Re: [CODE4LIB] Master list of open source projects of interest to libraries?
Thank you very much to everyone who responded both on and off list! This is lovely. And exactly the sort of information I was interested in getting. Thanks again for your time and kindness. Warm regards, Brad On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 3:30 PM, Brad Coffield bcoffield.libr...@gmail.com wrote: I assume this doesn't exist but...? In lieu of that are there any open source library projects that people know of that are under active development that they would like to plug? I've done some searching and found some cool things but I feel like there has to be way more - even just bits n whatnots that may work with particular library systems. (It can be hard to search github for this because of the IT use of the term library/libraries) I ask because: a. There might be something out there that I don't know about that might be great for us to implement (like, Guide on the Side which looks awesome) b. I'd like to try and help out some such project if my skills fit its needs. Thanks all. -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu -- Andrew Darby Head, Web Emerging Technologies University of Miami Libraries -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
[CODE4LIB] Master list of open source projects of interest to libraries?
I assume this doesn't exist but...? In lieu of that are there any open source library projects that people know of that are under active development that they would like to plug? I've done some searching and found some cool things but I feel like there has to be way more - even just bits n whatnots that may work with particular library systems. (It can be hard to search github for this because of the IT use of the term library/libraries) I ask because: a. There might be something out there that I don't know about that might be great for us to implement (like, Guide on the Side which looks awesome) b. I'd like to try and help out some such project if my skills fit its needs. Thanks all. -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] Anybody using pinboard?
I too would be interested in such tools... Anybody? Miniflux looks awesome. Couple questions, Brett, since you use it: Since it's hosted I should be able to access it from my phone also? Is there a built-in way to email out links/content? Thanks, Brad On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 3:55 PM, Brett Bonfield pace...@gmail.com wrote: I'm another long-time, happy user. Aside from Maciej's sense of humor, I also like how honest he is about his business, both in terms of his profit margin and his technology decisions. Because these factors affect how much we, as his customers, should trust pinboard with this important aspect of our personal archives. And he's pro-librarian: https://blog.pinboard.in/2010/12/merry_christmas_librarians/ Apologies for threadjacking, but has anyone found any other services they like that have a similar business model? The closest I've found is Miniflux, a solo developer, open source, RSS reader that I enjoy using. The developer used to offer hosting for a one-time fee, but seems to have scrapped that idea and is now just asking for donations. Brett %28856%29%20858-0649 On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 12:27 PM, Jodi Schneider jschnei...@pobox.com wrote: Ditto -- $25/year for hosted personal web-bookmark archiving is priceless. On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 9:41 AM, Peter Murray peter.mur...@lyrasis.org wrote: I'm a happy pinboard user: https://pinboard.in/u:dltj I pony up the $25/year for the full-text search, and I've found that to be more helpful than tagging when I go back and look for things. Peter On Nov 20, 2014, at 9:11 AM, Brad Coffield bcoffield.libr...@gmail.com wrote: https://pinboard.in/ First saw this in a webinar led by Jason Clark and thought it was cool. Thinking about it again and feel like I should do it. But I'm worried it's just my tendency to want it because its something neato. Anybody using it and recommend it? (or signed up and regret it?) I already work evernote hard so I'm wondering if it's useful enough separate from that. Thanks! -- Peter Murray Assistant Director, Technology Services Development LYRASIS peter.mur...@lyrasis.org +1 678-235-2955 800.999.8558 x2955 -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
[CODE4LIB] Anybody using pinboard?
https://pinboard.in/ First saw this in a webinar led by Jason Clark and thought it was cool. Thinking about it again and feel like I should do it. But I'm worried it's just my tendency to want it because its something neato. Anybody using it and recommend it? (or signed up and regret it?) I already work evernote hard so I'm wondering if it's useful enough separate from that. Thanks! -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] Anybody using pinboard?
I'm convinced! Thanks everybody :) On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 9:45 AM, Ron Gilmour rgilmou...@gmail.com wrote: I'm a big fan of pinboard, personally and professionally. At Ithaca College Library, we have a shared account where librarians can tag stuff. Then we have a PHP script that generates public pages based on their tags. See, for instance: birds http://ithacalibrary.com/research/pinboard_feed.php?tag=birdslabel=Bird%20Materials%20at%20IC%20Librarynotes=yes . Librarians can also use the pinboard RSS to embed stuff in their subject guides. Ron Gilmour Web Services Librarian Ithaca College Library On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 9:34 AM, davesgonechina davesgonech...@gmail.com wrote: I like the platform, but I think I really paid for Maciej's wit. http://idlewords.com/bt14.htm On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 10:27 PM, Rogan Hamby rogan.ha...@yclibrary.net wrote: I've been using it since fairly early days. I like it but don't get exceptionally fancy beyond my own esoteric taxonomy for defining my bookmarks. On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 9:19 AM, Daniel Lovins daniel.lov...@nyu.edu wrote: I've been using it for years as a personal bookmarking tool, and thinks it's excellent. Jason may be doing more complex things with it, though. - Daniel. On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 9:11 AM, Brad Coffield bcoffield.libr...@gmail.com wrote: https://pinboard.in/ First saw this in a webinar led by Jason Clark and thought it was cool. Thinking about it again and feel like I should do it. But I'm worried it's just my tendency to want it because its something neato. Anybody using it and recommend it? (or signed up and regret it?) I already work evernote hard so I'm wondering if it's useful enough separate from that. Thanks! -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu -- Daniel Lovins Head of Knowledge Access, Design Development Knowledge Access Resource Management Services New York University, Division of Libraries 20 Cooper Square, 3rd floor New York, NY 10003-7112 daniel.lov...@nyu.edu 212-998-2489 -- Rogan Hamby, MLS, CCNP, MIA Managers Headquarters Library and Reference Services, York County Library System “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” ― C.S. Lewis http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1069006.C_S_Lewis -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] Anybody using pinboard?
