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Hello? Soringshre's link-rot tool has gotten much better. Even at alerting admins about broken links. I think $999 a year for the basic package is worth it since most librarians aren't coders like we 'ALL' should be! Maybe an open source solution created by librarians is needed. However database management will still require librarians to pick up those skills like SQL that we too often think isn't or shouldn't be a skill that a librarian must have. It's the 21st century!!!! Thanks, Cornel Darden Jr. MSLIS Librarian Kennedy-King College City Colleges of Chicago Work 773-602-5449 Cell 708-705-2945 > On Aug 11, 2013, at 11:21 AM, Robert Sebek <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> On Sun, Aug 11, 2013 at 9:54 AM, Heather Rayl <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> >> I have to say that I loathe LibGuides. My library makes extensive use of >> them, too. Need a web solution? The first thing out of someone's mouth is >> "Let's put it in a LibGuide!" >> >> Shudder >> >> This fall, I'll be moving our main site over to Drupal, and I'm hoping that >> eventually I can convince people to re-invent their LibGuides there. I can >> use the "saving money" card, and the "content silos are bad" card and >> *maybe* I will be successful. >> >> Anyone fought this particular battle before? >> >> ~heather >> >> I'm fighting that battle right now. We have an excellent CMS into which I > have set up all our database URLs, descriptions, etc.Anytime we need to > refer to a database on a page, we use one of those entries. That database > just changed platforms? No problem. I change the URL in one place and > everything automatically updates (hooray CMSs!). > > All of our subject guides (http://www.lib.vt.edu/subject-guides/) are in > the CMS using the exact same database entries. I converted from our > failing, home-grown system into the CMS and then gave training on how to > maintain from there (remove an entry, add an entry, create a parallel > course guide)--using the same skills as maintaining any other web page that > librarian is responsible for. But apparently that's too hard. > > So we have a trial of LibGuides. NO ONE here has created a guide from > scratch yet, but they all say this is going to be easy. No one will admit > that someone will have to recreate all those database entries (literally > hundreds) and then maintain those entries. When presented with this, > several librarians said--oh that won't be necessary, we'll just create > individual entries as needed on individual guides. WHAT?! > > If implemented, we'll have hundreds and hundreds of entries, any of which > could be out of date and nonfunctional, with no easy way to find and fix, > other than waiting for patrons to complain that the link doesn't work. Ugh. > All for several thousand dollar a year (as opposed for free in the CMS). > > And yes, those librarians' favorite example libguides have a dozen tabs > with hundreds of links on each tab. Overwhelm the patron with links--who > cares! Just let me recreate the Yahoo Directory I so miss with every > possible resource I can find online. Half those links don't work next > semester? Doesn't matter, as no one will ever maintain that page again (and > no patron will use it, since they will just Google these resources anyway). > > > > -- > Robert Sebek > Webmaster, Virginia Tech Libraries > (http://www.lib.vt.edu/)