UNTANGLING A TANGLED WEB: a case study in choosing and implementing a CMS T. L. Huttenlock, J. W. Beaird, R. W. Fordham Library Hi Tech 24(1): 61-68 Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 1 Case Study Information Location: Buswell Memorial Library, Wheaton College (IL) Project: Process of choosing content management system (CMS) Study Type: Reflective case study Findings: Overview of the entire process of choosing the library’s CMS Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 2 “Old” Days First years of web design: Dreamweaver, FrontPage or other HTML editor Had to know complicated code Software installed on each user’s computer Difficult to use, even after training Expensive commercial licensing Many website updates had to go through multiple people...complicated process in the “old” way Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 3 What is a CMS? A content management system (CMS) is a software (typically web-based) application that manages content, such as computer files, audio, video, images, and web content, and allows a large number of users to make changes. (Wikipedia1) A web CMS is a web application used for creating and managing a large, dynamic collection of web material. It allows users with little or no training in programming/code to make changes to an existing website. It is essentially a website maintenance tool for non-technical administrators. (Wikipedia2) 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_management_systems 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_content_management_system Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 4 How CMS works Many CMS are open source Installed on a server (typically with PHP and MySQL installed -- programming software) The setup of a CMS does take some technical skill But the end-user side is easy Today, many people use a CMS without ever realizing it Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 5 Examples of CMS Wordpress--KLOW1 CMS (http://www.wordpress.org/) MoveableType (http://www.moveabletype.org/) MediaWiki--Wikipedia2 CMS (http://www.mediawiki.org) TikiWiki (http://www.tikiwiki.org/) Drupal (http://www.drupal.org/) Web GUI (http://www.plainback.com/webgui) 1. http://www.mykansaslibrary.org/ 2. http://www.wikipedia.org/ Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 6 Hiawatha Library http://www.hiawathalibrary.org/ Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 7 Carbondale City Library http://www.carbondalecitylibrary.org/ Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 8 Bern Community Library http://bern.mykansaslibrary.org/ Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 9 Tonganoxie Public Library http://www.tonganoxielibrary.org/ Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 10 Corning City Library http://corning.mykansaslibrary.org/ Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 11 Atchison Public Library http://www.atchisonlibrary.org/ Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 12 Wordpress “Dashboard” Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 13 WYSIWYG Editor in Wordpress Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 14 The Case Study Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 15 2003: The Problems Legacy web environment Need for fast website maintenance Future web development needs Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 16 Systems and Technological Services Department Faculty Librarian Computer Operations Supervisor (server admin) Computer Support Coordinator Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 17 History Original static website, part of institutional site MyLibrary1 utilized for dynamic pages Test and production servers implemented Primitive CMS developed in-house for template use and workflow needs 1. http://mylibrary.library.nd.edu/ Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 18 Reasons for CMS Separate content and design, so non-programmers could focus on content Links to electronic resources could still be generated using the MyLibrary database structure Coding could be re-used on other parts of the site through use of the CMS Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 19 Choosing the CMS Went with Open Source software options -- library had positive results with software in the past and also lowered costs Installation runs of software options varied After a year of looking (2003-2004), seven products made the final list Time running out -- summer would be the perfect time to redesign the website and implement the CMS Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 20 Formalized Rubric Open source and low cost Easy migration of data from old to new site Not too complex of a system, yet allow customization Standard software languages and large user base Well-document software Final results should be pleasing to the developer and to the content manager Established version, secure, and fast implementation Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 21 Decision Most important factor: easy migration, so the library could still use the MyLibrary database WebGUI was the product that stood out Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 22 WebGUI Handles content management and manages database connectivity Provides framework for reusable objects, including third-party development Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 23 Why was WebGUI chosen? MyLibrary data reuse; only a SQL query had to be written Standard platform: Apache, Perl, and MySQL Flexible and customizable templates Active user base Paid support available Installed base comes with calendar, FAQ generator, forum, syndication (RSS), and shopping cart Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 24 Installation Not many problems Staff had to learn mod_perl Paid instructions not very helpful “Light bulbs going on after first blowing a few fuses” Frustrating process, but the end result is a CMS that results in easily designed webpages Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 25 Problems Learning curve CGI slow; switched to mod_perl language Design meetings took place at the same time as the installation and learning of the software Bugs discovered, but an upgrade to the newest release resolved them Major upgrade to WebGUI announced after initial implementation Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 26 Problems, continued MyLibrary and WebGUI both updated at same time The upgrade of the database data broke the site Staff had to determine why things broke, on top of two new user interfaces Redesign the website, so it looked the same, but was redesigned “under the hood” “It seems that, for the systems department, the only constant is change Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 27 Experiences Even with problems, upgrade worth it, with new features available (WYSIWYG editor) Attending WebGUI conference (2004) helped affirm decision -- great dialogue between users and developers Future upgrades Library will use test and production servers again Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 28 Different decisions? Use the WebGUI user community more to better understand the CMS More reasonable timetable, stay on task Expect the unexpected Anticipate large learning curve and mistakes Fluid benchmarks due to learning curves and the unknown Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 29 Final thoughts Important to analyze the intended users AND the tasks the system will be carrying out Project succeeded because the right system was selected to meet the library’s unique needs -- the previously built MyLibrary database WebGUI wasn’t looked at first, but eventually made the cut It may not have been the easiest to learn, but it met the library’s needs Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 30 “It stresses the importance of finding what is usable for each unique environment, keeping in mind that what works for in one setting may not work for another.” Huttenlock, Beaird, Fordham (68) Heather Braum, LI840, 10/07 31.