PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the processes the UCLA Library Website Redesign Team used to develop a new library website responsive to the needs of the broad population of UCLA Library users.Design/methodology/approachUsing a combination of structured analyses of the previous library website, user surveys, a card sort protocol and a think‐aloud protocol, the Website Redesign Team procured sufficient information to meet its redesign goals: established clear site organization and navigation, utilized user‐centered nomenclature, ensured easy access from the library homepage to relevant information, developed a unified institutional visual identity throughout the site, and enabled a content management system.FindingsStandard usability methods such as surveys and the card sort and think‐aloud protocols are essential tools for evaluating and redesigning complex multi‐layered websites. Since the redesign process is not finite, these tools contribute to keeping a website current and responsive to the needs of its users.Originality/valueThis case study provides an example that the Redesign Team hope will empower readers with tools and knowledge that they can use to perform similar tasks in their own environment.

This article focuses on the development of an engaging library orientation module for UC San Diego First Year Experience (FYE) courses. The library module included a brief in-class presentation about research concepts and library services, an online interactive library scavenger hunt given as an in-class activity, and a homework assignment where students created public service announcements highlighting their favorite library space or resource. Over 400 FYE students completed the library module, and many indicated a marked increase in comfort using the library by the end of the module. Recommended practices are included for those wishing to create a similar module.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the technical aspects of using the Edventure Builder platform to create UC San Diego's scalable, interactive, online library orientation activity, which was designed for the university's new First Year Experience program. Design/methodology/approach: This paper examines a case study using a successive approximation model for the build process of a mobile library scavenger hunt. Findings: The Edventure Builder software is intuitive, scalable and provides a variety of options to users, including flexibility in question format, a WYSIWYG interface, and branching logic. The main limitation is that analytics is still in beta testing and users must request that data be sent in an Excel spreadsheet via email. Originality/value: This paper is of interest to information professionals who would like to create a mobile library orientation activity using the Edventure Builder platform.

Instruction librarians want clear data showing the effectiveness of our workshops as a way of demonstrating our value in education. This article uses instructional design approaches to show how to make specific changes when writing and measuring our learning outcomes to capture what we are doing in our sessions. Unlike instructors with classes that develop over several months, we are faced with unique challenges when conducting one-shot instruction sessions. By focusing our attention on student satisfaction and learning, we see ways to improve those sessions for everyone involved. In this essay, we provide examples and discuss how to write effective learning outcomes to answer specific questions about learner satisfaction and what the participants learned. In addition, we suggest ways to reform the evaluation and assessment questions that we use to reinforce our lessons. These methods can be used in both online and face-to-face environments.

To what extent must diverse users adapt themselves to singular one‐interface systems, and in what ways does this impede access and use? In a perfect world of adaptive systems, backend architecture structuring digital information would be accessible through multiple user interfaces that support the literacy levels, technological capabilities and other characteristics of different user groups. Collaborating with the California Digital Library, usability testing was conducted with 4th and 12th graders to compare the effectiveness of an existing finding aid‐based interface with a newly developed prototype interfaco in retrieving cultural heritage information. Findings inform the growing number of efforts by cultural heritage communities—including libraries, archives, museums, and community organizations—to create broader access to their rich resources through digitization.