Well the new Brimbank Libraries website has been live for over a week now, and we are still in the process of fixing some minor bugs as we come across them, but overall it all seems to be happy!

There is still plenty of content to be added to the site, and some brand new features will be added over the coming months that we are working on in the background.

We have had some fantastic feedback from you… our customers about the look, layout and structure of the new site, and also some ideas on how we can continue to fine tune the site to make it even easier for you to use.

So far we have had some fantastic and helpful feedback on the new Brimbank Libraries website. We have read your feedback and made plenty of changes to the new site which will make it more efficient and user friendly. So why not take another look and let us know what you think!

Here is just some of the feedback we have addressed:

“I think there should be a more prominent ’search the catalogue’ link on the home page - suggest that it is included in the main menu on the left-hand side”
There is now links to the catalogue in the main menu, as well as the menu along the top of the screen. You can also search the catalogue directly from any page within the site using the search box in the right-hand column.

“The only thing I can suggest is to make the site more colourful”
We are still working on adding more pictures and splashes of colour around the site wherever we can. To put it in song… We are going to “wash that city grey away and paint it with a country day!” - For all the music buffs, that is from Colour My World by Petula Clark

Welcome to the new look library website- it is now in the testing phase & we invite you to comment by posting a message on this blog.

Please remember that the website is still in development-

• some pages will be incomplete, for example the Kids & Teen pages have only basic content. The content will be developed further by the Childrens & Youth Services team. These pages will have their own headers featuring photos of children & teens
• multilingual pages are limited as we are awaiting translations. To see an example of how they will work, go to LOCATIONS/ Keilor Village & click on the Tieng Viet link on the top right of the page. Content will be available in 11 community languages
• the icons on the eLibrary page will be replaced with photo icons
• the look & feel of the online catalogue will change to be in keeping with the new website look when we go live

Follow the link below to read about some of the new features…..

For the second of our feature highlights we look at the new and improved ‘Good Reads’ section. This replaces the ‘Good Reads for you’ section on our current website, and is there to help advise you on some of the latest titles that we and other library users have found to be - well - a good read.

The new web interface offers a whole new level of interaction with our ‘Good Reads’ section. This is putting the power in YOUR hands, and makes YOU part of the advising process.

Not only can you read reviews of titles available at the library, but YOU can now also provide comments on existing reviews (like a blog). YOU can also post your own review if you have read something fantastic and want to share it with the world.

Check it out on the preview of our new site, then comment here to tell us what you think!

While you are there don’t forget to check out all the other new features and improvements we are making.

Over the next couple of weeks we will be showing you some of the new and improved features that will be on the new look Brimbank Libraries website. We will start this series of posts by focusing on the improved calendar of upcoming events.

The new-look library website will integrate the powers and functionality of Google Calendars.

You can now keep up with all the latest happenings at your Brimbank Library using Myspace or Facebook! Keep up with what is happening at your library like you keep up with your friends!