Launch Day for Chouteau County Library ~ New Semi-Custom Website
I’ve been a long-time patron of my local libraries. It’s one of the first places I go to connect with my new community after a move. They are always welcoming, so helpful, and almost always help me make a connection with a local homeschooling group. When Emily Wicks approached me with the opportunity to update the Chouteau County Library Systems’ “outdated and not-user friendly” website, I was thrilled to give it a go.
The project was driven by the desire to update the website to showcase all three branches and highlight their digital resources and upcoming events. Their current site was several years old and was not mobile-friendly and really difficult to update WordPress site. I build the new site on Squarespace 7.1 using the new Fluid Engine Builder. Fluid Engine took a few weeks to get used to as it uses a grid rather than a column layout and can optimize the site for mobile also.
Here’s what Emily had to say about the project:
Choteau County Library -
Multi-Branch Community Library
+ Events Center
Semi-Custom Website Design
Design Direction
After looking at inspiration websites and delving into their ideal client profile and goals, we very quickly found our design direction. We updated the look from forest green and brown to crisp and clean white with Prussian blue accents. The main branch building is a beautifully build brick Carnegie Library. I want to capture the beauty of the architecture and the welcoming feeling I had every time I entered their doors.
Moodboard
Website Design Elements
One of the first design elements we chose was to use a rounded rectangle to create a parallelogram-like button shape and mirrored the same shape with many of the images as well as the new text block background feature. The Prussian blue buttons change from fill to outline on hover and vise-versa for extra impact. This was easily done with the new Fluid Engine builder that Squarespace rolled out earlier this year.
Homepage Design
The previous site had only a few photos that were inconsistently sized and minimal information about each branch. For the new website, we really wanted to showcase each branch and feature their upcoming events. Emily hired local photographer, Montana Marie Photography, to take brand photos of each branch. They turned our amazing and added so much color and interest to the website. The homepage plus each branch page ends with a section featuring all three branches with buttons to learn more about each branch.
The Our Branches learn more buttons, main navigation, and footer links all take you to the branch-specific pages.
Website Features
Customized forms
Custom Brand Photos cropped & optimized for website use
Upcoming and past events feed on the homepage and branch pages plus
Dedicated Events page
Instagram feed
Trustee & Foundation pages designed for easy updating with agendas & minutes
Plus Behind-the-Scenes bonus pages including:
Master website template for the client to use to build new pages
Custom video training page
Design Style Kit
Custom 404 Error Page
Layouts for Legal & Policy Pages
Linktree-style Instagram landing page
Each branch-specific page highlights the hours, phone, and address for that specific branch. Moving down the page you’ll find the services available, branch-specific events, featured rooms/areas, meeting rooms where available, and staff for each individual branch.
Additionally, they asked for an integrated events page and an easy way to update both meeting agendas and minutes for their trustee and foundation pages as well as policies on the policy page. The biggest challenge for the librarians will be setting aside time weekly to update all the upcoming events. We provided training videos for all of the features they will be updating regularly as well as those that will only be updated occasionally. In either case, they’ll be able to watch the 5 min video that provides all the details to make all the updates themselves with confidence.
We also linked to the Montana Shared Catalog website which houses the patrons’ accounts and the library’s searchable catalog. The website went live without a hitch. We’re so excited to have been able to work on this project and create a clean, professional online space to highlight all the resources the libraries have to offer!
I hope you love this project as much as I do. If you or someone you know is in the market for a new or updated website please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I’d love to learn more about you, your business, and your project!
Check out more of our recent launches.
Recent Launch Day Posts
If you are looking for even more inspiration check out my color palette series.
Color Palette Collection Series Posts:
Color Palette Inspiration | Architecture Collection
Color Palette Inspiration: Columbia Center
Color Palette Inspiration | Early Spring Collection
Color Palette Inspiration: Painted Hills
Looking to up your Squarespace game? Check out the latest new features here:
Squarespace New Features Series:
Squarespace New Features Spotlight: Hosted Background Video + Video Pages
Squarespace New Features Spotlight: Auto Layouts
Squarespace New Features Roundup: Fall & Winter 2021-22
Are you just getting started on your website journey? Here are a few free resources that will help!
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