It’s National Library Week, and we couldn’t be happier to celebrate it by unveiling a new look and feel for Yonkers Public Library (YPL).
A New Logo
YPL’s old logo was in use for over twenty years - that’s more than twice the average lifespan for a logo. While it gave the library a formal and dignified look, it didn’t reflect the many ways the library has evolved in recent years. Basically, it felt outdated: something we never want you to associate with the library. The new YPL logo has a crisp and clean new look that indicates the many ways that library spaces, services and operations have modernized in recent years.
Its geometric, minimalist design and blue-green palate recall the mid-Century design and colors of the Will Library and its iconic sunshades. The shape, which consists of three solid polygons meeting together, takes the letter "Y" (as in “Yonkers”) and modifies it to suggest motion. Many have commented on its resemblance to an origami bird in upward flight, which also suggests the transformative nature of the page.
All in all, the logo suggests many things about YPL - being solid but never static, slightly unexpected, always adapting and moving forward. We can’t wait for you to see how the new logo gets rolled out to the world - on new library cards, in signage, through social media.
A New YPL.org
So many library services are now accessed digitally: E-books and E-audiobooks; apps and streaming platforms like Kanopy and Mango Languages; and - especially since the COVD-19 pandemic - virtual events through Zoom. We needed a more robust platform for people to browse, search, discover, access, and share these services. Our new website does just that. Like our new logo, the new YPL.org provides a clean and attractive interface that will make it easier for us to organize, update, promote and deliver web content and library resources.
The new YPL.org is designed to be fully responsive for mobile, tablet, and desktop users. It meets all of the Americans With Disabilities Act’s (ADA) website requirements, so it will be much easier to use for people that use screen readers or other assistive technologies. These improvements are all part of YPL’s continued commitment to access and inclusion.
It will feature new functionality for library cardholders, including the ability to book small meeting rooms at Riverfront directly using your library card. We encourage you to click around our new website, and to perhaps learn about some tools or services you didn’t even know we offered.
Happy National Library Week!