@vacekrae

Library Websites of the FutureRachel Vacek, Head of Web Services, University of Houston Libraries2014-2015 President, Library & Information Technology Association

SLA Texas Chapter Fall Meeting | 11.13.14

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Overview

Web design and development trendsNew library services and trendsLibrary websites of the future

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but first…

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Web Services departmentRachel, Robert, Sean, Keith, J, Chung

We specialize in web and software development, userresearch, usability testing, interaction design, graphic design,system administration, system integration, content strategy,and digital project management.

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Web design and development trends

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Best practices in 2011

http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/libr_pubs/40

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No more navel gazing!

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Design trendsResponsiveMore emphasis on typographyjQuery plugins to enhance UXLarge and beautiful background imagesLarge and unobtrusive videoScrolling instead of clickingMore and larger touch targetsFlat, material designMicrointeractions

Personalized storytellingPersonalized user experienceGrid style layoutsPersonal portraitsScalable vector graphicsFont customization within CSSCustomized image galleriesMega navigation menusExpanding search bars

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/web-design-trends-2014/

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5 different responsive sizes for BYU’s Library

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Touch targets

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Large and beautiful background images

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@vacekrae http://www.google.com/design/

Flat Material design - mostly flat design that uses very subtle gradients, layering, and animation to retain a sense of the tangible world

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Development trendsAgile development practices

Gradual improvements make it easier to assess and roll back if necessary

No more major redesign projects

Users don’t like change, so small incremental changes make it less of a shock to the system

@vacekrae http://www.commonplaces.com/who-we-are/our-process

@vacekrae http://www.commonplaces.com/who-we-are/our-process

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Typically, a fresh design will be a worse design simply because it's new and thus breaks user expectations. A better strategy is to play up familiarity and build on users' existing knowledge of how a system works.

-Jakob Neilsen

@vacekrae http://blog.uxpin.com/4345/gaze-stars-interview-louis-rosenfeld/

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New library services and trends

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New library services and trendsData management services

Data visualization servicesGIS servicesSocial and collaborative citation tools, and bibliometrics

Mobile content deliveryEnhanced and more accessible scholarly content

Electronic publishing

Identity management

Web-scale discovery toolsCross-institutional systems and development partnerships

Multidisciplinary researchLiaisons embedded in curriculum and development

Capturing and archiving campus digital research outputs

http://www.nmc.org/publications/2014-horizon-report-library

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Social and collaborative research

User search behavior and their workflows are changing

More tools are being created to help facilitate social research, sharing, and collaboration

Linked data and semantic web data enriches discoverability of research and researchers

@vacekrae http://www.slideshare.net/lisld/thinking-about-technology-differently

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Discovery vs. Discoverability

Discoverability of more than just content and collections

Include people and expertise, research guides, unique collections, exhibits, specialized services

Include library website content

Include local repositories

http://orweblog.oclc.org/archives/002206.html

Integration of materials that are not held by the library, but which are interesting and available to users

Integration of potentially available materials to support demand driven acquisition

More semantic data about entities and their relationships

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‘Discoverability’ might be interpreted in the context of how well those systems served their users.

- Lorcan Dempsey

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Discovery is more than the discovery layer. Discovery often happens elsewhere. Make institutional resources discoverable (inside-out).

- Lorcan Dempsey, Vice President, Research, and Chief Strategist, OCLC

@vacekrae http://www.slideshare.net/oclcr/the-inside-out-library-redux-scale-learning-engagement?related=1

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Library websites of the future

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Key characteristics and actionsEmbrace current and upcoming web design trends seen primarily outside libraries

Offer more services that support the research process

Include more social and collaborative interactions between researchers and institutions

Conduct more user testing and contextual inquiries

Offer full library discovery, not just content

Prepare for linked dataHighlight unique digital assets moreMake iterative changes, not full-blown redesigns

Practice agile development methodologies

Strive to create positive user experiences

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Connect users to materials and services in their own workflows by making them more familiar, discoverable, modern, usable, desirable

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Thanks!

CreditsWeb Design Trends To Look Out For In 2015http://www.elegantthemes.com/blog/resources/web-design-trends-to-look-out-for-in-2015

Bowlby, Raynna; Franklin, Brinley; and Lin, Carolyn A., "Utilizing LibQUAL+® to Identify Best Practices in Academic Research Library Website Design" (2011). UConn Libraries Published Works. Paper 40.http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/libr_pubs/40

Dempsey, Lorcan, Constance Malpas, and Brian Lavoie. 2014. "Collection Directions: The Evolution of Library Collections and Collecting" portal: Libraries and the Academy 14,3 (July): 393-423. http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/publications/library/2014/oclcresearch-collection-directions-preprint-2014.pdf

Roger C. Schonfeld and Ross Housewright, Faculty Survey 2009: Key Insights for Libraries, Publishers, and Societies (New York: Ithaka S+R, 2010).

Thirteen Ways of Looking at Libraries, Discovery, and the Catalog: Scale, Workflow, Attentionhttp://www.educause.edu/ero/article/thirteen-ways-looking-libraries-discovery-and-catalog-scale-workflow-attention

Varnum, K.J. (2014). “Library Discovery From Ponds to Streams.” In K. J. Varnum (Ed.), The Top Technologies Every Librarian Needs to Know: A LITA Guide (pp. 57-65). Chicago, IL: ALA TechSource.

Rachel VacekHead of Web ServicesUniversity of Houston Libraries

http://rachelvacek.comvacekrae@gmail.com@vacekrae

@vacekrae

Thanks!Rachel VacekHead of Web ServicesUniversity of Houston Libraries

http://rachelvacek.comvacekrae@gmail.com@vacekrae

More CreditsJohnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., and Freeman, A. (2014). NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Library Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.http://www.nmc.org/publications/2014-horizon-report-library

Web Design: 20 Hottest Trends to Watch Out for in 2014 http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/web-design-trends-2014/

Stop Redesigning And Start Tuning Your Site Instead http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/05/16/stop-redesigning-start-tuning-your-site/

The Redesign Must Die talk http://louisrosenfeld.com/home/bloug_archive/2008/04/the_redesign_must_die_talk.html

Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., and Freeman, A. (2014). NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Library Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.http://www.nmc.org/publications/2014-horizon-report-library

Web Design: 20 Hottest Trends to Watch Out for in 2014 http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/web-design-trends-2014/

Thinking about Technology … Differently, by Locan Dempseyhttp://www.slideshare.net/lisld/thinking-about-technology-differently