Promoting the collections of an academic library
The University of Arizona Libraries
UX researcher | UX designer
2024
The Collection Services department at the University of Arizona Libraries has put a lot of care into curating collections for leisure reading for years. However, the team realized that many students do not even know these collections exist. They wanted to make these collections more visible and encourage students to browse them, so they reached out to the Library UX team for help in finding better ways to promote library collections and improve the browsing experience.
Project Goals
While students typically use the library to find materials for classes and assignments, the goal of this project was to expand the library’s role beyond academics. The aim was to encourage students to explore leisure reading and engage with the library in more personal and meaningful ways.
Project Scope
Promoting these collections required a multi-faceted approach. It involved improving the design of the library website, rethinking how collections are introduced online, improving library signage, and reimagining the physical arrangement of the library space.
The collection services team, our stakeholders, provided a list of curated collections they wanted to promote. Among these, a selection of leisure reading collections was highlighted as a priority.
This case study focuses on promoting the collections on the website. I worked on physical signage separately in a case study on library signage design.
Competitive Analysis
The purpose of this analysis is to examine how other libraries, both public and academic, promote their collections and materials. It explores the methods they use to raise awareness of the resources they provide and how they encourage users to browse and explore the library further.
Key Takeaways
Our competitive analysis showed us some key trends across the examples we studied. A gamified browsing experience was a common feature. Many libraries use interactive designs to make exploring collections more engaging. Additionally, the use of encouraging text and imagery stood out. These sections not only provide information but also motivate users to delve deeper into the collections. Another notable trend was the inclusion of a prominent homepage placement, where a section highlighted collections. Finally, we observed that the varied scope and features of browsing options depended on the size and number of collections, with larger libraries offering more sophisticated tools for exploration.
Issues with the Existing Design
There were some limitations that affected this project and our decisions. First, the collections we promote in this project are overseen by one particular department. Because of ownership complexities, we are not promoting all library collections. Second, we cannot simply add new pages to the main library website. Instead, all webpages for these collections, as well as the items within them, are on Primo (the library's discovery system for searching and accessing resources). As a result, we are limited to Primo’s features and layouts.
Also, the link to the Primo webpage that contains our target collections is not easy to find. It is placed in locations that require multiple clicks to access. These links are embedded in areas users typically visit while completing tasks, such as finalizing a book request or searching for specific headings. This placement limits their visibility and reduces their effectiveness in promoting the collections.
Design Solution
The solution we developed, after exploring different design ideas and considering all conditions and possibilities for adding or changing website content, is a section of rotating cards on the homepage.
These cards provide brief, engaging descriptions of the collection content, along with links to their webpages. As mentioned earlier, this design is currently dedicated to collections managed by one department. However, it is designed to be scalable, allowing for easy adaptation if the collection holdings expand or if other departments wish to include their materials in this promotional feature.
Testing and Evaluation Plan
The three card designs are now available on the university website for a test period. During this time, we are monitoring and comparing the number of clicks each card receives, student interaction rates, and borrow requests for the collections to evaluate their effectiveness.