The Harvard Library on Wednesday launches its new website, combining the Harvard Library and Harvard College Library sites into one platform with users at its heart.
Redesigned after extensive testing and feedback from more than 250 students, researchers, and faculty, the new site is intended to be intuitive, accessible, and simple to navigate — a single place where users can easily find and use library resources.
“People increasingly start their search for information online,” said Sarah E. Thomas, vice president of the Harvard Library, University Librarian, and Roy E. Larsen Librarian of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. “[The] updated and streamlined website puts the user at the center, presents a unified view of library resources, and allows our diverse community to find information specific to their interests.”
New features include brief “how-to” guides on topics such as using Harvard’s special collections and archives; borrowing, renewing, and returning library materials; and getting research help. A services and tools directory lists all of the libraries’ resources, including:
- The Lean Library browser extension, which gives seamless access to Harvard Library subscriptions from anywhere on the web;
- Ask a Librarian live chat;
- The Find a Space application, which makes library study spaces searchable for the first time.