A number of technological advances have been made for this fall semester at Penn State and one of those is the PSU Libraries website. Take a look at it, because you will need to access the library a lot sooner than you think! When you open the updated website, you’ll instantly notice a more user-friendly experience. This should allow you to access information more quickly. In addition to improved speed, the site includes many interesting new features. Make sure to check them out!

The first thing you’ll notice on the new site is a big blue search box, which now makes it easier to sort through the huge Penn State Libraries system. With this central search box, you’ll instantly be able to search for books, articles, databases, journals, course reserves, and even take advantage of an overall site search.

Lisa German, Assistant Dean for Technical and Collections Services for PSU Libraries, was nice enough to share some more information about the site’s redesign;

Every few years, the Libraries do a survey to assess student satisfaction.  The Libraries gets high marks, especially in areas of friendliness and helpfulness of our staff but received a fair amount of criticism about our website.  Students felt it was hard to use and they couldn’t always find the resources they need. We listened to them, did a lot of research, worked with a graphic designer, and then asked their opinions as we were choosing a final design.

One new feature is that each of the Libraries across Penn State’s campuses, including University Park, can have a front page tailored specifically to their branch. This way, certain parts of the website, such as the News and Events section, can pertain to each location.

She went on to express an awareness that students don’t want to search, they want to find what they need to learn. “We are a student-centered library and we want to encourage them to use the libraries and its many resources. We’ll continue to strive to make our resources more discoverable,” she concluded.

The new site is definitely a lot easier on the eyes than the previous version. What you do think about it? Do you think there is anything missing? Share your opinion below!