System Requirements Document for read-to-belong

1. Introduction

Read to Belong Maine is a polished, responsive public web application for I’m Your Neighbor Books, a Maine nonprofit that builds welcoming communities for New Arrivals and New Americans through children’s literature.

The application helps parents and caregivers quickly find nearby libraries, schools, community organizations, and public events where their family is welcome. It is designed primarily for mobile-phone use by people who may be reading in a language other than English or may have low confidence navigating public institutions.

The core promise is:

“Find places near you where your family is welcome.”

The current release is an accessible, multilingual directory-and-map experience using mock data. It is not a social network.

2. System Overview

Read to Belong Maine provides a public directory of welcoming places and events across Maine. Visitors can search and browse nearby resources, use filters, review results in a list and map, view resource details, identify language support, obtain directions, browse welcoming events, change the display language, and submit a partner listing or event.

The directory covers:

• Libraries
• Schools
• Community organizations
• Public events
• Welcoming and newcomer-supportive services
• Multilingual books, signage, interpretation, and translated materials
• I’m Your Neighbor Books, Welcoming Library, and Pine Project collections
• Family programs, literacy events, and welcoming community gatherings

2a. Product Interpretation and Delivery Boundary

The current product is a first-party public web application owned by I’m Your Neighbor Books.

All listed pages are publicly accessible without login. Visitors must not be required to create an account or sign in to:

• Search for places
• Browse directory results
• Select an interface language
• View basic resource details
• Get directions

Directions may hand the visitor to an external mapping or navigation destination. The product provides the selected place and direction action; the external destination is responsible for navigation guidance.

The first version uses mock data. It supports public discovery and lightweight partner submissions, but does not include social networking, user profiles, messaging, saved places, account management, moderation workspaces, or differentiated role permissions.

2c. Page Content and Component Coverage

Landing

• Purpose and information
  • Introduces Read to Belong Maine and the promise: “Find places near you where your family is welcome.”
  • Explains that families can find welcoming libraries, schools, community organizations, and events.
  • Uses welcoming, practical language for New Arrival and New American families.
• Hero search
  • Provides a prominent labeled location field: “Enter a town, ZIP code, or place.”
  • Provides a primary action: “Find welcoming places.”
  • Sends the entered location context to Directory.
• Neighborhood shelf navigation
  • Provides visible links for Find places, Events, Languages, and Share a place.
  • Identifies the current section with a 3px pine rule and a small illustrated icon.
• Visual components
  • Uses an illustrated neighborhood shelf, book-spine buildings, route lines, abstract family and community motifs, and civic-map imagery.
  • Avoids stock-photo-heavy presentation.
• States and recovery
  • Shows clear field guidance when no search location is entered.
  • Allows the visitor to continue by browsing Directory without a location search.

Directory

• Purpose and information
  • Displays nearby directory results as a list alongside a map panel.
  • Supports libraries, schools, community organizations, and related welcoming places.
• Location search
  • Accepts a town, ZIP code, or place as the search input.
  • Shows the current search context when available.
  • Allows the visitor to revise or clear the location input.
• Filters
  • Provides filters for welcoming and newcomer-supportive services.
  • Provides filters for multilingual books, signage, interpretation, and translated materials.
  • Provides filters for I’m Your Neighbor Books, Welcoming Library, and Pine Project collections.
  • Provides filters for family programs, literacy events, and welcoming community gatherings.
  • Shows applied filters and supports clearing them.
• Results list
  • Shows result cards with a vertical category color rail and a numbered disc.
  • Displays resource name, resource type, location context, welcome signals, and language badges.
  • Opens Resource Details when a result is selected.
• Map panel
  • Displays mapped results using illustrated civic-map styling.
  • Uses circular location pins and distinct landmark symbols for libraries, schools, community spaces, and events where applicable.
  • Keeps list access available so the experience is not map-only.
  • On mobile, provides a sticky Map/List segmented switch with filters one tap away.
• States and recovery
  • Shows loading feedback while mock results are being prepared.
  • Shows an empty state when no resources match the current location and filters.
  • Allows visitors to revise location and filters after an empty result.
  • Shows an understandable error state if directory or map data cannot be displayed, with a retry action and continued list access where possible.

