This README is a work in progress...
NYPLBase (or familiarly, "Base") provides a "base" for all NYPL web properties. Color palette, typeface, default styles, and a bit of structure is all built into this code package. (For those familiar with Twitter Bootstrap, it's like the Library's own Bootstrap but with fewer options.)
The idea is that anyone who's building a web project for the Library, whether one of our internal dev teams, or an external consultant group, can download and use this code as the style base, and not have to worry about getting our brand right--it's already in there. Even if you're not using the code, you can still look at the demo page as a style guide. (Eventually NYPLBase will be part of a much larger branding resource. Stay tuned!)
As far as I know, the Library has never had a resource like this. So, it's a bit of an experiment! I'm hoping that because the style guide is written in HTML/CSS, it will not only make prototyping faster and more accurate, but it will evolve and also adapt to other, similar kinds of code, such as iOS or Android app code.
I have already started using NYPLBase myself to build prototypes of new designs for the site. As I build, I'm working directly in the code for Base so that I can make fixes to the core as I go.
At the moment, I'm the only developer allowed to work like this. At some point I will start accepting pull requests on GitHub from Trusted Colleagues.