Orange County Library System launches their new website

The Orange County Library System launched a brand-new overhaul of their website yesterday, and I’m not sure if there’s a way to say this that isn’t a backhanded compliment, but: IT IS SO MUCH BETTER. Finally, you can find easily search for classes and events happening at the library, with the ability to choose parameters like location, category or date; finally, there’s a list of all the research resources available to library patrons, like Lynda.com classes and Rocket Languages tutorials. And finally you can see at a glance (and reserve) all of the meeting and resource rooms – and that includes the Melrose Center studios, sound booths, simulators, etc. (read a bit more about the Melrose Center here and here).

OK, that stuff was on the site before, but the clunky design made it less than intuitive to find information, and somehow hard to see even once you located it. The new Drupal-based site is airy, cheerful and clean. It was a big project: OCLS staff and an out-of-town web design firm have been working together on the site for more than a year.

Caveat: Lest you think we are just OCLS cheerleading here because our former editor left here to go there, trust that we’ve been loving on the library for a long time. The MAYL home-delivery system (and the awesomely slabby Brutalist downtown building) were impressive enough, but I never quite realized how many free classes and online tutorials were available.  

Miss the old look? I get it; there’s a nostalgia factor, and once you know your way around, you don’t always want to learn a new path. Rest easy: When you log into your library account, or search a title or author, you’ll get popped back into that good ol’ OCLS site you already know and have learned to love. It’s sort of like they redecorated the front of house, but backstage is still familiar. 

This article appears in May 4-10, 2016.