New Libraries website enhances information flow
Redesign is culmination of a year's worth of work by University Libraries
On August 8, the University Libraries launched a new library website (library.unr.edu). We are excited to share the enhanced site with you! The redesign is the culmination of more than a year’s worth of work analyzing usage data, conducting focus groups, improving accessibility, and migrating and updating content from several hundred pages spread across several different servers.
Disrupting the online experience for everyone who uses the University Libraries was not something we took lightly. Given how important the website is for discovering what the Libraries offer and for reaching all of the library users who interact with us only online, we wanted to create a simplified website that would make it easier for students and faculty to find materials they need and to learn about all the resources and services that the Libraries offer. In addition to this enhanced user experience, we also needed a platform that supports current web technologies and accessibility standards to allow us to deliver the best content possible to those who use the University Libraries.
Some of the things we hope you’ll be able to do more easily on our new website are:
- Reserve a group study room, or time in a sound recording booth
- Find quick how-to guides on the basics of doing research and using the library
- Place an interlibrary loan request
- Search our digital archives
- Browse available technology and equipment you can borrow (laptops, audio and video equipment, VR headsets, maker tools, and more)
- Schedule a specialized help session (research help, using makerspace software and tools, SPSS, patents, copyright and more)
We know that website changes can be painful—this is the third new website since I joined the University Libraries, so I am very aware of this!—but we are confident that this site is a positive step forward that will help the Libraries better meet the needs of our users and the University community for years to come.
Some key tips on navigating our new site:
- Look for Quicklinks and the Menu in the upper right-hand corner of the page. These provide access points to the most popular pages on our website, and give you ways to navigate to the rest of the website.
- The main search box for OneSearch and the Library Catalog remains the same, with direct access to the list of Databases and our Journals A-Z list. We also have some shortcut links below the search box to the most-used pages of our site (Lendable Technology, Find a Librarian, Reserve a Room, Quick How To’s, etc.)
Academic libraries have changed dramatically over the past 25 years. Gone are the days of going to the library building to get the books and journals you needed for class assignments or research, using print journal indexes and searching for physical books or bound journal volumes in library stacks. The website is the portal that students and faculty use to discover and access the 1.3 million ebooks, 126,000 journals and 400+ databases the Libraries’ makes available to its users. The website is also the primary way that we can let the community know about all of the resources and services that the Libraries offer, many of which were sometimes hard to find on our old website. We hope to see you in one of our libraries on campus, researching, studying, writing or taking one of our workshops. Until then we will see you online, surfing our new site!
About the University Libraries:
The University Libraries at the University of Nevada, Reno is a traditional academic library that embraces the digital culture of the world we live in. The Libraries embrace intellectual inquiry and innovation, nurture the production of new knowledge, and foster excellence in teaching, learning and research through scholarly resources, creative learning spaces, cutting-edge technology, and exceptional service.