Thanks Jodie, I'm happy to hear someone using evernote and pinboard in conjunction. Excited to get started with pinboard! On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 10:47 AM, Jodie Gambill jodie.gamb...@gmail.com wrote: I see you are convinced, but did want to add in my vote for Pinboard as well. I, too, am a die-hard Evernote user, and I still find Pinboard very useful. Pinboard is my read-it-later tool of choice, which works extremely well for me -- if I decide to keep the article I've read, well, it's already there in my account. :) I also like that if I have a problem, the owner is very accessible via Twitter (and as others have said, his Twitter feed in general is entertaining). -Jodie On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 9:10 AM, Brad Coffield bcoffield.libr...@gmail.com wrote: I'm convinced! Thanks everybody :) On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 9:45 AM, Ron Gilmour rgilmou...@gmail.com wrote: I'm a big fan of pinboard, personally and professionally. At Ithaca College Library, we have a shared account where librarians can tag stuff. Then we have a PHP script that generates public pages based on their tags. See, for instance: birds http://ithacalibrary.com/research/pinboard_feed.php?tag=birdslabel=Bird%20Materials%20at%20IC%20Librarynotes=yes . Librarians can also use the pinboard RSS to embed stuff in their subject guides. Ron Gilmour Web Services Librarian Ithaca College Library On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 9:34 AM, davesgonechina davesgonech...@gmail.com wrote: I like the platform, but I think I really paid for Maciej's wit. http://idlewords.com/bt14.htm On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 10:27 PM, Rogan Hamby rogan.ha...@yclibrary.net wrote: I've been using it since fairly early days. I like it but don't get exceptionally fancy beyond my own esoteric taxonomy for defining my bookmarks. On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 9:19 AM, Daniel Lovins daniel.lov...@nyu.edu wrote: I've been using it for years as a personal bookmarking tool, and thinks it's excellent. Jason may be doing more complex things with it, though. - Daniel. On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 9:11 AM, Brad Coffield bcoffield.libr...@gmail.com wrote: https://pinboard.in/ First saw this in a webinar led by Jason Clark and thought it was cool. Thinking about it again and feel like I should do it. But I'm worried it's just my tendency to want it because its something neato. Anybody using it and recommend it? (or signed up and regret it?) I already work evernote hard so I'm wondering if it's useful enough separate from that. Thanks! -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu -- Daniel Lovins Head of Knowledge Access, Design Development Knowledge Access Resource Management Services New York University, Division of Libraries 20 Cooper Square, 3rd floor New York, NY 10003-7112 daniel.lov...@nyu.edu 212-998-2489 -- Rogan Hamby, MLS, CCNP, MIA Managers Headquarters Library and Reference Services, York County Library System “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” ― C.S. Lewis http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1069006.C_S_Lewis -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] Sticky left nav in Libguides v2
Brian and Eric: thanks so much for your help. Brian, I will definitely try
your suggestion with affix.
Here is a page that uses something other than affix to get it sticky. Notes
are on the page. It works almost exactly as intended. I'd much rather get
it working leveraging bootstrap so I'm gonna move onto that next.
http://francis.beta.libguides.com/sticky-left-nav-nonaffix
If/when I get it 100% working (and with affix) I will share with the group.
(That is, if I haven't had to clamor for help between now and then lol)
On Tue, Nov 18, 2014 at 3:45 PM, Brian Zelip bze...@gmail.com wrote:
Brad, Eric is on the right track above. The problem is absolute positioning
(of which fixed positioning is a subset) removes the element from document
flow and sets it in proportion to the viewport width.
You'll have to add a fixed width to your unordered list, but more specific
than 25%. Try adding the rules below to your internal styles (the `/*
bootstrap overrides */` section of the html). (Be sure to keep the order
provided here.)
The next version of Bootstrap will change hard px values for rems!
@media (min-width: 992px) {
.affix {
width: 220px;
}
}
@media (min-width: 1200px) {
.affix {
width: 270px;
}
}
Cheers,
Brian Zelip
---
MS Student, Graduate School of Library Information Science
Graduate Assistant, Scholarly Commons
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
zelip.me
On Tue, Nov 18, 2014 at 2:03 PM, Eric Phetteplace phett...@gmail.com
wrote:
When the ul goes to position: fixed it loses the width of its parent
(which has a col-md-3 class) which is why it's smaller. If you can get
the affix class to act like col-md-3 that'd help some, so:
.affix { width: 25%; }
is a start on large screens, but won't solve the way the ul ends up
behind your main content on smaller screens.
Best,
Eric
On Tue, Nov 18, 2014 at 11:35 AM, Brad Coffield
bcoffield.libr...@gmail.com
wrote:
Brian,
Awesome, thanks a lot.
Of course in all my back and forth I didn't have it setup like I had.
I'd
gone back to scratch to try again. So, I just added the data-spy option
to
the UL in the template that is the nav. The problems that are happening
with it on this page aren't exactly as described in my previous email
but
still, there be problems :) The offset doesn't work at all. Not sure
what
css to include to make it work right. And it gets skinny on scroll now,
not
wider.
http://francis.beta.libguides.com/c.php?g=9436
Thank you!!!
On Tue, Nov 18, 2014 at 2:22 PM, Brian Zelip bze...@gmail.com wrote:
Brad, publish a dummy draft page with the left-nav template and the
problem
you're encountering so I can take a look.
brian
On Tue, Nov 18, 2014 at 1:13 PM, Brad Coffield
bcoffield.libr...@gmail.com
wrote:
Has anyone endeavored to get this to work? If not, is there anyone
willing
to help me getting it to work, lol?
What I'm talking about:
1. Use left-nav template in Libguides v2
2. Once you scroll down in the content area get the left-nav to
stay
with
you, always visible.
You can see a really slick example of it on the bootstrap docs page
(which
also uses scrollspy to note where in the document you are...but
lets
slow
down haha): http://getbootstrap.com/javascript/
3. Bootstrap has affix.js built-in and its therefore possible to do
it
without any outside code.
