Member News

Request for Proposals
Lebanon County Library System Website Redesign
www.lclibs.org

Dates: RFP released 12.23.2016. Proposals due 1.31.2017 at 4:00pm.

Respond to:
Michelle Hawk, Acting System Administrator
Lebanon County Library System
125 N 7th St.
Lebanon, PA 17046
717-273-7624 ext 208
hawk@lclibs.org

1. General
Changes to this RFP, in the form of addenda, may be issued between the issue date and within four days before the proposal due date. These changes will be posted to the website, and vendors submitting proposals are responsible for checking the website to make sure they have the most current information.

2. Background and goals
The Lebanon County Library System serves the residents of Lebanon County via six independent public libraries. The libraries are:
· Annville Free Library
· Lebanon Community Library (System Headquarters)
· Matthews Public Library
· Myerstown Public Library
· Palmyra Public Library
· Richland Community Library

It is the belief of the Library System and individual libraries that access to free information increases knowledge, supports the school system, provides a resource for lifelong learning, strengthens the community, and improves lives.

The purpose of the website is to allow users to look for library materials, learn about programs, utilize online resources (databases), and to find basic information about the libraries (hours, contact info, etc.)

3. Current website and problems
The current website of the Lebanon County Library System was created using WordPress, with each library’s page being a page under the umbrella of the main Library System website. There is confusion about the location of a user within the overall website - whether they are on an individual library’s page or the Library System page. We would like to create each library site as a subdomain to hopefully alleviate this problem.
The individual libraries feel that too much real estate is given to Library System items at the top of the page, pushing many of their events below the fold.
The library catalog is not very visible, our WordPress theme is not compatible with the current version, and the website is not responsive for mobile devices.

4. Project requirements and objectives
The new website should provide a clean and easy-to-navigate interface for our users to find often-requested information quickly, and to find other information in an easy, logical manner. Users should have this experience regardless of the device they use to access the website. Each library will have their own subdomain in order to retain their identity within the larger Library System. There should also be clear but unobtrusive access to Library System information on each library’s site. Efforts should be made to make the site ADA compliant. We would also like a smooth interface with online resources such as Overdrive, and would like to continue using Word Press’s Events Calendar Pro, but will entertain proposals for other, more effective calendar add-ons.

5. Current activities and resources
We have launched a short survey to learn from both users and non-users of our current website what they like or don’t like, use most often, or why they do not use the website. This data will be provided to the successful candidate. Our library staff are currently moderately experienced in maintaining a Word Press site, but are less experienced in the back end functioning of the site.

6. Vendor qualifications
The successful vendor will submit a proposal that satisfies all of the issues in this proposal and is within our budget. The vendor will ideally have experience designing library websites and will submit examples of their work. Extensive Word Press experience and knowledge of ways to make Word Press work exceptionally well for our libraries is a plus.

7. Proposals should include a timeline for completing the project. Proposals are due to us by 4:00pm on January 31, 2017. We would like the entire site redesign done by May 31, 2017, but if this date is not possible, please explain why and propose an alternate date in your proposal.
We currently have $2500 available for this project. This must include all labor, any materials, meetings (either in-person or remote), and the transfer of the finished product with a tutorial on how to update its contents (as the process differs from current). We would like to remain with Word Press.
This is a request for proposals and is in no way to be misconstrued as a commitment to purchase.


8. Examples of sites we like
Arlington Heights Memorial Library

We like the clean design of this site. There is plenty of information here, but it does not feel overwhelming; the balance of images and text feels right. We like that the library’s information is easy to find, although would prefer if it were above the fold. We also like the prominence of the library catalog search box. We do not like the changing banner.

Barrington Area Library

We like the quick links on this site, although there may be a few too many. We like the idea of taking the most common reasons people go to the website and making them into these quick links. We like that the online services are on the main page. We also like the search box - that it allows users to click and search the catalog, or to change the search to search the website. We do not like the color and font.

Denver Public Library

We like the announcement space at the top of the page, and the prominence of library address and hours on the left. We especially like that users may choose a different library using the drop-down menu to change the address and hours.

9. Please include
a. Proposal
b. Line-item budget
c. Three references
d. Three examples of work
e. Company or personal profile with core competencies
f. Your testing and support plan

10. Proposal submission
Proposals should be submitted via email to hawk@lclibs.org as a pdf attachment. The deadline for proposals is January 31, 2017 at 4:00pm.