The board meeting was approximately an hour in length, with the majority of the time spent showcasing the strengths of the upgraded website.

The upcoming launch of a new and improved website was a topic that dominated the latest Ottawa Public Library (OPL) Board meeting on Feb. 8.
Jennifer Stirling, the manager of OPL’s web services and systems, said the new website which will go online on March 1 and would greatly improve on the quality of the one presently in use.

“Searching the library catalogue may have been a somewhat cumbersome process before, but this upgrade will make life easier for people wanting to look for a particular item,” she said.

Chris Simmons, the website designer, said that the new design will incorporate functions that were lacking in the earlier version of the website. It now allows the ability to interact with other users, comment and rate on books, and establish networking relationships, such as those on social networking sites. The searching process has been made intuitive by the incorporation of highly visible buttons that take users to areas of the website where they can search the new catalogue with far greater ease than before.

Simmons also indicated that library users will now have the ability to comment on staff blog postings, find contacts for book clubs and call on the expertise of library staff by viewing recommended titles. The new website will also make it easier for clients to interact with library staff to help them find what they are looking for on the website, a function that did not exist on the previous website.

“This new website was created based on feedback from a series of usability tests undertaken by OPL and it will provide an improved web experience for library users,” said Stirling.

The meeting also hosted a presentation by representatives of the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind). Cathy Moore, it’s National Director for Consumer and Government Relations, said that her organization required funding to maintain library services that cater to patrons with vision loss.

The CNIB wants the federal and provincial governments and the Northwest Territories to go into partnership with them to provide library services for the blind and visually impaired. The CNIB is seeking $7.8 million in funding over the next two years from the federal government to support its library services. Moore mentioned that without this level of funding, CNIB’s library may be shut down in two years

The CNIB library, based in Toronto, offers a website and a toll-free number for Canadians to order materials for home delivery. The library reproduces and distributes books and information in formats such as audio and Braille.

The non-profit organization is also seeking support from other provinces and the Northwest Territories and Moore indicated that some provinces have already committed funding. These include Ontario, Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

Kevin Burns, Chair of the CNIB Library Board, said that public libraries are essential in the process to provide assistance to the visually impaired.

“The right to read of blind and partially sighted Canadians is in jeopardy,” he said. “Without immediate government funding for accessible library services, books and essential information in accessible formats will be missing from their lives.”