Ever since Benjamin Franklin founded the nation's first public library, Pennsylvanians have been empowered by their libraries—to research, study, learn, communicate, discover new interests, develop new skills, retool their careers, and find a pathway through life.
POWER Library is a service of the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries within the Pennsylvania Department of Education, administered by Hosting Services and Library Consulting (HSLC).
The Ivy Group has collaborated with HSLC since 2008 on a variety of planning, branding, graphic design, and website development projects.
Expanding the POWER Library network
Like many familiar brands, such as CVS, AT&T, and 3M, "POWER" is actually an acronym: Pennsylvania's Online World of Electronic Resources!
Originally only encompassing e-resources databases, POWER Library is now the umbrella term for all that Pennsylvania libraries have to offer.
The array of valuable services HSLC manages for Pennsylvania libraries are delivered under a variety of graphically unique access points. Rebranding POWER Library offered an opportunity to declutter the presentation of these service lines and better communicate their interrelationships.
Online portal for Pennsylvania library services
Next, we worked with HSLC to redesign and build powerlibrary.org to improve the user experience by upgrading access to Pennsylvania's core statewide library services and more effectively communicating the full gamut of offerings.
HSLC launched the beta version of powerlibrary.org in September 2013 with core features, including:
- "Chat"(formerly Ask Here PA) - statewide 24/7 live chat reference service
- "e-resources"- subscription access to thousands of magazine and journal articles, newspapers, photographs, pictures, charts, maps, and reference materials
- "Books, movies, and more in a PA library" (a.k.a. Access PA) - statewide catalog and interlibrary loan (ILL) system
- "PA Photos and Documents" (formerly the Access PA Digital Repository) - an online collection of digitized historical and cultural collections created by libraries and other organizations throughout the Commonwealth
- "For Librarians" - professional resources and information
- eCardSignup - via Auto-Graphics
- "Find a PA Library" - a custom search tool to allow allows users to find their closest PA library
The portal is the place to find trustworthy answers to questions about healthcare, consumer purchases, personal finances, to locate books not available at your local library, to research a subject, and much more.
POWER Kids
The POWER Kids portal was developed in 2015, specially designed to serve kids in grades K-5. Its lively colors and playful graphics direct children to resources tailored to their interests and needs.
The Discover Pennsylvania for Kids! page includes an overview of state symbols, lyrics to the state song, and additional educational links.
Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, mighty is your name, steeped in glory and tradition, object of acclaim…
POWER Teens
POWER Teens, launched in late 2018, targets 10- to 13-year-olds, grades 5 through 8. The Chat feature is even more prominent, and engaging photos signal that this part of the site is exclusively dedicated to teens.
Category: Library Work, Web Work
Tags: branding, libraries, website development and support