We hope residents will find our new website to be much like a virtual library branch, easy to navigate with an extension of the same valuable resources, quality services, and delivery of knowledge and information to the community that is available at all Norfolk Public Library neighborhood branches.
Empowering government to build better resident and employee experiences and get more value out of their civic engagement technology.
Learn More- Success Story
- Norfolk Public Library
How Norfolk Public Library Refreshed Its Website for a Citizen-Friendly Experience
Overview
In need of a more modern mobile-friendly website, the Norfolk Public Library (NPL) turned to Granicus website experts and govAccess. The result is an inviting, intuitive website for citizens to use and, with a simple content management system (CMS), for librarians to update.
Project Metrics
- 202K Users Almost a quarter of a million people visit the NPL website yearly.
- 26% Mobile More citizens are viewing the website via smartphone.
- +62K Annual Event Attendees NPL wanted their website to highlight popular events.
- +660K Items From new books to historical documents, NPL has a lot to offer.
Must have Granicus Solutions
Situation
Outdated Website Needs an Update
“After six years, our old website needed an update,” said Cathy Thomann, information technology librarian at Norfolk Public Library. “It was looking outdated and, by today’s standards, had become difficult to navigate on a mobile device. We also knew that many visitors came for information on library events, so we wanted to make that easy for them.”
Solution
Redesign With Data in Mind
Granicus specialists worked with Norfolk Public Library to research, plan, and implement a dynamic website that delivered on their mission. Rather than prescribe a one-size-fits all solution, the Granicus team conducted research, including qualitative stakeholder surveys and user testing as well as qualitative website metrics, to determine what improvements would best address the library’s goals.
Results
Modern Website That Citizens & Staff Love
The new Norfolk Public Library website better highlights the many resources and events it offers the proud citizens of Norfolk. The simple navigation — whether on desktop, tablet, or mobile device — brings citizens closer to what they need while branding NPL as a modern family-friendly library. Plus, the govAccess content management system makes it easy for library staff to update website content.
“One thing we love about govAccess is the CMS. It’s much easier to use compared to other solutions I’ve experienced.”
- Cathy Thomann, IT Librarian, Norfolk Public Library