SpringyCamp Summer 2021

When a Guide is Not a Guide: Using LibGuides CMS for Web Design
Emily Underwood, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

In August 2019, library administration came to three of us librarians and asked us to head up a team to redesign the library’s website; we were given comparative freedom to ideate how we wished. We identified existing pain points, and undertook a massive overhaul to improve our web users’ experience. Pain points we identified included: lack of cohesion between library and archives webpages, non-existent navigation, and accessibility challenges. Thus, our primary objectives became unifying the look and design of the website, making it easier to navigate, and improving accessibility. Our previous website was SpringShare-hosted, and we opted to continue using SpringShare as our platform because of its ease of use, cost, and customizability. However, we were determined that our website would not “look like a guide.” With some expanded skillsets, we delivered a fresh website, in spite of a global pandemic. There are many simple changes that can be made in LibGuides CMS to make guides look like custom-designed webpages. Some require HTML and CSS know-how, others don’t. See what we did and find inspiration for your own website.

Product Covered: LibCal