to offer.
Earlier this year we launched the Career and Job Search Help page. This site was our first “Find Your Way” online pathfinder. Online pathfinders pull together all that TPL offers around a topic, need or audience. Online pathfinders in development include Find Your Way to:

• Your Next Great Read
• Services for Children & Teens
• Help for Newcomers to Canada
• Career & Job Search Help 
• Business & Personal Finance
• Downloadable & Electronic Resources
• Arts & Culture
• Health & Wellness 
• History & Genealogy 

As with the Career & Job Search Help page, online pathfinders will be supported by Librarians in who, using the blog, will be able to regularly discuss and highlight TPL collections, programs and services.  

UP-TO-DATE WEB FEATURES

An overarching objective of the new website was to bring the Library up-to-date in terms of basic website features and functions. We focused on features that make our web content accessible. This includes simple things like making sure our website works with web browser features such as the back button, and opening links in new windows and tabs and more complex issues like making web page addresses human readable and ensuring library data is open and accessible in XML format.

Other features include:

• A social bookmarking function lets you to link an item or page to a variety of social networks including Facebook, Twitter, Delicious and Digg.
• RSS feeds lets users see new content available for any given search.
• Exposed bibliographic and programming metadata enables Library content to be indexed and to rank highly in Google and Bing.

INTEGRATION WITH SYMPHONY AND iBISTRO

The new website works with Symphony and iBistro. In fact, users still can access iBistro on the new site via an “Old Catalogue” link.  

Real-time holdings information
When users click on an item, they will find real-time holding information. If an item says “In Library” for “Northern District” – it is showing the real time status of an item.

Placing Holds:
Users can place holds by clicking a ‘Place Hold’ button – which accesses iBistro. The function is the exact same function that currently exists in iBistro.

Your Account
Your Account remains as is. Users will be linked to Your Account from the new site. We are not adding enhancements to the service at this time.

Symphony
The new website gets new records (bibs) from Symphony nightly. Holdings information will be updated every 15 minutes so that search results display the number of copies and holds with relative accuracy.