Resource Details

• Purpose and information
  • Displays basic details for a selected library, school, or community organization.
  • Uses an oversized place name and a colored category rail.
• What you will find
  • Displays welcoming and newcomer-supportive services.
  • Displays multilingual books, signage, interpretation, and translated materials when available.
  • Displays I’m Your Neighbor Books, Welcoming Library, and Pine Project collections when available.
  • Displays family programs, literacy events, or welcoming community gatherings when available.
• Welcome signals
  • Shows tactile stacked markers for Languages, Books & collections, Family programs, and Interpretation.
  • Uses filled category color plus plain-language descriptions; color is not the sole meaning carrier.
• Languages
  • Displays language support indicators and applicable available-language badges.
• Before you go
  • Presents basic place information supplied in the mock listing, including relevant visit guidance when available.
• Get directions
  • Provides a public directions action for the resource.
  • Hands the selected resource location to an external mapping or navigation destination.
• States and recovery
  • Shows a clear unavailable-resource state when a requested mock resource cannot be found.
  • Provides a return path to Directory to select another place.
  • Provides an external-navigation fallback if a directions handoff cannot be opened.

Events

• Purpose and information
  • Displays event cards for family programs, literacy events, and welcoming community gatherings.
  • Supports events associated with libraries, schools, and community organizations.
• Event cards
  • Shows event title, hosting place or organization, date or timing information when available in mock data, and welcoming or language-support indicators.
  • Identifies relevant family, literacy, and community-gathering offerings.
• Navigation
  • Allows visitors to open an associated resource where one is supplied.
  • Allows visitors to obtain directions for an event location using the public direction handoff.
• States and recovery
  • Shows loading feedback while events are prepared.
  • Shows an empty state when no mock events are available for the current context.
  • Shows a retry option when event data cannot be displayed.

Language

• Purpose and information
  • Provides a public interface/display-language selection experience.
  • Does not require login or account creation.
• Language selection
  • Displays available interface language choices.
  • Identifies the currently selected display language.
  • Applies the chosen language to supported interface content.
• Continuity
  • Returns the visitor to the prior public context after a language choice where a prior context exists.
  • Keeps the selected display language active during the current browsing session.
    • Provenance: required_inference; necessary to make language switching usable while the visitor continues a public directory journey.
• States and recovery
  • Shows confirmation that the selected language is active.
  • Retains readable default-language labels when a translation is not available for a specific mock-content value.

Partner Submission

• Purpose and information
  • Provides a lightweight public workflow for a library, school, or community organization partner to submit a resource, service, collection, or event for directory inclusion.
  • Does not require login.
• Submission form
  • Allows a partner to identify the submission type: resource, service, collection, or event.
  • Collects the partner-provided descriptive information needed to represent the offering in the mock directory workflow.
  • Supports information about welcoming services, language support, collections, and family, literacy, or community offerings where applicable.
• Submission action
  • Validates required submission information before accepting the form.
  • Shows a confirmation after a mock submission is accepted.
  • Records the submitted item as awaiting directory handling in the mock workflow.
    • Provenance: required_inference; necessary to give the submitter an observable outcome without claiming immediate publication.
• States and recovery
  • Identifies missing required information in plain language.
  • Preserves entered form information during validation correction in the current session.
    • Provenance: required_inference; necessary to allow practical recovery from a form error.
  • Shows a submission error and retry option if the mock submission cannot be accepted.
  • Does not promise that a submitted item is immediately published.

3. Functional Requirements

FR-01 — Public directory access

As a Parent or Caregiver (New Arrival / New American family), I should be able to access the Read to Belong Maine directory publicly so that I can find welcoming places without creating an account.

• Provenance: explicit
• Access: Public; no login required.
• Trigger/input: The visitor opens the Landing or Directory page.
• Observable result: The visitor can begin searching or browsing resources.
• Failure/recovery: If directory data is unavailable, the application presents a clear error and retry path.
• Continuation: The visitor can search, browse, select a result, or navigate to Events or Language.

FR-02 — Search nearby places

As a Parent or Caregiver (New Arrival / New American family), I should be able to search using a town, ZIP code, or place so that I can find nearby welcoming resources.

• Provenance: explicit
• Access: Public; no login required.
• Trigger/input: The visitor enters a town, ZIP code, or place and selects “Find welcoming places.”
• Observable result: Directory presents matching mock resources in list and map formats.
• Failure/recovery: An empty or unavailable search result explains that no matches were found and lets the visitor revise the location.
• Continuation: The visitor can apply filters, select a resource, change map/list view, or browse results.

