VIRTUAL PROJECTS Moving beyond the bookshelves DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3163/1536-5050.101.4.002 Introduction New technologies, the ubiquity of the Internet, and the superabun- dance of available information have given librarians new oppor- tunities to reenvision their roles, service solutions, and collabora- tions in this evolving information environment. More than anything else, digital content and technolo- gy-rich library services are moving the library ‘‘presence’’ outside the physical building to support users in their digital spaces, wherever and whenever. In this virtual li- brary world, librarians are crea- tively distributing services out- ward into communities and to library users on the go. Libraries have responded to this ‘‘digital shift’’ in a wide variety of ways. Today’s library website serves as the virtual front door of the library; a gateway to quality and specialized resources; a mis- sion-critical service point that of- fers assistance, guidance, and in- struction; and a platform for user engagement. Catalogs are becom- ing more ‘‘webby’’ and integrated with other discovery and federated search tools and into clinical work- flow environments. The increasing prevalence of mobile devices and tablet computing in research, pa- tient care, and teaching has given rise to libraries providing mobile- friendly websites, content, and support services to meet the needs of a growing mobile library com- munity. The focus of this first column is to provide concrete examples of virtual projects in health sciences libraries that illustrate this digital shift. All these projects are practi- cal, real-world implementations of a new technology or application in health sciences libraries that ex- tend services beyond the confines of the physical library. Each report provides a brief narrative descrip- tion of the project, technical back- ground information, and a contact person for readers who would like J Med Lib Assoc 101(4) October 2013 to follow up with relevant staff to obtain further information. The list of virtual projects in this year’s column was developed by a small advisory group of MLA members who are technology ex- perts: Kimberly Barker, Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, University of Virginia; Janis F. Brown, AHIP, Norris Medical Li- brary, University of Southern Cal- ifornia; Michelle Kraft, AHIP, Cle- veland Clinic Alumni Library, Cleveland Clinic; Eric Schnell, Pri- or Health Sciences Library, Ohio State University; and Elizabeth C. Whipple, AHIP, Ruth Lilly Medi- cal Library, Indiana University. A special call for projects was made in MLA-FOCUS and sent to vari- ous MLA section email discussion lists at the beginning of 2013 that garnered many suggestions. The virtual projects highlighted in the column were primarily identified through that call. General guide- lines for the column and an au- thor’s guide for contributors have been developed with the helpful assistance of the advisory commit- tee and Journal of the Medical Library Association Editor Susan Starr ,http://www.mlanet.org/ publications/jmla/author_reviewer _info.html.. Future columns will be published on an annual basis that explore a particular theme or topic in conjunction with periodic calls and announcements to encourage sub- missions from all types of libraries. Health sciences librarians are doing amazing things in technolo- gy and innovation, coming up with smart solutions, and finding crea- tive ways of ‘‘blending in’’ to better serve their user communi- ties. Their efforts to create and test new models for information access and delivery are making the li- brary vital and relevant for their communities in the twenty-first century. Please consider sharing your knowledge and experiences with implementing virtual projects in your library to inspire and encourage your peers, partners, and communities. If you have a virtual project that you think has transformed the way your library works, let us know. Questions, submissions, and suggestions should be directed to Susan Les- sick at slessick@uci.edu. Susan Lessick, MA, MLS, AHIP, FMLA, slessick@uci.edu, Librarian Emerita, Grunigen Medical Library, University of California, Irvine, 101 The City Drive South, Orange, CA Responsive web design for an academic health sciences library website Submitted by Eric Rumsey, MA, MLS; Linda Roth; William Shane Wallace, MSLS; University of Iowa Before the iPad came out in 2010, the working assumption was that web pages needed to accommodate only two screen sizes: desktop/ laptop and iPhone/smartphone siz- es. Accordingly, many sites, includ- ing libraries, built separate mobile pages for smartphones. With the iPad, as well as several other tablets with differing screen sizes, it has become increasingly impractical to make separate web page sizes for each screen size. Responsive web design (RWD) is a way of coding web pages so that they look good on any screen. Since it was introduced in 2010, RWD has become popular in business and the dotcom world, although its adoption in the aca- demic and library environments has not yet become widespread. Because the University of Iowa Libraries has experienced and skilled information technology staff who are equipped to handle the complexities of RWD, we were able to begin implementing RWD in May 2011. When we began considering the switch to respon- sive design, we had an existing theme for our site that we needed to modify. In retrospect, it might have been easier to choose an