3a. You can see info about affix.js at the bottom of the bootstrap
docs
link I just provided.
4. I've gotten it to work BUT with a lot of problems.
For one, it will stay stuck in the middle of the screen instead of
sticking
to the top of the screen once you've started scrolling.
For two, it breaks the responsivity: on small screens instead of
normal
functioning it kinda hides behind the content column
For three, once it starts scrolling its width changes.
For four, it will cover the footer when you get down there.
To have the left-nav sticky on long content pages would be GREAT.
Thanks a lot.
--
Brad Coffield, MLIS
Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian
Saint Francis University
814-472-3315
bcoffi...@francis.edu
--
Brad Coffield, MLIS
Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian
Saint Francis University
814-472-3315
bcoffi...@francis.edu
--
Brad Coffield, MLIS
Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian
Saint Francis University
814-472-3315
bcoffi...@francis.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] Library Hours Fail
Heidi: You just made my day. I hadn't realized we could run that through libcal. We have a couple calendars through them but have never used them. I have the weekly javascript option (like Nick mentioned) running our Today's Hours now and I'm so excited that I'll be able to set it and forget it for the whole year (instead of changing every time there's a schedule deviation - and then changing back.) woohoo! On Wed, Nov 19, 2014 at 11:07 AM, Sarah Park gp...@siue.edu wrote: Josh, A nice job. I like how you integrated the hours in your homepage, too. For people who did not see it: https://library.ucmo.edu/ I helped a friend upgrading a hours calendar to API v3 from API v2 last night. The major difference between v2 and. v3 is the returned data is changed from Atom feed to JSon, in addition to the requirement of OAuth authorization. I added OAuth code (following the Google's example) first. Then, I changed a few lines and property names in the listEvents function to parse the data correctly. This is what I came up with. The source code is written in JavaScript. http://bit.ly/nwlivecalendar (see the libhours.js file in the source code) Sarah Park -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Joshua Welker Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2014 8:39 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Library Hours Fail I have a solution running that is compatible with API V3 but it is pretty specific to Ruby on Rails. The idea is to use Google's iCal interface rather than the API. iCal is going to stay the same no matter how many iterations the API goes through. You basically just need to find an iCal parsing library for whatever language you are using. The only problem is that Google does a bad job with exceptions to recurrence rules (rrules). Instead of editing a single event in a repeating series, you have to delete that event and re-add it as a separate event. https://gist.github.com/jswelker/04997f378d9bc02311d2 In this example, I have a MySQL table listing several Google Calendars and the URL given for their iCal files in the calendar settings page. It loops through each calendar, fetches the iCal, parses it, and saves the resulting hours to a separate Events table. This might be more complicated than people are wanting. Josh Welker -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Heller, Margaret Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2014 4:51 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Library Hours Fail Wish I had checked the list this morning, as I just discovered we had the same problem. We have been using Andrew Darby's method outlined here: http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/46. Is there by any chance someone using this method who happened to know the V2 API was being deprecated who already updated their app to V3? If not anyone who wants to work on getting this to work tomorrow? Margaret Heller Digital Services Librarian Loyola University Chicago 773-508-2686 -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Mary E. Hanlin Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2014 8:19 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] Library Hours Fail Hi All, I know this has been covered a bit here, but I have a rather exigent conundrum, and I'm hoping to figure out the best/easiest solution. Yesterday, the script to hour library hours (on our front page) which pulls from Google calendar stopped working (Error at line undefined in undefined[!] - the exclamation point is mine; it seemed like it needed one.) Basically, the code came from a site that walked one through how to call daily hours (javascript) using Google's V2 API, but the V2 is fully deprecated (as I abruptly discovered), and I need to figure out another solution. (I haven't been able to find similar documentation for V3's API.) Some constraints: 1. Our IT will not support php.We are an .NET shop with IIS servers. 2. We may not have the dough to pay for something like LibCal which seems to me the easiest solution. 3. I'm semi-new to this Internets/webmaster thing, and really only know front-end coding, so a solution involving something like .NET, Python, etc. would have to have, How to make a peanut butter sandwich, kind of documentation. Right now, I've just manually coded our hours, which is fine until Saturday when our hours change, and I'm not here (hopefully). I will be super grateful for insight or knowledge. Mary. Mary Hanlin Electronic Resources and Web Librarian J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Phone:804.523.5323 Email: mhan...@reynolds.edu -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
[CODE4LIB] Sticky left nav in Libguides v2
Has anyone endeavored to get this to work? If not, is there anyone willing to help me getting it to work, lol? What I'm talking about: 1. Use left-nav template in Libguides v2 2. Once you scroll down in the content area get the left-nav to stay with you, always visible. You can see a really slick example of it on the bootstrap docs page (which also uses scrollspy to note where in the document you are...but lets slow down haha): http://getbootstrap.com/javascript/ 3. Bootstrap has affix.js built-in and its therefore possible to do it without any outside code. 3a. You can see info about affix.js at the bottom of the bootstrap docs link I just provided. 4. I've gotten it to work BUT with a lot of problems. For one, it will stay stuck in the middle of the screen instead of sticking to the top of the screen once you've started scrolling. For two, it breaks the responsivity: on small screens instead of normal functioning it kinda hides behind the content column For three, once it starts scrolling its width changes. For four, it will cover the footer when you get down there. To have the left-nav sticky on long content pages would be GREAT. Thanks a lot. -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] Sticky left nav in Libguides v2
Brian, Awesome, thanks a lot. Of course in all my back and forth I didn't have it setup like I had. I'd gone back to scratch to try again. So, I just added the data-spy option to the UL in the template that is the nav. The problems that are happening with it on this page aren't exactly as described in my previous email but still, there be problems :) The offset doesn't work at all. Not sure what css to include to make it work right. And it gets skinny on scroll now, not wider. http://francis.beta.libguides.com/c.php?g=9436 Thank you!!! On Tue, Nov 18, 2014 at 2:22 PM, Brian Zelip bze...@gmail.com wrote: Brad, publish a dummy draft page with the left-nav template and the problem you're encountering so I can take a look. brian On Tue, Nov 18, 2014 at 1:13 PM, Brad Coffield bcoffield.libr...@gmail.com wrote: Has anyone endeavored to get this to work? If not, is there anyone willing to help me getting it to work, lol? What I'm talking about: 1. Use left-nav template in Libguides v2 2. Once you scroll down in the content area get the left-nav to stay with you, always visible. You can see a really slick example of it on the bootstrap docs page (which also uses scrollspy to note where in the document you are...but lets slow down haha): http://getbootstrap.com/javascript/ 3. Bootstrap has affix.js built-in and its therefore possible to do it without any outside code. 3a. You can see info about affix.js at the bottom of the bootstrap docs link I just provided. 4. I've gotten it to work BUT with a lot of problems. For one, it will stay stuck in the middle of the screen instead of sticking to the top of the screen once you've started scrolling. For two, it breaks the responsivity: on small screens instead of normal functioning it kinda hides behind the content column For three, once it starts scrolling its width changes. For four, it will cover the footer when you get down there. To have the left-nav sticky on long content pages would be GREAT. Thanks a lot. -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] Linux distro for librarians
Is what you're really after is an environment pre-loaded with useful tools for various types of librarians? If so, maybe instead of rolling your own distro (and all the work and headache that involves, like a second full-time job) maybe create software bundles for linux? Have a website where you have lists of software by librarian type. Then make it easy for linux users to install them (repo's and what not) ((I haven't been active in linux for a while)) Just thinking out loud. -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] Library community web standards (was: LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav)
That's a point well-taken and I totally agree. The amount of decisions and
back-and-forth with design is truly huge.