FR-03 — Browse list and map results

As a Parent or Caregiver (New Arrival / New American family), I should be able to browse results in both a list and map panel so that I can choose the way that feels easiest to use.

• Provenance: explicit
• Access: Public; no login required.
• Trigger/input: The visitor opens Directory or completes a location search.
• Observable result: Relevant mock results appear as readable cards and illustrated map pins.
• Failure/recovery: If map rendering is unavailable, list results remain usable where directory results are available.
• Continuation: The visitor selects a result to view its details.

FR-04 — Filter welcoming offerings

As a Parent or Caregiver (New Arrival / New American family), I should be able to filter directory results by welcoming services, multilingual support, collections, and welcoming programs so that I can find places that fit my family’s needs.

• Provenance: explicit
• Access: Public; no login required.
• Trigger/input: The visitor applies one or more filters.
• Observable result: List and map results update to reflect the selected filters.
• Failure/recovery: If no resources match, the application shows an empty state and allows filters to be removed or changed.
• Continuation: The visitor can inspect a matching result or revise the search.

FR-05 — Identify language support

As a Parent or Caregiver (New Arrival / New American family), I should be able to see language support indicators for resources and events so that I can identify places with multilingual books, signage, interpretation, or translated materials.

• Provenance: explicit
• Access: Public; no login required.
• Trigger/input: The visitor views directory cards, resource details, or event cards.
• Observable result: Applicable language badges and plain-language welcome signals are displayed.
• Failure/recovery: When language support is not represented in mock data, the interface does not imply that support is available.
• Continuation: The visitor can compare results or view a resource’s details.

FR-06 — View resource details

As a Parent or Caregiver (New Arrival / New American family), I should be able to view basic details about a resource so that I can understand what my family will find before visiting.

• Provenance: explicit
• Access: Public; no login required.
• Trigger/input: The visitor selects a resource from Directory or an associated event.
• Observable result: Resource Details displays the place’s welcoming services, multilingual support, collection information, programs, and basic visit information available in mock data.
• Failure/recovery: If the resource is unavailable, the application explains this and provides a route back to Directory.
• Continuation: The visitor can get directions or return to results.

FR-07 — Get directions

As a Parent or Caregiver (New Arrival / New American family), I should be able to get directions to a selected resource or event so that I know how to get there.

• Provenance: explicit
• Access: Public; no login required.
• Trigger/input: The visitor selects a directions action for a resource or event.
• Observable result: The application hands the selected location to an external mapping or navigation destination.
• External participant/result: The external navigation provider receives the destination context and presents its own directions experience.
• Failure/recovery: If the handoff cannot open, the application provides an understandable fallback.
• Continuation: The visitor may return to the directory, resource, or event context.

FR-08 — Browse welcoming events

As a Parent or Caregiver (New Arrival / New American family), I should be able to browse event cards so that I can find family programs, literacy events, and welcoming community gatherings.

• Provenance: explicit
• Access: Public; no login required.
• Trigger/input: The visitor opens Events.
• Observable result: The visitor sees mock event cards with available hosting, timing, welcome, and language-support information.
• Failure/recovery: If no events are available or event data cannot load, the application shows an empty or error state with a recovery option.
• Continuation: The visitor can view an associated resource or get directions.

FR-09 — Change interface language

As a Parent or Caregiver (New Arrival / New American family), I should be able to select and switch the interface/display language so that I can use the directory in a language that is easier for me to navigate.

• Provenance: explicit
• Access: Public; no login required.
• Trigger/input: The visitor selects a language on Language.
• Observable result: Supported interface content changes to the selected display language and the current choice is visibly identified.
• State: The language selection remains active during the current browsing session.
  • Provenance: required_inference
• Failure/recovery: Untranslated mock-content values remain readable rather than being hidden or misrepresented.
• Continuation: The visitor returns to the prior public page or continues browsing.

FR-10 — Submit a partner offering

As a Community Partner / Organization Submitter, I should be able to submit a resource, service, collection, or event so that families can potentially discover welcoming offerings through the directory.

• Provenance: explicit
• Access: Public; no login required.
• Trigger/input: The submitter opens Partner Submission, chooses a submission type, and provides the requested information.
• Observable result: The application validates the submission and displays confirmation when the mock submission is accepted.
• State: An accepted submission is recorded as awaiting directory handling in the mock workflow.
  • Provenance: required_inference
• Failure/recovery: Required fields are identified in plain language; entered information remains available during correction in the current session; a submission error provides retry.
• Continuation: The submitter can submit another offering or return to public directory browsing.

