The Seattle Public Library Launches New, Easier to Use Website
release date: April 11, 2018
The Seattle Public Library has improved www.spl.org to make it easier for you to find and use Library resources.
One key investment area specified in the 2012 Library levy was improving computer and online services, which included upgrading the Library website. The website was last redesigned in 2003.
The Library conducted public surveys and focus groups to ensure the site would meet the public’s needs and expectations. The Library talked with users and non users of the Library, as well as non-English speakers and patrons with accessibility needs.
Usability testing was completed at each phase of the project. The Library maintained a website redesign project page for the public to track progress on the project. The public was welcome to provide comment throughout the entire redesign.
The new site provides better access to the Library’s collection of books and materials, educational classes and services, as well as librarian assistance. “The new site was designed to be flexible, intuitive and continue to evolve as patron needs change,” said Helen Tapping, head of the Library’s Marketing and Online Services, which led the project. She added that the new site works well with mobile devices, a feature patrons have been asking for.
“Other improvements include integrated search results and easier access to online resources and media,” Tapping said. “We also made sure the site was highly accessible to all of our patrons.”
A beta version of the site has been available on www.spl.org for the last several weeks for the public to see and comment on. Some of the over 150 comments during the beta period included:
- “I really like the new website! I think it is laid out well and it was easy to find the information that I was looking for and I learned some other ways to use the library as a resource that I hadn’t realized before.”
- “I think the new website is visually appealing and much easier to navigate. Thank you.”
- “Wonderful!!! So much information packed into the site and I can use my phone to browse.”
Visit www.spl.org/using-the-library/using-this-website to learn more about the new site and the many new features.