Insight on Picking a CMS from a Lone Programmer

Insight on Picking a CMS from a Lone Programmer

Introduction

           The choice to go with a new content management system (CMS) was a result of two higher education institutions consolidating into one university.  One college was using Microsoft SharePoint as their web editor, which fit the culture at the institution.  As a smaller institution, there was not a programmer on staff but there was an IT person with web skills.  At the larger institution, there was a programmer on staff along with two other IT people managing the website.  They were using Ektron but reviews from content editors were poor due to difficulty editing content and adding more advanced features.  Administration decided it was a good time to explore other CMS options.

Interview

           The lead on the committee to pick another CMS was the lone programmer of the institution.  Because the web team manages the website, I was referred to Programmer X about choosing the CMS and customizing the website for the library.  The library worked closely with Programmer X to get their site up and running but library staff were only assigned as content editors.  While content editors were a part of user tests, the choice of the CMS was ultimately the decision of the IT department with approval from administration.

           With direction from administration, the criteria for a new CMS was: something that could be rolled out quickly, something that was cheaper or the same price as Ektron, and something that would allow the advanced features and easy editing that content editors were looking for.  It was imperative that there was a small learning curve for both the site administrators and the content editors due to the short timeframe.  As a result of the criteria and looking at other university websites, Programmer X focused on Drupal, OmniUpdate, and Cascade Server as options.

           Drupal was Programmer X’s primary choice since it was Open Source and free to maintain.  Being Open Source, it would allow advanced customization and easy integration with features necessary for specific units, such as the library.  User tests were positive and a proposal to pick Drupal was submitted to administration.  However, it was denied because it would require hiring an additional programmer.  Administration felt it was a better choice to continue to maintain the same infrastructure and staffing with on-going maintenance costs than hiring a new programmer and completely changing the infrastructure to accommodate an Open Source product.

           After Drupal was eliminated, the web team held user tests for OmniUpdate and Cascade Server.  Site administrators felt both were equal in capabilities and user tests showed that reviews of the products were about even.  Programmer X then took both products and began experimenting with creating content in a sandbox environment.  In the end, it took longer to create a basic website in OmniUpdate than in Cascade Server.  Along with other rollout issues, this would make implementing a website using OmniUpdate take longer than the four months the web team had.  Cascade Server was less heavy on programming allowing the rest of the web team to assist Programmer X more with development.  Ultimately, based on recommendations from the committee, administration chose Cascade Server as the CMS for the new university.

           Cascade Server works much better for the web team as well as the content editors.  In fact, Programmer X made the comment several times that he did not miss Ektron at all.  The library was able to institute some Web 2.0 features, such as improved mobile access and an online chat function.  This was possible in large part to the block feature in Cascade Server.  Programmer X stated that this feature alone advanced the website well beyond what they had before.  The web team provided training to content editors at rollout.  The learning curve was so small that within less than a year they were giving advance training to content editors.  However, since most of the web team focused on training content editors, when they returned to site administration on the back side, they had to have refresher training.  Reviews from both content editors and site administrators have been positive.

Reflection

           Working in higher education for ten years, I am used to the bureaucracy that comes with it.  I have worked in an academic library as a student assistant as well as conducted numerous interviews with academic librarians for class.  To me, it always seemed that academic libraries were autonomous, largely allowed to function as they see fit.  I did not expect IT services, specifically web management, to not follow this same pattern.  The library has the ability to propose new technology for better service but, at the end of the day, IT makes the decision.

           Though a part of a larger IT department, the web team maintains a good working relationship with content editors.  They work with content editors to achieve the look and service that they need. I recognize this positive relationship contrasts other experiences from academic libraries.  Connell (2013) states that those libraries that had a seat at the table in the selection of the CMS for their parent institution were far more satisfied with the result than those who had no input (p. 51).  While the library at my institution was not able to choose the CMS, they did have input through user tests and were able to request specific features on their website.  I believe this lends to the more constructive response to the change in CMS, along with the effort to maintain positive working relationships after implementation.

References

Connell, R. (2013). Content management systems: Trends in academic libraries. Information Technology and Libraries, 53(3), 313-321

Searching For The Ever Elusive Interview

Sheesh! Who knew it would be so hard? I don't work in a library but I have made contacts over the years working on assignments for the program. The quick turnaround time made it difficult. Many either didn't respond, didn't have time right now, or didn't have a CMS. 

So blessed to have wonderful people here at the university I work for. Though, I don't work in the library, I was still referred to the right person who assisted the library. It ended up being a perfect fit! The institution as a whole just transitioned to a new CMS last year due to consolidation. A lot of the interview questions were recently addressed by the webteam so the information I received was current. I am grateful for opportunity to learn more about the process.

Joomla Was A Humbling Experience

Looking over everyone's websites, they look so good! I think I let my frustration get the best of me. I am so used to using Cascade that I couldn't adjust to Joomla. Many people were able to add some features that I couldn't. I think this is a lesson learned. I always thought that I was so good at figuring out technology. Humbling experience. ;)

Using Joomla to Create a Website

I created a website about scrapbooking. It is intended to help those do-it-yourself craft people get started in creating scrapbooks. I have articles on starting a project, tools, albums, embellishments, paper, and wrapping up the project. I edited each page to have correct spacing so it flows well, added tags, limited the details to publish date and views, and added a photo.

For navigation, there is a main menu at the top and breadcrumb menu at the bottom. Also, the homepage has links embedded in text so that as a viewer reads they can go to any page. There are links to the right that display tags and recent articles. I chose to keep those because I thought they would be useful as the website was built out. There is also a logo at the top of the pages.

Joomla is cumbersome and not intuitive. I do think my training in other CMS platforms assisted in navigating the control panel. The items that frustrated me the most were the templates and positioning the menus.

