After a year of feedback and planning, the time has finally come; Hesburgh Libraries proudly announces the launch of its newly designed website on August 7.

The project team gathered input and conducted testing on user needs and uses of the current website from many different stakeholders. As expected, results showed that library users have diverse needs and interests across disciplines and levels of expertise. User experience and feedback, along with usage and industry data, were critical in shaping the direction for the approach to information architecture and navigation.

“The new site is designed as a research portal that streamlines connections to library expertise, services, resources and spaces in order to help advance teaching and research across every area of study, said Edward H. Arnold University Librarian Diane Parr Walker. “We are pleased to launch a website with new features that we hope help to address the vast needs of our many users.”

Based on campus feedback, library.nd.edu has several new features, including:

New Menu and Streamlined Navigation

The home page now has a clean design and streamlined navigation. It features a menu of the most utilized tools and information, organized into categories and placed in easy-to-find locations. In addition to the improved navigation, you will see the requested features such as a personalized Search Bar, Today’s Hours, My Account, and Chat with a Librarian. Users can access news and events from across the Hesburgh Libraries on the home page.

Personalized Search Tool

Do you prefer ND Catalog? Are you a OneSearch user? No problem. The project team designed a new drop-down menu in the Search Bar for each user to easily personalize their research experience. You can select from several options including: OneSearch, ND Catalog, CurateND or the library website.

After selecting your preferred search, simply click “SAVE as my default search” located under the Search Bar. For some selections, an Advanced Search link will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of the Search Bar. Additionally, when ND Catalog is selected, the Catalog Classic link will also appear.

Consolidated My Account Page

In the past, users found multiple log-in requirements to be cumbersome. The team agreed. Now, logging in to My Account consolidates your account activity at-a-glance, using your NetID. This new feature is intended to make your experience more comprehensive and efficient.

In addition, when logged in to My Account, users can view items borrowed from the Libraries, received through Interlibrary Loan, requested or placed on hold or requested through Document Delivery. If you are a student, you can also see courses you are taking and links to course-related information such as Course Reserves, related subject pages and additional related resources. Instructors can see a list of courses, a request link for each course and contact information.

Database Search Options

Your favorite databases can be accessed in several different ways.

If you are in need of a specific database, using OneSearch or ND Catalog in the Search Bar allows you to search the name of your desired database.

By going to the Research page, you can browse from an alphabetical list of databases (Databases A-Z). You can explore additional ways to search by clicking More Research, where you’ll see additional database options such as E-journal Locator and Article QuickSearch.

Thanks to user feedback, you can quickly access a list of frequently-used interdisciplinary databases by visiting the Research page and viewing the options in the Featured Resources section.

Enhanced Subject Pages

Expertise and discipline-specific resources are now easy to find under Research in the main menu then in the Research Support section. With the new discipline-focused resource pages, you can browse from an alphabetical list of subject-related pages when you click on Subjects A-Z. You can find contact information for librarians by subject and specialty under Librarians by Subject and Specialty. And, you can also browse subject-specific research guides.

Comprehensive Service Listings

A comprehensive list of services is provided in the main menu. This feature allows you to browse a list of onsite and online services and programs. You can also explore additional services by clicking More Services where you will find information on technology lending, research and scholarship tools, and other miscellaneous services.

The faculty and staff of the Hesburgh Libraries are committed to service excellence and continuous improvement. Ongoing input from our many campus partners will help to shape future enhancements and feature development. We encourage you to submit suggestions and feedback via the Website Feedback link in the website footer.

 

Learn More
Download new features guide

 

Contacts:
Lauren Ajamie, Electronic Resources and Systems Librarian, Hesburgh Libraries, lajamie@nd.edu

Melissa Harden, First Year of Studies Librarian, Hesburgh Libraries, mharden@nd.edu