My thinking was that we would develop something like a primer for wide
circulation with the large volume of nitty-gritty best practices available
at a central location (in addition to all that extra stuff I mentioned
regarding library products.)
On Fri, Oct 3, 2014 at 5:43 AM, Alex Armstrong aarmstr...@acg.edu wrote:
TMI?
Sweating the details IS how you get good user experience design.
I am sometimes reminded of the Oscar Wilde quote:I was working on the
proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the
afternoon I put it back again.
If you replace poem with site and comma with .button
{text-transform: uppercase; }, then I considerthat a day well-spent :)
Alex
On 2014-10-02 22:04, Brad Coffield wrote:
So many responses to address! ah!
The LITA support to this idea is lovely to see. Thank you very much.
I agree that code4lib is awesome and that we could potentially create a
document which would gain traction in the wider community BUT I really do
think official support/integration is the best case scenario.
Shaun, http://guidelines.usability.gov/ is a neat site and I'll have to
explore it more, even just for myself. How does this differ from my vision
of what we're discussing (to say nothing of Josh's vision or anyone
else's):
1. I think that it makes best sense as far as official
validation/circulation (and for ease of use by all librarian's regardless
of experience) to have a much abbreviated document listing best practices.
And works cited. And maybe an appendix with more information. A sort of
list that the group could agree upon that Well, if a library does these
things they are well along the way to great usability. It wouldn't
address
a lot of the nitty gritty details that guidelines.usability.gov does, for
example 13:9 Use Radio Buttons for Mutually Exclusive Selections. That
is
an excellent point but TMI for the document I'm describing.
1a. This document would be succinct enough that managing it would be easy.
We need to have something easy to update or it risks becoming old and
useless.
1b. I really like the point made by Christina about not re-inventing the
wheel. And this is exactly where I'm coming from. Yes, there's a ton of
great UX stuff out on the web but what would be a great service to
libraryland would be for a group of knowledgeable librarians to come
together and do all that research work and present everyone with a
simplified 'wheel' for general use.
2. But I'm picturing a lot beyond this. Some sort of website (wiki,
whatever) where library people are able to pool knowledge and resources.
Best practices with libguides. Libguides customizations. I recently did a
complete makeover on our Illiad site - I could share info/steps on how I
did that, for example. People could share useful scripts etc. etc.
The first document would primarily/exclusively be general web best
practices but the second thing - that would go beyond.
Just my thinking. I'm game to help whatever ends up taking shape :)
--
Brad Coffield, MLIS
Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian
Saint Francis University
814-472-3315
bcoffi...@francis.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] Library community web standards (was: LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav)
So many responses to address! ah! The LITA support to this idea is lovely to see. Thank you very much. I agree that code4lib is awesome and that we could potentially create a document which would gain traction in the wider community BUT I really do think official support/integration is the best case scenario. Shaun, http://guidelines.usability.gov/ is a neat site and I'll have to explore it more, even just for myself. How does this differ from my vision of what we're discussing (to say nothing of Josh's vision or anyone else's): 1. I think that it makes best sense as far as official validation/circulation (and for ease of use by all librarian's regardless of experience) to have a much abbreviated document listing best practices. And works cited. And maybe an appendix with more information. A sort of list that the group could agree upon that Well, if a library does these things they are well along the way to great usability. It wouldn't address a lot of the nitty gritty details that guidelines.usability.gov does, for example 13:9 Use Radio Buttons for Mutually Exclusive Selections. That is an excellent point but TMI for the document I'm describing. 1a. This document would be succinct enough that managing it would be easy. We need to have something easy to update or it risks becoming old and useless. 1b. I really like the point made by Christina about not re-inventing the wheel. And this is exactly where I'm coming from. Yes, there's a ton of great UX stuff out on the web but what would be a great service to libraryland would be for a group of knowledgeable librarians to come together and do all that research work and present everyone with a simplified 'wheel' for general use. 2. But I'm picturing a lot beyond this. Some sort of website (wiki, whatever) where library people are able to pool knowledge and resources. Best practices with libguides. Libguides customizations. I recently did a complete makeover on our Illiad site - I could share info/steps on how I did that, for example. People could share useful scripts etc. etc. The first document would primarily/exclusively be general web best practices but the second thing - that would go beyond. Just my thinking. I'm game to help whatever ends up taking shape :) -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] Library community web standards (was: LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav)
Josh, thanks for separating this topic out and starting this new thread. I don't know of any such library standards that exist on the web. I agree that this sounds like a great idea. As for this group or not... why not! It's 2014 and they don't exist yet and they would be incredibly useful for many libraries, if not all. Now all we need is a cool 'working group' title for ourselves and we're halfway done! Right??? But seriously, I'd love to help. Brad -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] Library community web standards (was: LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav)