Joomla comes standard with two site templates: Protostar and Beez3. Protostar seemed a bit simple so I went with Beez3 for a bold page look. The template had five different color schemes but I chose Red to match my logo. However, that was the only thing you could really change. I wanted to change the position of the logo in the red header and add blue elements but it was difficult. I also had trouble re-positioning the main menu to be in a location of my choosing.

I decided to go to the Cloud Access website to see about different templates. There were a few free templates. However, the staff at Cloud Access have to upload it for you. So though I downloaded a new template, I couldn't use it properly.

After the continued problems tailoring Beez3 to my needs, I switched back to Protostar. I figured in this case, simple was better. I was able to change the coloring of some things to red, allowing for a more consistent look. It looks like all the elements were meant to go together.

At the end of the day, I am happy with the Cascade CMS used at my university. It is much more intuitive and easier to change features.

Here is my website.

Update:
I just realized that some people were successful in uploading third party templates. That was a great to know. I am now going to have to figure it out myself. :)

Micromanaging Web Managers

I just read an article that discusses if academic libraries are using content management systems (CMS) and if they had input in the choice of product. At first, I was quite surprised to see how many had negative responses to CMS just based on not being able to control their own content or not being able to a pick a product that works for them. This certainly resonated with me.

I am the web manager for my college's website in a large university. We had no input into what CMS the university picked. Luckily, I am finding Cascade very easy to use. I especially like the fact that I can look at the draft before submitting so I can ensure I make all the changes at once. It also allows you to see easily what the mobile view would look like. This software is the first where I paid attention to what shows up on mobile devices.

I may not have been able to pick the CMS we are using but I certainly have more flexibility than some. It goes through workflow but I have a good relationship with the web managers and they support me in the vision I want for my site. Of course, as long as I conform to the chosen color and font scheme. ;)

Using Wikis in Research

There is a general perception out there that wikis are bad for research. I know for sure that I was always told not to use them as cited sources. It wasn't until much later in my education that I was taught how to use them as a great research tool for finding sources. I know that my nephews have also been told not to use them in high school. 

Yet, I truly believe that wikis could be useful for libraries. The number of ways they could help are endless: homework help, literature reviews, looking up historical records, genealogy, etc. How do we remove this barrier and change public perception? I think education is the answer. A workshop in wikis at the local public library or academic library is a great place to start! :)

Assignment 1 - Finding a Wiki for my Library

Library Characteristics

My local library is the Hall County Library System. Hall County has a population of 185,416 (2012) with a substantial size of 392.78 square miles (2012) as well as large areas of unincorporated land despite the urban designation of the county (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). The library system has recently been hit with severe budget cuts that has led to reduction in operating hours, employee furloughs, and a limited amount of new collection purchases based on branch need. It also had to close two branches (reducing to four branches), while it opened an new technology center (Hall County Library System, 2013).

Based on the new approach to services due to reduced budgets, I believe the library could use a wiki that would assist with homework questions that are most likely asked frequently. This could be created specifically for a high school assignment or literature discussed in local schools.

Library Requirements

The library system would need a wiki that:

• is free to create and maintain
• would reach a diverse audience, such as Spanish speaking patrons
• has unlimited storage
• has restrictions so as to eliminate profanity, etc.
• includes a summary of changes and/or history
• was easy to use for the staff maintaining site
• has strong security to avoid vandalism
• provides statistics for use in their annual report
• is also mobile and printer friendly

 

Choice of Wiki for Library

According to wikimatrix, Wikia.com has a robust system that includes an easy to use interface and has all of the above requirements the library needs. When compared to other wikis, Wikia.com outshines the competition with its dearth of features. Currently, Wikia.com has a literature wiki (literature.wikia.com) that includes bestsellers as well as classics that students would be reading in middle school and high school. It includes tracking content such as most visited topics and IP addresses. There are sections devoted to anti-vandalism and recent changes. Links on the home page include a link to the Wikia Book Club and the Children's Books Wiki. At the bottom of the home page is information for international users. It includes articles in French, German and Spanish, to name a few.

I think using this specific wiki for literature or creating a specific Hall County Library homework wiki using Wikia.com would greatly benefit the Hall County Library System.

References

Hall County Library System. (2013). Annual Statistical Report 2013. Retrieved from http://www.hallcountylibrary.org/index.php/about-us/annual-report 

 

United States Census Bureau. (2014). State and County Quick Facts [Data file]. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov

 

Social Media is...Exhausting

I've almost made it through Module 1 of my Applied Tech class. To recap, I am attempting to keep up with my classmates tweets, follow everyone on Blogger, actually blog, and then go to the discussion board to talk about it all. Oh, and read many, many articles on top of it. Did I mention I maintain a personal Facebook account and a Twitter and Facebook account for work? 

My conclusion: social media is so exhausting! At the same time, the tweets and posts are so interesting that I can't help but love what everyone else is writing. I do feel more connected. 

Though it raises a question...if I am feeling it, how does a librarian feel trying to keep up with social media for their institution? To truly be dynamic, they would have to engage on a daily basis. This certainly brings up some good questions in relation to staffing. How do we keep the engagement and passion while removing the exhaustion? :)

Passion for Technology Starts at Home

Keeping on track with technology is no easy feat. Technology evolves so quickly that keeping your finger on the pulse can be difficult. But the growing innovations and the dynamic quality make it fun. 

I mean look at Pinterest. I am absolutely addicted to it! Seeing what others are posting is a fixation. Re-pinning something that has been pinned hundreds of times is crazy. Just think how many people like that picture. This is not unlike Twitter. 

I bring this passion to the discussion of technology in libraries. Technology and libraries go together like bread and cheese. One doesn't work without the other. :)