WMU Libraries Community

We've recently redesigned two popular web pages based on your feedback and the kind of information you find most useful.

Search Tabs

• Catalog: Get to all of your library accounts by clicking the My Account/Renew link. We've also added My Local Libraries that provides links to local, state, national, and international library catalogs.
• Articles: We've added a link to ProQuest's Advanced Search page for library instructors.
• Journals: Search for the Title of Journals, Magazines, and Newspapers. You cannot search for full-text articles with this search. To find journal articles click the Articles tab or Databases by Subject.
• Databases A-Z: Take a peek at some new library databases.

Interlibrary Loan
During spring, our interlibrary loan web site will work very much like our electronic reserve web site.

Database Proxy Tool
If you've created a bookmark to an article or ebook while on-campus and then from off-campus you find that the resource is blocked or you receive an "Access Denied" error message, we created a special tool that will help you avoid this issue entirely.

Copyright Update
We'll be updating our copyright information for WMU faculty and staff at the end of spring term.

This week we hosted focus groups for WMU students and faculty. Participants liked what they saw and experienced, commenting positively on the new streamlined look and tabbed search box. Participants respected and welcomed the way we were getting people involved and bringing outside creativity and intuitiveness to our public Web sites.

Planned for mid-July is another session for WMU staff. There's still time to participate. Sign up by June 18. Pizza is on us!

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to be a part of our Web site design project and bring some outside innovation to the University Libraries.

Two faculty sessions and one student session are already scheduled for July 23-25, 2008. An all staff session is planned for mid July. There's still time to participate. Sign up by June 20.

Visit and test drive the new home page and share your reactions with us. Pizza is on us!

Last week we addressed a printing issue. Today printing is better than ever and eco-friendly!

Our new design has a pulse! During the daytime, the horse hair background is a bright, chestnut quarter horse reddish-brown.

However, during the evening the horsehair gets progressively darker and then gets brighter again as the sun rises! We think it's a cool feature and has great potential for tailored, dynamic content 24 hours a day, seven days a week, specifically for our late night clientele. Did you know we're open 'til 3 a.m.?

Right now, if you try to print the new design, it doesn't quite do its part to save paper and our environment. We're working on the printing aspect and should have this fixed shortly.

There was a question about why release the entire design now. Well, the objective is to release it today so everyone can get acquainted with the improvements we made. Meanwhile let people take if for a test drive, gather reactions and feedback, then make incremental adjustments before officially unveiling it on August 1.

Web site visitors may use either the current or new home page simultaneously.

To preview the new home page:

1. Visit www.wmich.edu/library/
2. Click the Fall Preview banner ad to read the press release and access the Preview button

Also, take a look at our convenient Comparison Chart, comparing the old with the new.

We want to hear your reaction. Here's how to get involved:

• Library redesign blog: Read the Who, What, When, Why, and How
• Contact us: Questions, comments, and suggestions welcome
• Focus group: Sign up and share your ideas with us

The new design will replace the current home page on August 1, 2008. Web site visitors may use either the current or new home page simultaneously.

To preview and test drive the new home page:

1. Visit www.wmich.edu/library/
2. Click the Fall Preview banner ad to read the press release and access the Preview button

Also, take a look at our convenient Comparison Chart, comparing the old with the new.

Well, the new design is a culmination of over 36 months of research and input from Web site visitors. This included focus groups, two campus wide assessment surveys, and web site and card sorting usability studies.

Today marks the University Libraries' fourth redesign of its public Web sites since 1997.

With each design, facilitating access to library collections and subscription content is our primary goal, ensuring that our landing pages meet the needs of our diverse audiences—everyone from alumni to high school students.

Every month up to 53,000 visitors worldwide visit the library home page. The libraries’ public Web sites are constantly evolving and matching today’s changing academic and consumer lifestyles.

The Libraries are consistently utilizing feedback from Web site visitors, library research data, and statistics to fine tune and prune its home page and public Web sites.

Today we unveiled a new look for our home page. The new design has many improved features:

• Better navigation: Easier to operate and now with larger
  text
• Greater flexibility: Intended to incorporate and make better use of our RSS
  feeds, videos, podcasts, and instant messaging
• Greater accessibility: 'Text only' and Skip to content'
  options for people who prefer text-only Web browsers
• Integrated search box: Find books, journals, and full-text
  articles in one central location
• Latest News: Get the latest library news via RSS feeds and
  coordinated library blogs
• Instant Messaging: Get in touch with us instantly—a
  new service we are piloting in the fall
• Better branding: We're grabbing the reins and celebrating
  WMU's new branding initiative

We're unveiling the new design today so everyone can get acquainted with the improvements we made. The new design will replace the current home page on August 1, 2008.