I agree that it would be a bad idea to endeavor to create our own special standards that deviate from accepted web best practices and standards. My own thought was more towards a guide for librarians, curated by librarians, that provides a summary of best practices. On the one hand, something to help those without a deep tech background to quickly get up to speed with best practices instead of needing to conduct a lot of research and reading. But beyond that, it would also be a resource that went deeper for those who wanted to explore the literature. So, bullet points and short lists of information accompanied by links to additional resources etc. (So, right now, it sounds like a libguide lol) Though I do think there would potentially be additional information that did apply mostly/only to libraries and our particular sites etc. Off the top of my head: a thorough treatment and recommendations regarding libguides v2 and accessibility, customizing common library-used products (like Serial Solutions 360 link, Worldcat Local and all their competitors) so that they are most usable and accessible. At it's core, though, what I'm picturing is something where librarians get together and cut through the noise, pull out best web practices, and display them in a quickly digested format. Everything else would be the proverbial gravy. On Tue, Sep 30, 2014 at 10:01 AM, Michael Schofield mschofi...@nova.edu wrote: I am interested but I am a little hazy about what kind of standards you all are suggesting. I would warn against creating standards that conflict with any actual web standards, because I--and, I think, many others--would honestly recommend that the #libweb should aspire to and adhere more firmly to larger web standards and best practices that conflict with something that's more, ah, librarylike. Although that might not be what you folks have in mind at all : ). Michael S. -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Brad Coffield Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2014 9:30 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Library community web standards (was: LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav) Josh, thanks for separating this topic out and starting this new thread. I don't know of any such library standards that exist on the web. I agree that this sounds like a great idea. As for this group or not... why not! It's 2014 and they don't exist yet and they would be incredibly useful for many libraries, if not all. Now all we need is a cool 'working group' title for ourselves and we're halfway done! Right??? But seriously, I'd love to help. Brad -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] Library community web standards (was: LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav)
Agreed that this would need some official stamp to really be meaningful. LITA sounds like a great venue. On Tue, Sep 30, 2014 at 10:50 AM, Joshua Welker wel...@ucmo.edu wrote: Cindi, A LITA interest group sounds like it would be ideal. I think it is very important for this document to be associated with an official professional library organization if it is going to carry any weight or credibility with rank-and-file librarians. Josh Welker -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Cindi Blyberg Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2014 9:44 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Library community web standards (was: LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav) *puts on LITA hat* There are several ways that LITA/ALA could play a role here. Publications: There is a series of books called LITA Guides. Great way to get the word out widely, but a static format. http://www.alastore.ala.org/SearchResult.aspx?KeyWords=lita There are also Library Technology Reports - a periodical. Still static, but published more regularly: http://alatechsource.org/ltr/index There is also the LITA UX Interest Group. IGs are fluid, volunteer-run (not appointed), and can pretty much do what they want. Publish and update something? Sure! Establish and run a virtual conference? Definitely! Have meetings and programs at conferences? Yes! Caveat: must be a LITA member. Happy to provide more info if needed. -Cindi of the many hats On Tue, Sep 30, 2014 at 10:34 AM, Joshua Welker wel...@ucmo.edu wrote: I definitely agree that we should adhere to larger web standards and that we should actively discourage conventions that libraries have adopted over the years that have nothing to do with wider standards and best practices (e.g. tabbed search boxes, content in sidebar regions). In fact, much of our work would just be bringing together information from several standards into a common location and putting a librarian stamp of approval on it. Some topics I had in mind: -Accessibility standards: screen readers, color blindness, keyboard navigation, alt tags, etc. -Text: readable fonts, colors, text alignment -Page layout: navigation location, sidebars, headings and subheadings, search box designs, database pages, mobile friendliness -Best practices for specific library platforms: LibGuides, DSpace, etc. Some official name would be required, of course. I also think it would be great if we could write a draft, bring it to an official ALA group like LITA, and get them to adopt it after making their own tweaks. Josh Welker -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Michael Schofield Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2014 9:01 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Library community web standards (was: LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav) I am interested but I am a little hazy about what kind of standards you all are suggesting. I would warn against creating standards that conflict with any actual web standards, because I--and, I think, many others--would honestly recommend that the #libweb should aspire to and adhere more firmly to larger web standards and best practices that conflict with something that's more, ah, librarylike. Although that might not be what you folks have in mind at all : ). Michael S. -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Brad Coffield Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2014 9:30 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Library community web standards (was: LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav) Josh, thanks for separating this topic out and starting this new thread. I don't know of any such library standards that exist on the web. I agree that this sounds like a great idea. As for this group or not... why not! It's 2014 and they don't exist yet and they would be incredibly useful for many libraries, if not all. Now all we need is a cool 'working group' title for ourselves and we're halfway done! Right??? But seriously, I'd love to help. Brad -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] Library community web standards (was: LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav)
Megan, useful for those of us who are no longer total beginners but are sort of struggling to level up? - Love that description. I think the kind of guide everyone is brainstorming would be great for everyone in that boat. (at least as I'm picturing it) Hopefully, it would be excellent for non-tech people to go to for succinct, authoritative information like, White space good. For those looking to level up to learn more from the guidelines and find places to learn more. And for experts to brush up on current trends. That's what I'm thinking. Michael, That would be awesome if libux went in that direction. I've always felt that librarians have had a general ethos of if it ain't broke... and of sharing materials and building off of each others work. But I don't know that that really happens for library web stuff. This list, yes. But there's no sort of structured pre-existing repository of awesomeness.
