New Library Website Launching on October 14

After months of development and user testing, we are making final preparations to launch the new Duke University Libraries website on October 14, during Duke’s Fall Break. More user-friendly, easier to navigate, and intuitively organized, our redesigned site comes with additional features we think our patrons will appreciate—because they asked for them! You can take a peek at our new homepage design now.

New Duke Libraries website homepage. Click to enlarge.

Notable differences from our current website are based on usage data and patron feedback. They include:

My Accounts link at the top of every page

Updates to the tabbed search box on our homepage

“Books & More” becomes our default search tab scoped to a search of our catalog

We are bringing back the “Articles” tab

The “All” tab is still there for those who want to search our collections broadly, but it’s no longer the default

Our website search box is now included as a tab on the homepage

Other key search tools are in the ribbon just below the tabbed search box

Site navigation via drop-down menus at the top of every page

The drop down menu provides quick access to links throughout the website. Click to enlarge.

We are also adding search pages that will make it easier for you to find your favorite items in our collections, such as film and video or eBooks.

New search pages make it easier to find some of your favorite items. Click to enlarge.

Content throughout the site is being updated to be more current and easier to read. Also new: the entire website has been responsively designed, so it automatically adjusts to different screen sizes, from large computer monitors to smart phones.

We began this group effort a year ago with over 70 library staff plus countless undergraduates, graduate students and faculty who use the Duke Libraries website. It would take a long time to thank everyone who has made contributions to this project through their feedback, research, user assessment, data analysis, planning, designing, coding, and content writing and editing. Their thoughtful work will result in a library website that is just as welcoming and easy to use as our physical stacks and reading rooms.

Next week, we will provide a link with preview access to the site along with a more detailed description of how the new site is different from the old one. So stay tuned…