Project Overview

The NIH Library was designed to be a one-stop platform for researchers to access information on any subject they might need, and from anywhere they might be. Quick and easy access to the best published material helps spur the best possible advances. As the online library grew, it began attracting more interest, and the opportunity for the Library to become something greater emerged.

 

NIH Library

Core Values Drive Innovation

NIH Library Mobile

With the increased interest both within NIH and from the public came an increased demand for more content and remote access. With the limitations of the website at the time, this slowed progress for researchers and left administrators hoping for something better. The Library was having difficulty meeting its core values of innovation, integrity, service orientation, excellence, and collaboration.

Through hard work and diligent effort, the librarians kept the Library functioning, never giving up on their work and efforts. The researchers, too, persisted, not letting speed bumps slow them down for long. But in order for the Library to meet demand and fulfill its true potential, it became evident a major site upgrade was needed.

Working Together to Achieve Something Greater

When WebFirst was contacted by the NIH, we set to work immediately. We sat down with librarians, researchers, administrators, and programmers, and carefully considered everything they had done in the past, everything they thought they could do differently, and everything they would want in the website going forward. Then we made a plan: a responsive, secure, easy-to-use platform to be built with Drupal 7.

NIH Library

Easy to Find, Easy to Use

The new NIH Library website was designed with two goals in mind:

Accessibility

The number one aim for WebFirst and NIH was making the entire system more easily usable both by researchers and the public. Ease of search helps everyone find what they need more efficiently, the ability to ask librarians questions guides us in directions we need to go, and researchers having easy access helps those of us in the public by speeding their research efforts up.

Adaptability

The second aim was to make things easier for the real keepers of the system, the librarians and administrators. They needed a way to easily update and organize the thousands of journals, eBooks, and databases they need to catalogue, as well as add classes to the custom-made online course calendar. Not only is it now easier for administrators to update classes, but it's also a breeze for users to sign up and join in.

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