Re: [CODE4LIB] LibGuide 2 Plugins, etc. was RE: [CODE4LIB] LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav
I think this sounds fascinating and like it would be awesome. Though it's above my tech paygrade so that's pretty much all I can say... -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav
--
it's a philosophical discussion, for sure);
* breakdown of content (when it is appropriate to have long
detailed pages or break down into sub-pages, which have their own
issues...);
* the strict use of accessibility policies (must set up strict
policies about funky colors fonts, minimize use HTML tables,
content column layout w.r.t. responsive design, etc.).
I feel our internal conversations and meetings about rethinking
LibGuides
v2 with our staff have gone over well, and reiterating
appropriate best practices or suggestions whenever I field a
LibGuides question have birthed some improvements in guide
construction. It's an ongoing battle, of course!
There are some heavy-handed tactics in place here too. For
instance we've hidden the Fonts button in the guide editor using
CSS.
span#cke_12 {display:none;}
This doesn't stop custom html or copy/pasting Word content (ugh)
from getting through, but it does allows us to say, nope, we're
not supporting Comic Sans!
On Wed, Sep 24, 2014 at 12:56 PM, Joshua Welker wel...@ucmo.edu
wrote:
I lol'ed several times reading your message. I feel the pain.
Well, it is
nice to know I am not alone. You are right that this in
particular is
an
organizational problem and not a LibGuides problem. But
unfortunately it has been an organizational problem at both of
the universities where
I've
worked that use LibGuides, and it sounds like it is a problem at
many
other libraries. I'm not sure what it is about LibGuides that
brings out the most territorial and user-marginalizing aspects
of the librarian psyche.
Does anyone have any positive experience in dealing with this? I
am on
the
verge of just manually enforcing good standards even though it
will
create
a lot of enmity. LibGuides CMS has a publishing workflow feature
that
would force all guide edits to be approved by me so that I could
stamp this stuff out each time it happens.
To enforce, or not to enforce, that is the question-- Whether
'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of
outrageously poor usability, Or to take arms against a sea of
ugly guides, And by forcing compliance with standards and best
practices, end them?
Josh Welker
-Original Message-
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On
Behalf Of Will Martin
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 11:34 AM
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav
4. Admin controls are not very granular. With most aspects of
editing
a guide, you either have the option of locking down styles and
templates completely (and oh your colleagues will howl) or
allowing everything (and oh your eyeballs will scream). Some of
these things could very well be improved in the future, and
some probably will not.
This! My librarians have successfully resisted every attempt
to
impose
any kind of standardization. Visual guidelines? Nope. Content
guidelines? Nope. Standard system settings? Nope. Anything
less than 100% free reign appears to be anathema to them.
The result, predictably, is chaos. Our guides run the gamut.
We have
everything:
- Giant walls of text that no one ever reads.
- Lovingly crafted lists of obscure library sources that rarely
(if
ever) bear any relation to what the patron is actually trying to
do.
- A thriving ecosystem of competing labels. Is it Article
Indexes, Article Databases, just plain Databases, or
something more exotic?
Depends which apex predator rules this particular neck of the
jungle.
- Green text on pink backgrounds with maroon borders. Other
pages in
the
same guide might go with different, equally eye-twisting color
schemes.
I'm not even sure how he's doing that without access to the
style sheet, but he's probably taught himself just enough HTML
to mangle things in an effort to use friendly colors.
- Some guides have three or even FOUR rows of tabs. With
drop-down submenus on most of them, naturally.
- A few are nicely curated and easy to use, but they're in a
distinct minority.
I've tried. I've pushed peer-reviewed usability studies at them.
I've
reported on conference sessions explaining exactly why all these
things are bad. I've brought them studies of our own analytics.
I've had students sit down and get confused in front of them.
Nothing has gotten through, and being the only web type at the
library, I'm outnumbered.
Just the thought of it makes me supremely tired.
I'm sorry if this has digressed. LibGuides is not at fault,
really.
It's an organizational problem. LibGuides just seems to be the
flash point for it.
Will
--
Jesse Martinez
Web Services Librarian
O'Neill Library, Boston College
jesse.marti...@bc.edu
617-552-2509
--
Brad Coffield
Re: [CODE4LIB] LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav
I am in the middle of building a very minimalist LibGuides 2.0
template to go with our new website. Here's the current status:
http://ucmo.beta.libguides.com/test-guide.
We are still torn on whether to have any side columns. We currently
have a right column just for important site-wide information. We used
the right rather than left with the rationale that it is not an
essential navigation menu and that we didn't want it to be the first
thing users notice. Content should come first. The fact that users
will not focus heavily on the right-hand content is actually a good
thing in this instance.
I go back and forth on whether to scrap the side column. I am pretty
adamant that there should only be one column for page content,
although I am prepared to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous
fortune.
Josh Welker
-Original Message-
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf
Of Brad Coffield
Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 5:24 PM
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav
Benjamin: Unfortunately we have authors who want *three* columns
plus left-nav... LOL
Margaret: Love the floating nav on that page. It's exciting that
we'll be able to leverage Bootstrap with our guides now. Moving the
entire library website to libguides CMS is looking more and more
promising.
Some more thoughts:
I'm no UX expert but is it generally agreed that left-nav is the much
better choice? It seems like it to me. Given current web wide
conventions etc.
One big issue to switching to left-nav in v2 is the amount of work
it's going to take everyone to convert all guides to the new layout.
Which is one of those things that both shouldn't matter (when looking
at it in a principledness way - that is, Whatever is best for the
patrons! No matter
what!) but also does matter (in a practical way - that is, OMG we
are all so busy being awesome).
But part of me, when looking at other people's guides and my own,
wonders if three columns isn't just a little TOO much for the user.
How is one supposed to scan the page? What's the prioritized
information? For a couple years now I've been eschewing three columns
whenever possible. Do others agree that three columns can be info
overload?