FR-11 — Use welcoming, accessible communication

As a Parent or Caregiver (New Arrival / New American family), I should be able to understand the application’s information and controls through clear, welcoming, readable content so that I can confidently find community places.

• Provenance: explicit
• Access: Public.
• Trigger/input: The visitor reads or interacts with any page.
• Observable result: The application uses high-contrast, large, readable text, generous spacing, plain-language labels, and inclusive wording.
• Content constraints: The application avoids deficit-based language including “problem,” “burden,” and “at-risk,” and uses “New Arrival,” “New American,” “neighbor,” “family,” and “community” where appropriate.
• Failure/recovery: Errors and empty states use practical, non-blaming language and provide a next action.
• Continuation: The visitor can continue searching, browsing, changing language, or getting directions.

4. User Personas

Parent or Caregiver (New Arrival / New American family)

• Product context: A parent or caregiver using a mobile phone to navigate an unfamiliar civic landscape. They may prefer a language other than English and may have low confidence interacting with public institutions.
• Primary goal: Quickly find a nearby place or event where their family is welcome.
• Responsibilities: Search by town, ZIP code, or place; browse list and map results; apply filters; review language support; read resource details; browse events; change display language; and get directions.
• Relevant inputs and decisions: Location, desired welcoming services, multilingual support needs, collection availability, family-program relevance, and preferred interface language.
• Interactions with other participants: Uses an external navigation destination only after choosing directions for a selected place or event.
• Observable success: Finds a suitable library, school, community organization, or event and knows what it offers and how to get there.

Community Partner / Organization Submitter

• Product context: A staff member or volunteer representing a library, school, or community organization with a welcoming resource, service, collection, or event to share.
• Primary goal: Provide accurate information about an offering so it can be considered for inclusion in the directory.
• Responsibilities: Select a submission type, describe the offering, identify relevant welcoming services or language support, and correct missing information when requested.
• Relevant inputs and decisions: Whether the submission is a resource, service, collection, or event; which welcoming offerings it provides; and the descriptive details needed for directory handling.
• Interactions with other participants: Supplies information that I’m Your Neighbor Books can handle for the mock directory workflow; no moderation participant interface is included in the current release.
• Observable success: Receives confirmation that the mock submission was accepted and is awaiting directory handling.

5. Core User Flows

Parent or Caregiver Flow 1 — Find a nearby welcoming place

1. The parent or caregiver opens Landing on a mobile phone without logging in.
2. They read the public promise and enter a town, ZIP code, or place in the labeled search field.
3. They select Find welcoming places.
4. The application opens Directory and presents matching mock results in a list and illustrated map panel.
5. The parent or caregiver reviews readable result cards, including resource type, welcome signals, and language badges.
6. They apply filters for welcoming services, multilingual support, collections, or family and community programs if needed.
7. The application updates the list and map results.
8. If no matches are found, the application explains that no matching resources are available and lets the visitor revise the search or clear filters.
9. The parent or caregiver selects a resource card.
10. The application opens Resource Details for the selected place.

Parent or Caregiver Flow 2 — Review a place and get directions

1. The parent or caregiver arrives on Resource Details from Directory or an associated event.
2. They review the place name, welcoming services, languages, books and collections, family programs, interpretation, and available “Before you go” information.
3. They select Get directions.
4. The application hands the location to an external mapping or navigation destination.
5. The external navigation provider presents its directions experience.
6. If the handoff does not open, Read to Belong Maine provides a clear fallback.
7. The parent or caregiver may return to Resource Details, Events, or Directory.

Parent or Caregiver Flow 3 — Browse welcoming events

1. The parent or caregiver selects Events from the neighborhood shelf.
2. The application displays event cards for available mock family programs, literacy events, and welcoming community gatherings.
3. The parent or caregiver reviews available host, timing, welcome, and language-support information.
4. They select an associated place when they want to know more.
5. The application opens Resource Details for that place, when an associated resource is available.
6. Alternatively, they select directions for an event location.
7. The application hands the event location to an external mapping or navigation destination.
8. If no events are available, the application shows an understandable empty state and allows the visitor to continue to Directory.

