The Howe Library
“We asked a lot of them. We wanted a new logo, color scheme, and a complicated menu structure. They delivered on it all; in fact, they nailed the design with the first iteration – we were just blown away! They provided a detailed timeline for the project with costs associated with each feature so we could manage our budget. Most importantly, they listened to our needs and made recommendations when we were headed in the wrong direction. We relied on their expertise and were never disappointed. Overall, it’s been a truly refreshing experience working with such a professional and knowledgeable company.”
Pamela Soren Smith, Assistant Director
The Howe Library
Nestled in the small, prestigious town of Hanover, New Hampshire, resides the much-loved Howe Library. A focal point of the community since its founding in 1900, the library prides itself on its attentive and knowledgeable staff and beautiful structure filled with nooks and crannies for facilitating both quiet contemplation and vibrant group collaborations.
When library staff realized their need for a complete website overhaul and logo refresh, they approached BI Studio as a partner to fulfill their unique and multi-faceted requirements.
To start, BI began with the creative brief, outlining the goals, challenges, brand attributes, as well as audience personas. We also researched competitive library sites evaluating the UX design, features, and information architecture as it related to the library’s requirements.
Even though we’ve designed numerous library websites, we still perform this fundamental research for every library site we create. This ensures that the most recent library design features and functions are considered, as it creates a uniquely distinctive site for our clients.
When a visitor first encounters the Howe Library, they are greeted by a magnificent space, a structure designed by premiere library architects Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson, and Young in 1973. Facilitating the surrounding landscape, an expansive array of glass, angles, and wood resoundingly leaves its mark.
It was the uniqueness of this structure that facilitated a natural starting point as we began conceptualizing the redesign of their logo and subsequent brand marks.
Throughout multiple iterations, color, concept, and typography combined seamlessly with a resulting solution as striking and memorable as the building itself. A mark that works well on not only the website, but throughout all of the library’s print and electronic branding.
As a special treat, BI revealed proof of concepts to Pam and her team during the review, with a series of T-shirts that reinforced their final decision and left them with unmistakable smiles all around.
During the restructuring of the online presence, BI Studio utilized a fundamental Row Based Design for the Homepage. Row Based Design uses single rows to display content as opposed to columns, ensuring less distraction and clutter for the viewer. Another benefit is that the row based design accommodates varying screen sizes, making for a more mobile-optimized site.
Scrolling down from the upper hero and quick-links area, the page displays an Events Row utilizing a dynamic, card-based design. This row is flexible, allowing library staff to display selected or rotational items to showcase their most recent events and aid visitors in quickly finding items of interest.
Traveling further down the page, the viewer encounters a full edge-to-edge Separator Row, with a bold visual and impactful message that can easily be swapped out when needed. In this instance highlighting online digital resources such as the streaming content of Hoopla, Kanopy, and Libby. Many patrons are unaware of the free streaming content libraries offer, and this method has proven successful in reaching its intended audience.
No library website is complete without the use of integrated technologies for more streamlined, and accessible services. The “New Arrivals” Row is no exception. In this case, The Howe Library utilizes the Evergreen ILS to dynamically display and access a variety of new books or media through several visitor-focused categories.
Capping off the home page (and shared throughout the site), BI created a pre-footer banner that reinforces the Howe Library brand and playful includes their mascot “Howe the Owl” as it utilizes an equally fun call to action of “Be Wise, Stay in the Know!” as a memorable request for subscribing to their newsletter.
An additional element of Howe’s new site was integrating a “Library of Things”, a growing library function that reinforces community through the lending of more “non-traditional” items such as musical instruments, games, artwork, kitchen items, and more. This is facilitated online through the integration of Evergreen ILS, allowing for the display, filtering, and availability in real-time, either on desktop computers or handheld devices.
As a result of the collaborative effort between the Howe Library staff and the BI team, a multitude of features and functions found within LibWeb were implemented into the site. Those include:
BI Studio thoroughly enjoyed working with the Howe Library team and is thrilled to see the site receiving such a positive response from the Hanover community. Through the utilization of LibWeb, it’s always a pleasure to help libraries extend their reach into the broader boundaries online.