Brad
On Tue, Sep 16, 2014 at 4:32 PM, Benjamin Florin
benjamin.flo...@gmail.com
wrote:
We've been tinkering with our LibGuides template in preparation for
an eventual redesign of our site and guides, e.g.:
http://libguides.bc.edu/libraries/babst/staff
Some of our guide authors weren't happy with the LibGuides
side-navigation's single-column limitation, so we made our own
template, moved {{guide_nav}} off to a left column, and wrote our
own styles to make the default top-nav display as left-nav. We've
found that a 50/50 or 75/25 split next to the left nav looks pretty
good.
Unfortunately we have authors who want *three* columns plus left-nav...
In general the LibGuides templating has felt modern and easy to work
with.
Ben
On Mon, Sep 15, 2014 at 3:18 PM, Brad Coffield
bcoffield.libr...@gmail.com
wrote:
Hi all,
I'm finally diving into our Libguides v2 migration and I'm
wondering if anyone would be willing to share their
experience/choices regarding templating. (Or even some code!)
I'm thinking left-nav is the way to go. Has anyone split the main
content column into two smaller columns? Done that with a
column-width-spanning
box
atop the main content area? Any other neato templates ideas?
We are in the process of building a style guide for all libguides
authors
to use. And also some sort of peer-review process to help enforce
the
style
guide. I'm thinking we are going to want to restrict all authors to
left-nav templates but perhaps the ideal solution would be to
require left-nav of all but to have a variety of custom left-nav
templates to choose from.
Any thoughts are much appreciated!
Warm regards,
Brad
--
Brad Coffield, MLIS
Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis
University
814-472-3315
bcoffi...@francis.edu
--
Brad Coffield, MLIS
Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis
University
814-472-3315
bcoffi...@francis.edu
--
Brad Coffield, MLIS
Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian
Saint Francis University
814-472-3315
bcoffi...@francis.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav
on a responsive site is a little weird, because content is
pretty
squishy; on tablets you might have pretty narrow left and right
columns.
Actually, when you view a 3-column layout on a smaller screen, it
scales down to a single column. If you're seeing otherwise, can you
send us
some
examples in case this is a bug we need to fix? Thanks. :) The key
here, of course, is to have the most important information in the
left-hand column, and not to have too many boxes on a single page.
Q5. Has anyone split the main content column into two smaller
columns?
LG2 makes it crazy easy to change number and percentage-based
widths of the columns. So you could still use the
tabs-across-the-top template
and
create a little 33% wide left sidebar column and a 66% wide
right
main
column.
One slight caution here: if you add a second content column to a
side-nav
layout and the guide author wants to display nav pills for the
page's boxes, only the boxes from the first content column will be
displayed as pills. This is by design, but we've filed it as a known
issue.
-Original Message-
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On
Behalf
Of
Blake Galbreath
Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 6:37 PM
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav
I have always thought that left-nav was the UX standard for
left-to-right
languages (as opposed to Arabic, eg.: http://www.france24.com/ar/).
Personally, I feel that right-nav makes more sense across the
board,
due
to the fact that it is less distance to travel for right-handed
people.
But
the convention seems pretty set in stone. I am also not sure how
screen readers deal with right-nav - although i am guessing that
there is no problem there programming wise.
Blake
On Tue, Sep 16, 2014 at 3:24 PM, Brad Coffield
bcoffield.libr...@gmail.com
wrote:
Benjamin: Unfortunately we have authors who want *three*
columns
plus
left-nav... LOL
Margaret: Love the floating nav on that page. It's exciting that
we'll
be able to leverage Bootstrap with our guides now. Moving the
entire library website to libguides CMS is looking more and more
promising.
Some more thoughts:
I'm no UX expert but is it generally agreed that left-nav is the
much better choice? It seems like it to me. Given current web
wide conventions etc.
One big issue to switching to left-nav in v2 is the amount of
work it's going to take everyone to convert all guides to the new
layout.
Which is one of those things that both shouldn't matter (when
looking at it in a principledness way - that is, Whatever is
best for the patrons! No matter
what!) but also does matter (in a practical way - that is, OMG
we
are
all so busy being awesome).
But part of me, when looking at other people's guides and my
own, wonders if three columns isn't just a little TOO much for the
user.
How is one supposed to scan the page? What's the prioritized
information? For a couple years now I've been eschewing three
columns whenever possible. Do others agree that three columns
can be info
overload?
Brad
On Tue, Sep 16, 2014 at 4:32 PM, Benjamin Florin
benjamin.flo...@gmail.com
wrote:
We've been tinkering with our LibGuides template in
preparation for an eventual redesign of our site and guides,
e.g.:
http://libguides.bc.edu/libraries/babst/staff
Some of our guide authors weren't happy with the LibGuides
side-navigation's single-column limitation, so we made our own
template, moved {{guide_nav}} off to a left column, and wrote
our own styles to
make
the default top-nav display as left-nav. We've found that a
50/50
or
75/25
split next to the left nav looks pretty good.
Unfortunately we have authors who want *three* columns plus
left-nav...
In general the LibGuides templating has felt modern and easy
to
work
with.
Ben
On Mon, Sep 15, 2014 at 3:18 PM, Brad Coffield
bcoffield.libr...@gmail.com
wrote:
Hi all,
I'm finally diving into our Libguides v2 migration and I'm
wondering if anyone would be willing to share their
experience/choices regarding templating. (Or even some
code!)
I'm thinking left-nav is the way to go. Has anyone split the
main
content
column into two smaller columns? Done that with a
column-width-spanning
box
atop the main content area? Any other neato templates ideas?