Parent or Caregiver Flow 4 — Change display language

1. The parent or caregiver selects Languages from the neighborhood shelf.
2. The application opens Language without requiring login.
3. The visitor selects an available display language.
4. The application visibly confirms the current language and applies it to supported interface content.
5. The visitor returns to their prior public context or continues to Directory, Events, or Landing.
6. If a mock-content value is not translated, the application retains a readable value rather than hiding it.

Community Partner / Organization Submitter Flow — Share a place or event

1. The submitter selects Share a place from the neighborhood shelf.
2. The application opens Partner Submission without requiring login.
3. The submitter selects whether they are submitting a resource, service, collection, or event.
4. They enter the requested information about the offering, including applicable welcoming services, language support, collections, and family, literacy, or community offerings.
5. The submitter selects the submission action.
6. The application validates the form.
7. If required information is missing, the application identifies the missing information in plain language and retains the entered content for correction during the current session.
8. When the mock submission is accepted, the application confirms receipt and identifies it as awaiting directory handling.
9. If acceptance fails, the application shows an error and allows retry.
10. The submitter may submit another offering or continue to public browsing.

6. Visuals Colors and Theme

Muse: Charles & Ray Eames
Headline: Warm modernism for finding your place in the community

Read to Belong Maine shall feel like an inviting, printed community guide: warm, structured, practical, locally grounded, and never institutional or touristy.

Color tokens

• Blue must not be used as a generic SaaS accent on white surfaces.
• Color must not be the only way welcome signals, status, or categories are communicated.
• The generic indigo/blue-on-white SaaS template is forbidden.

Typography

• Headings and navigation: Jost, weights 600–700.
• Body and explanatory copy: Literata, weights 400–500.
• Button, filter, language-chip, map-label, and number text: Jost 600.
• Type scale:
  • Body: 16px
  • Lead: 18px
  • Section label: 22px
  • Card title: 28px
  • Mobile page title: 36px
  • Tablet hero: 52px
  • Desktop hero: 72px
• Line height:
  • Body: 1.55–1.7
  • Headings: 0.95–1.08
• Headings use sentence case with tight but readable tracking.

Shape and surface language

• Use Eames-like modular geometry.
• Touchable cards use 12px corner radius.
• Short filter chips may use 999px radius.
• Use circular map pins, half-circle doorway shapes, house-roof triangles, book-spine rectangles, and stitched-route lines.
• Use visible 2px pine outlines on key wayfinding components instead of soft floating shadows.
• Use extremely low-opacity warm paper texture only.
• Surfaces should feel printed and assembled, not glossy.

Layout

• Use a 12-column desktop grid.
• Use a single-column mobile flow with 20px side gutters.
• Directory desktop layout uses a 5-column results rail beside a 7-column map.
• Directory mobile layout uses a sticky Map/List segmented switch.
• Keep filters one tap away on mobile.
• Alternate cream, warm-white, harbor-blue, and forest section fields.
• Resource details follow a clear sequence:
  1. What you will find
  2. Languages
  3. Before you go
  4. Get directions

Imagery

• Use custom flat community motifs: open books becoming rooftops, pine needles forming route lines, window shapes, library-card patterns, shared tables, speech bubbles, and varied abstract family silhouettes.
• The map is an illustrated civic diagram with cream land, harbor-blue water, forest street lines, circular tomato pins, and custom civic landmarks.
• Occasional documentary details may include book spines, a painted school doorway, or hands sharing a picture book, treated with flat-color overlays and editorial crops.
• Avoid stock-photo-heavy imagery, tourism clichés, lobster imagery, lighthouse badges, nautical rope, rustic wood textures, postcard scenery, and imagery that frames families as recipients of help rather than active neighbors.

7. Signature Design Concept

The public Landing page shall use a full-width illustrated neighborhood shelf on a cream paper ground.

On desktop, the left seven columns contain the 72px Jost headline:

“Find places near you where your family is welcome.”

The right five columns contain a tall harbor-blue illustrated civic-map block with forest-green pine silhouettes, book-spine buildings, tomato-red location pins, and one curved mustard route line. A large warm-white search panel overlaps the lower edge of this map block like a library card. The search panel contains the labeled field “Enter a town, ZIP code, or place” and the tomato-red Find welcoming places action.

On mobile, the map becomes a 220px top banner and the warm-white search panel overlaps its lower edge. This composition introduces the accepted directory search behavior while making the experience