Web Team breaks awkward silence, launches website improvements
Patient readers, we know we've been out of touch for a long time – pretty much ever since we launched the new website last August. What's been keeping us too busy to blog? For one thing, we've been listening to your feedback about the new site – many thanks to everyone who has posted on this blog or shared your comments through other channels. We've also had our hands full helping some of the many people who have started using the library's eBook services. (Did you get a shiny new eReader/tablet/smartphone over the holidays last year? We can'tell.)
If, like Janet Jackson circa 1986, you're asking "What have you done for me lately?", we have some good news. We've been working on a few improvements to the website that are now available.
- Dates when new DVDs will be available for placing holds: You asked for it, and here it is: new feature DVDs become holdable six months after the library acquires them, and now the record for each DVD includes the date when it will be available for holds.
- Mega-menus for faster, easier navigation: We've introduced mega-menus to help you go directly to the section of the site you want. The menus include links to many of the most popular pages on the site.
- Share an item by email: Found something great on the library website? Email it to a friend (or to yourself). The email will contain all the relevant details about the item. Books, movies, music, library branches, library programs/events – all can be shared quickly and easily via email.
Other things we've been working on include a project to integrate digitized books and images from the library's Special Collections into the website and a major application server migration.
And we haven't forgotten about some of the other things you've been asking for:
- A “wish list” feature
- Enhancements to search, including type-ahead
- A mobile version of the site
- An online purchase request form
- Online fine payment
A project to improve Your Account features and accessibility is just getting underway.
Please keep your feedback coming – input from you helps us prioritize upcoming improvements.
10 thoughts on “Web Team breaks awkward silence, launches website improvements”
Hold on, kids. You can’t roll out new features (like mile-wide menus of dubious structure and usability) without extensive accessibility testing up front. And I don’t mean five minutes in the demo version of Jaws.
Hold on, kids. You can’t roll out new features (like mile-wide menus of dubious structure and usability) without extensive accessibility testing up front. And I don’t mean five minutes in the demo version of Jaws.
The new improvements look great. I really like the ‘mega-menus’. However, it would be nice if there was a ‘message’ feature could be added in the sharing by email. It would be helpful to be able to tell the recipient why you are emailing them about the book.
Also, why I have you attention, could authors be added to our holds lists? It would be very helpful for recalling why a book was added to the list several months ago.
Thanks! Keep up the good work.
The new improvements look great. I really like the ‘mega-menus’. However, it would be nice if there was a ‘message’ feature could be added in the sharing by email. It would be helpful to be able to tell the recipient why you are emailing them about the book.
Also, why I have you attention, could authors be added to our holds lists? It would be very helpful for recalling why a book was added to the list several months ago.
Thanks! Keep up the good work.
Great work. I know this is petty request but could you somehow indicate which items on the Checkouts tab under Your Account, have holds on them. Maybe some small icon or colour distinction. It’d just make it easier since if an item has holds on them, you can’t renew them. And it’s the worst when you’re on your last day, about to renew and it fails.
Petty I know but would be very helpful.
Great work. I know this is petty request but could you somehow indicate which items on the Checkouts tab under Your Account, have holds on them. Maybe some small icon or colour distinction. It’d just make it easier since if an item has holds on them, you can’t renew them. And it’s the worst when you’re on your last day, about to renew and it fails.
Petty I know but would be very helpful.
Thanks for the on-going improvements.
Here’s a request for My Account, since you are working on it now:
If it isn’t a privacy/security concern, it would be handy to have my library card number listed somewhere in My Account.
When I call up the library for help (usually to renew that book-with-a-hold that MM is talking about, because there are a dozen copies on the shelf for the person who placed the hold, so they don’t need my copy!) I need to know my library card number. Right now, I log out and then go back to the sign-in screen so my browser can show me the card number again. It would be much easier if it was visible within My Account somewhere.
Also, what Joe said about accessibility.
Thanks for the on-going improvements.
Here’s a request for My Account, since you are working on it now:
If it isn’t a privacy/security concern, it would be handy to have my library card number listed somewhere in My Account.
When I call up the library for help (usually to renew that book-with-a-hold that MM is talking about, because there are a dozen copies on the shelf for the person who placed the hold, so they don’t need my copy!) I need to know my library card number. Right now, I log out and then go back to the sign-in screen so my browser can show me the card number again. It would be much easier if it was visible within My Account somewhere.
Also, what Joe said about accessibility.
And, while I’m thinking about it, I’m curious about what use case you have for a user who wants to sign in but be redirected to the home page. When I sign in, it is because I want my account information. Sometimes some parameter that I’m not aware of is set, and I land at the home page instead.
I suppose one possible use case is the user who is signing in before searching for a book to hold. I don’t do that personally, because the “sign in while holding” feature works so beautifully now. But others might be doing that.
The only strong reason not to send those users to My Account, though, is the incredibly long wait time for My Account to load.
So there’s another request — can you do anything about how long it takes to load My Account?
And, while I’m thinking about it, I’m curious about what use case you have for a user who wants to sign in but be redirected to the home page. When I sign in, it is because I want my account information. Sometimes some parameter that I’m not aware of is set, and I land at the home page instead.
I suppose one possible use case is the user who is signing in before searching for a book to hold. I don’t do that personally, because the “sign in while holding” feature works so beautifully now. But others might be doing that.
The only strong reason not to send those users to My Account, though, is the incredibly long wait time for My Account to load.
So there’s another request — can you do anything about how long it takes to load My Account?