Libre Library

Learning two languages at once can be tough on anybody, but especially for kids. Libre Library is a mobile library that travels through Texas to help children advance their literacy skills in English and Spanish. This mobile library is completely free, and provides kids a place to learn in the summer months when they are at risk of forgetting information learned in school. There are a variety of activities, and families can even check out books to keep the learning going.

Project Scope: Naming, Naming, Trademark Development, Brand Identity, Packaging, Design Research, UX, UI 

Project Duration: 3 months

Tools Used: Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop 

My Contributions: Research, UX/UI

Contributors: Myself, Hope Vandiver, Kylie Crissman


 

What is the problem?

Library attendance has been declining, continued implementation of book bans, and the ongoing funding cuts to public libraries have all caused libraries to make large cuts or to completely shut down. Low income children are paying the price for this, especially low income bilingual children. When bilingual children speak one language at home and a different one at school, these kids are at risk for literacy delays. Because they are not fully supported in either language, they end up only half knowing both languages. 

Why does this matter?

We have a lot to gain from bilingualism if we can properly foster these skills in our youth. There is an abundance of cultural richness that is lost in an English-only approach, but by encouraging bilingualism, we can better enable the next generation to cement Texas’ place in the world.

 

Research

User Personas

 

Branding

 

Final Outcome

Homepage

Users have a quick overview of what Libre Library does. They can see the services the library offers, reviews and a gallery of images. At the bottom of the page, users can view the librarians and their profile so they will know who they will meet at the bus. 

 

Schedule + Bus Route

The schedule shows where the bus is that week, and the overall daily schedule. There are options to filter the schedule by location and by date of the stop. The schedule breaks down the times of the main events, gives a description of the event, and shows which librarians will be working.

The bus route shows a map of the recent and upcoming bus stops, and their dates. If users want to attend the current stop they can reserve books they want to check out, and sign up for text updates about this stop.

 

Book Catalog 

This is where users can see all of the books that Libre Library has to offer. The books can be browsed alphabetically, by age or by book type. Selecting a book takes users to the book’s information page they can see a summary of the book, reserve for their stop, see reviews, and are recommended similar books. 

 

Account

On the account page, users can access all of their information. This also includes a list of reserved books, books that are currently checked out and previously reserved books. When the time comes to return their books, there is a link on this page with a shipping label and instructions on how to return books. 

 

Takeaway

While making a product for children is fun and very different than most other projects I have done, it has proven to be a challenging one. When there are new things to consider, such as children’s age, developmental stage and how to appeal to their parents it feels like you need to balance all elements and hit a sweet spot. This project has taught me how to consider and create for very different users at once and how to prioritize and balance their needs. 

Using Format