We are in the process of building
[CODE4LIB] LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav
Hi all, I'm finally diving into our Libguides v2 migration and I'm wondering if anyone would be willing to share their experience/choices regarding templating. (Or even some code!) I'm thinking left-nav is the way to go. Has anyone split the main content column into two smaller columns? Done that with a column-width-spanning box atop the main content area? Any other neato templates ideas? We are in the process of building a style guide for all libguides authors to use. And also some sort of peer-review process to help enforce the style guide. I'm thinking we are going to want to restrict all authors to left-nav templates but perhaps the ideal solution would be to require left-nav of all but to have a variety of custom left-nav templates to choose from. Any thoughts are much appreciated! Warm regards, Brad -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] Informal survey regarding library website liberty
Everyone, Thank you so much for the volume and helpfulness of the replies. There are so many individual talking points in them! But, if I were to summarize, it seems that there is agreement that library website liberty is the ideal. Libguides 2.0 is certainly a possibility. I tried setting up the site in 1.0 but it just wasn't there. Once we're migrated I will likely build a prototype just to see how it works. Edward, I agree that perhaps the most important thing is campus recognition that the library website is a unique and special sort of site. We had that understanding in the past. It remains to be seen how it's going to be for us now. It very well may work out well without any need for (library website) secessionist drama. Thanks again to everyone. It was very edifying and useful to hear about so many different types of setups. It's reassuring :) Warm regards, Brad On Wed, Sep 3, 2014 at 9:48 AM, Edward M. Corrado ecorr...@ecorrado.us wrote: At different jobs I have had this has been done this differently, but right now our main Website is hosted by our campus Communications Marketing department (not campus IT although they do run the hardware from what I understand) using their CMS (OmniUpdate). This is a recent change (a little over a year now) for us. Previously, we have had our own Website. This switch has been a positive experience for us. The key, I think, is that the people that are in charge of the Web site understand that the Libraries have specific needs and they have been willing to work with us to make sure the site works for our patrons. Not only do we not have to worry about maintaining the server and what to do if it goes down at 1:00 am, CM has provided quality support and helped with design services. We did have to give up some control over some of the design elements including color, header, and footer. However, these are relatively minor and makes our Web presence more cohesive with the rest of the University. We did not give up any control of content. We do run other Web servers, however, for specific LAMP applications and our blog because that is not possible within OmniUpdate. Campus IT also runs some servers for us as do some external cloud providers - we do things differently on a case-by-case basis. Basically, I think going with a campus-wide CMS solution is good, but only if the people in charge are willing and able to work with the library and the library is willing to work with the people operating the CMS. This has been the case here so we have been successful. Edward On Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 11:39 AM, Brad Coffield bcoffield.libr...@gmail.com wrote: Hi all, I would love to hear from people about what sort of setup they have regarding linkage/collaboration/constrictions/freedom regarding campus-wide IT practices and CMS usage and the library website. Some history: For a very long time our library ran its own server and its own website, completely independent of campus-wide concerns (save for occasional requests for help from IT with server issues). A few years ago the server began to reach EOL and it was determined that we couldn't afford to get another. Also around the same time it was deemed that the library website needed a complete re-do. I was tapped to do that re-do. During that process the Marketing dept got involved and it was agreed upon that the library's general look should be aligned with the university's public site (which I think was a good idea). Then it was determined that because of that decision that the simplest way to achieve it was to put us inside their existing CMS which was already setup etc etc. Part of the problem is that the existing CMS is Ektron... The revised library site went live in Ektron 2 years ago. My marketing contact was a massive help in getting it live and training me in ektron etc. He is now no longer with the university and we are in the middle of a transition period. My inclination and desire is to regain some level of independence wherein we collaborate with IT in getting our own server space on their servers but are not tied to their decisions regarding CMS, how and when to go mobile-friendly, etc. Our site is still not fully, truly what it should be because of limitations with Ektron and I would like to get out of it. I would like to have the option to either run a CMS of my choice or go CMS-less (since I'm the only editor). I fear that the site will be held back from being able to do the things that it needs to do. I'm hoping that I can get some responses from you all that way I can informally say of x libraries that responded y of them are not firmly tied to IT. (or something to that effect) I'm also very curious to read responses because I'm sure they will be educational and help me to make our site better. THE QUESTION: What kind of setup does your library have regarding servers, IT dept
[CODE4LIB] Informal survey regarding library website liberty
Hi all, I would love to hear from people about what sort of setup they have regarding linkage/collaboration/constrictions/freedom regarding campus-wide IT practices and CMS usage and the library website. Some history: For a very long time our library ran its own server and its own website, completely independent of campus-wide concerns (save for occasional requests for help from IT with server issues). A few years ago the server began to reach EOL and it was determined that we couldn't afford to get another. Also around the same time it was deemed that the library website needed a complete re-do. I was tapped to do that re-do. During that process the Marketing dept got involved and it was agreed upon that the library's general look should be aligned with the university's public site (which I think was a good idea). Then it was determined that because of that decision that the simplest way to achieve it was to put us inside their existing CMS which was already setup etc etc. Part of the problem is that the existing CMS is Ektron... The revised library site went live in Ektron 2 years ago. My marketing contact was a massive help in getting it live and training me in ektron etc. He is now no longer with the university and we are in the middle of a transition period. My inclination and desire is to regain some level of independence wherein we collaborate with IT in getting our own server space on their servers but are not tied to their decisions regarding CMS, how and when to go mobile-friendly, etc. Our site is still not fully, truly what it should be because of limitations with Ektron and I would like to get out of it. I would like to have the option to either run a CMS of my choice or go CMS-less (since I'm the only editor). I fear that the site will be held back from being able to do the things that it needs to do. I'm hoping that I can get some responses from you all that way I can informally say of x libraries that responded y of them are not firmly tied to IT. (or something to that effect) I'm also very curious to read responses because I'm sure they will be educational and help me to make our site better. THE QUESTION: What kind of setup does your library have regarding servers, IT dept collaboration, CMS restrictions, anything else? I imagine that there are many unique situations. Any input you're willing to provide will be very welcome and useful. Thank you! Warm regards, Brad -- Brad Coffield, MLIS Assistant Information and Web Services Librarian Saint Francis University 814-472-3315 bcoffi...@francis.edu
