2015 LibTech Conference

Winona State University, Krueger Library, Summer 2013. Time for a library website reboot. We wanted our online presence to be user-focused, simple, and elegant. Our dilemma? No developers on staff at our library. Our vision was galaxies ahead of our tools and knowledge.

We turned to our university Web Communications and Web Development teams to boldly go where the library website had not gone before. At first, we educated each other. Librarians learned about the university’s web systems, and developers learned about library systems. Then we met weekly to share our ideas as a team, identifying and overcoming obstacles together along the way. And we made it so, as Krueger Library’s new library website rolled out in July 2014.

In this discussion session, attendees will hear from all sides of the table as the project managers, developers, and librarians explain how we collaborated to produce a forward-thinking, sleek, responsive site. Join us as the panelists discuss the greatest stumbling blocks and biggest wins. The discussion will include use cases for local and common tools, such as MnPALS Discover and LibGuides. We will share timelines, site architecture, code snippets, and, perhaps most importantly, plans for future projects together.