Fraser Valley Regional Library Case Study
Overview
Fraser Valley Regional Library (FVRL), established in 1930 as North America's first regional library system, is now the largest public library network in British Columbia. Serving over 810,000 residents across 26 locations, FVRL is guided by a mission to open minds and enable dreams, and a vision to enhance community well-being through access to knowledge, ideas, and experiences. The library values lifelong learning, open access, diversity, innovation, and intellectual freedom — principles reflected in both its services and its staff.
To better support its dynamic communities, FVRL undertook a comprehensive redesign of its public website. The project aimed to deliver a modern, accessible, and user-friendly platform that could more effectively showcase the full scope of FVRL’s offerings. They were seeking an innovative, flexible, and collaborative partner who could guide them through the process, not just in execution, but in strategic thinking. After an evaluation process, ImageX was selected as that partner.
Through open and ongoing communication, we built a strong working relationship that enabled knowledge-sharing and co-creation. The FVRL team shared that they appreciated the value we brought to the project and walked away feeling more informed and empowered. Together, we laid the foundation for a flexible, scalable, and user-focused digital presence that supports their continued growth and community impact.
What They Needed
FVRL identified the need for a comprehensive website redesign to address usability and accessibility challenges. Their existing site was outdated, unresponsive on mobile devices, and lacked fresh, engaging content. It also failed to effectively showcase the breadth of FVRL’s services beyond traditional book lending, such as their playground inventory and dynamic programming.
The global pandemic further exposed their site’s limitations, highlighting the need for a more flexible, accessible, and user-centric digital experience. Feedback from both staff and users cited four major issues: a poor mobile experience, an outdated design, difficult navigation, and outdated content.
A key goal of the project was to better serve their range of audiences through a cohesive, intuitive digital platform that reflects FVRL’s full value. A major component of this transformation was integrating FVRL’s events platform, previously hosted separately on a third-party software, BiblioCommons, into the main site. BiblioCommons posed design challenges due to platform constraints and branding conflicts, and its pay-to-play model limited growth and flexibility.
How We Helped
Our collaboration with FVRL began with a strong discovery foundation which touched on design, business analysis, and development, to ensure alignment on project strategy, technical limitations, and creative opportunities. From the start, we prioritized transparency and responsiveness, ensuring they always had clarity on what was feasible and how best to achieve their goals.
A key challenge was incorporating FVRL’s bright, vibrant brand colours into a modern and welcoming interface. To avoid a potentially overwhelming visual experience, we introduced lighter tones of their palette and leveraged a generous use of white space to create a clean, balanced design that stayed true to their identity.
Functionality and user experience were central to the project. With vast amounts of content and complex taxonomies, the approach to content strategy and layout was critical. We delivered a flexible structure that empowered FVRL to manage and present their offerings clearly and effectively. Accessibility and mobile responsiveness were also major improvements, critical for serving the diverse needs of their community.
One of the most impactful custom features was the integration of their events platform, which had previously existed separately on a limited third-party system. This integration streamlined the user experience and expanded the FVRL team’s ability to promote programs and services in a responsive way.
Words from
the client
"The team was nothing short of amazing, their project management, honesty, and collaboration. I learned a ton from them and can't say enough. And the way they broke down technical issues in ways we could understand really made a difference."
- Jennifer Fehr, Marketing Communications Manager at Fraser Valley Regional Library
The Results
Since launch, FVRL has received a lot of positive feedback from both internal staff and community members, reflecting a strong approval of the new site’s design, functionality, and ease of use. The updated platform has significantly improved accessibility and responsiveness, offering a seamless experience across devices.
Key outcomes include:
- A modernized, brand-aligned design that feels welcoming and balanced
- Streamlined content structure that supports better discoverability of services and programs
- Successful integration of a formerly separate events platform, creating a unified user experience
- Improved content management capabilities, giving staff greater control and flexibility
- A strong foundation for future engagement tools, including email and SMS outreach
Three months post-launch, views of the site have almost doubled, with increased average time of engagement and number of views per user—clear evidence that the improvements are resonating with the community.
