Project Description
The “Merc”
Website design, UX/UI, scalable library management system integration, online membership and events management for downtown Cincinnati’s members only library.
The Project
The Mercantile Library is one of nearly two-dozen surviving membership libraries in the United States. Since 1835, The Mercantile Library has housed a collection of over 80,000 volumes and has continuously sought out dynamic lecturers and speakers, experts on a wide array of subjects—politics, art, literature, science, religion and more.
With such a broad spectrum of offerings, their website and system for managing the collection, events and memberships was outdated, inefficient, and disjointed. In short, this one-of-a-kind library was in desperate need of a modernized interface and back-end management system.
The Architecture
The Merc’s Library Management System (LMS) was designed to be a center point for the members and the librarians. The Merc wanted more than just a website and library catalog — they wanted a better user experience for their members and visitors. The public website was created to be the entry point for members and integrate all of the other components (Memberships, eCommerce, Events, Catalog, Communication, etc.). Altabos leveraged their years of IT experience at large companies to build a robust system. Altabos used the cloud (Microsoft Azure) to leverage the newest technologies to create the system.
The Website
Today, a website is often the gateway to understanding an organization’s services, products, and persona. In this regard, it was important that the various branches of information, transactions, and interactions were communicated in a matter that supports the organization’s historical importance through a modern lens.
The past, the present and the future are really one: they are today.
— HARRIET BEECHER STOWE
