Winning CMS

With over 15,000 active users, locations in and around Lucerne, and a collection of more than two million books and media, the Central and University Library of Lucerne (ZHB) is the largest library in Central Switzerland. Its various locations serve a highly diverse user base—ranging from the general public to university and college members—placing high demands on its website. For its relaunch, the library chose the open-source content management system Neos and was subsequently honored with a Best of Swiss Web Award in the "Creativity" category, as well as a Neos Award.

As a major general and scientific library, the ZHB Lucerne provides literature and information for research, teaching, studies, profession, and leisure. Opened in 1951, it comprises seven locations, including libraries for the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the University of Lucerne, and the University of Teacher Education Lucerne. While the ZHB has had its own website since 1997, it was increasingly unable to meet the heterogeneous requirements of its users despite periodic updates. Consequently, the ZHB decided on a complete redevelopment. "We needed a common website for all library locations that could be used intuitively by the general public, researchers, lecturers, and students alike," explains Dr. Nadja Meyenhofer, who is responsible for the website at the ZHB. 

The redesign, initiated by Beat Mattmann, Head of Library IT, was developed in 2022 alongside the design agency Eyekon. Technical implementation was handled by the web agency visol. After two years of work, including an intensive research phase with user surveys, the new ZHB website went live on February 29, 2024.

Pro and Con Competition: TYPO3 vs. Neos

For the redevelopment, the library continued its collaboration with visol digitale Dienstleistungen AG, which already managed the ongoing operation of the existing site. While TYPO3 had been the system in use previously, it was not a foregone conclusion for the relaunch. "We work with both TYPO3 and Neos," explains Lorenz Ulrich, Managing Director of visol. "Our goal was to establish a decision matrix with the ZHB team to find the right CMS through a pro and con comparison".

Intuitive Use—For Library Visitors and Editors

In addition to integrating all seven locations into one site, content search and editing were central priorities. "The search for books and digital content needed to function much more intuitively so that our users could find information faster," says Meyenhofer. "Furthermore, we needed a CMS that suits our editors. As librarians, they want clear structures, categories, and folders. Moreover, not all employees are equally tech-savvy".

The CMS needed to be intuitive so that the approximately 70 editors could focus entirely on the content. Neos quickly emerged as the favorite. "Neos is ideal for structured content and allows for custom page and content types out-of-the-box," says Lorenz Ulrich. "The CMS also offers a very intuitive interface and a clear WYSIWYG editor, making content editing very simple". 

Custom "Counters" for Every Location

The design and operating concept from Eyekon Digital Craft was also best implemented using Neos. Developed through user research, interviews, and workshops, the concept provides each library with its own "site" designed to mirror the physical service counters on-site, complete with tailored information. Despite this, all pages and content remain clearly connected and integrated. At the core is a search field with dialogue-based suggestions and a user-centric menu. "Efficient information transfer was our priority," says Meyenhofer, "which is why we took nearly two years to develop the design and content concept. This thorough planning greatly simplified content migration and creation for everyone involved".

Improved Media Management Through Open Source

Precise, structured work with content was a fundamental requirement for the ZHB. While Neos provided a foundation with nestable content collections, its media management lacked hierarchy at the time. To meet the editors' requirements, the ZHB and visol sponsored the development of a hierarchical media library. They approached Sebastian Helzle, a freelance Neos developer and core team member, to program the extension. Following the open-source philosophy, this extension is now available to all Neos developers.

"This further development benefits us and certainly other libraries with similar needs," says Meyenhofer. "The open-source approach fits perfectly with the ZHB’s strategy and our commitment to openness, such as in the field of Open Science". Additionally, visol integrated full-text search across the entire website and two-factor authentication. 

"Gaining Time for Strategic Web Development"

Starting in mid-2023, 80% of the content types were developed, and the ZHB project team was trained to instruct the editors. This allowed for rapid content entry, leading to a launch in early 2024 after only about six months of core development time.

Nadja Meyenhofer is highly satisfied: "Our editors work very independently with the new system. They enjoy creating content and find their way around immediately. Their engagement has significantly increased, and we in the administration team provide much less support. This has gained us time for strategic web development".

Two Awards—And a Major Internal Success

The new website has helped the seven ZHB locations be perceived as a single unit. "Users and employees see their needs reflected in the new structure," says Meyenhofer. This success has been recognized externally as well: The Best of Swiss Web Award gave Eyekon a Bronze Award in "Creativity" for the modern, user-oriented design. Additionally, the site received the Neos Dedication Award for its clear information architecture and intuitive search. "We are very happy with Neos," concludes Meyenhofer. "We still have a few ideas for improvements, though." The next step involves migrating the ZHB intranet—currently still on TYPO3—to Neos.