 |
 |
This topic actually comes up pretty regularly on lists for web types; wonder if we could put together some type of sharing resource where we all talk about how we made the case to split off the library's web site? I feel like it's a battle so many of us have fought and can therfore help our colleagues fight... Nina On Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 9:03 AM, Sarah Thorngate <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Matt, > > Our website is part of the main campus CMS (Sitecore). There are also links > to it on the intranet/student portal, which drive quite a bit of the > traffic. > > A few others have alluded to this, but you can look to my library's website > as an example of how horribly wrong things can go when university marketing > has control of the library's website. We're in the process of moving away > from the campus site to our own site, using Drupal. I spent the last year > convincing our marketing and IT departments to allow this, so feel free to > email me offlist if you want to talk strategy. I would say that the two > most effective pieces of my argument were site analytics and examples from > aspirant schools. > > Sarah > > > > On Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 9:33 AM, Nina McHale <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > >> Matt, >> >> Can totally see how this is a nuisance for staff, and it would make me >> die on the inside, too! As a short term measure, could you set up and >> advertise an alias (something like library.institutiondomainname.edu) >> to get directly to the web site, or would that not work with the >> portal? >> >> Also, do you have access to web analytics to help build a case? It's >> hard to say "these are low" if you don't have a favorable benchmark to >> compare them to, but there might be some more leverage there, too. >> Maybe reach out to a similar institution and see if they'll share and >> benchmark web analytics with you? >> >> And ew, SharePoint. :D At my last academic library, that's what campus >> IT used for the main campus site, but unit webmasters were allowed to >> opt out, and the library took the opportunity to move to Drupal. >> >> I'd also suggest chatting with any ExLibris user communities out there >> and seeing how others are integrating those tools into their websites >> and seeing what web platforms they're using. >> >> Nina >> >> On Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 8:11 AM, Matthew Sherman >> <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> > This is actually becoming an announce to our employees because we have to >> > spend so much time explaining where the library site is. We are pretty >> > much an Ex Libris shop at the moment, Primo, Metalib, SFX, all locked >> > behind Sharepoint. I am not sure what the main campus site is using for >> a >> > CMS, but I suspect it is more flexible than Sharepoint for web >> > development. We only get a moderate amount of non-student or staff >> > traffic, but where the site currently is located is not intuitive and >> makes >> > it hard for students to want to use. The make the UX/IA part of me die a >> > little inside. We have definite interest among many of the library staff >> > to get it freed and more visible, but we are having to figure out what it >> > takes and how to sell it to all of the requisite parties involved. >> Thanks >> > for the input. >> > >> > >> > On Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 9:53 AM, Nina McHale <[log in to unmask] >> >wrote: >> > >> >> Matt, >> >> >> >> Not odd at all! I've dealt with this issue for most of my career. In >> >> the three academic libraries I've worked in, the library's site was >> >> NOT part of the overall college/university portal. In fact, it was >> >> more the case that we (me, the web person, and my supervisors) were >> >> establishing our autonomy apart from the overall institutional web >> >> presence with campus IT. Library sites need separate navigation, >> >> information architecture, and content management and strategy. >> >> Administrators outside of the library and campus IT don't always >> >> understand how complex library sites have become, so explaining this >> >> is a good first step. Find some sites for similar institutions that >> >> you like, and show them as examples. If you present it as a positive >> >> move--and point out that you might be able to take some work off your >> >> IT department's hands by taking on the library site yourself--they'll >> >> likely be more willing to consider it. Approach them as partners. >> >> >> >> As far as burying the library's site behind a log in, how much >> >> non-student traffic do you have in your building? You might be able to >> >> make a case, based on that and what your mission to serve your >> >> community is/might be, to bring it out from behind authentication. >> >> >> >> Other questions for you: >> >> >> >> -Do you have any kind of proxy authentication for journal/article >> >> databases in place in addition to the portal authentication? If not, >> >> you'll obviously have to consider that. >> >> -What platform is the school on? Would you choose something >> >> similar--another instance of the same software--or go out on your own? >> >> Do you have the skills/staff to do that? Where would you host it? >> >> >> >> Nina >> >> >> >> >> >> On Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 7:40 AM, Matthew Sherman >> >> <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> >> > Hi Code4Libbers, >> >> > >> >> > Slightly odd question for you academic library folks. Why does your >> >> > library have its website where it is on the university site? For >> >> context, >> >> > the library I currently work at has our library site hidden within the >> >> > campus intranet/portal, so that students have to log into a web >> portal to >> >> > even see the search page. This was a decision by the previous >> director >> >> who >> >> > was here before my time and an assortment of us librarians think this >> is >> >> a >> >> > terrible setup. So I wanted to kick out to the greater community to >> give >> >> > us good reasons for free to the website to more general access, or >> help >> >> us >> >> > to understand why you would bury it behind a login like they did. All >> >> > thoughts, insights, and opinions are welcome, they all help us develop >> >> our >> >> > thinking on this and our arguments for any changes we want to make. >> >> Thanks >> >> > everyone and have a good week. >> >> > >> >> > Matt Sherman >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> Nina McHale >> >> @ninermac >> >> Developer, Aten Design Group >> >> atendesigngroup.com >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> Nina McHale >> @ninermac >> Developer, Aten Design Group >> atendesigngroup.com >> > > > > -- > > Sarah Thorngate > Digital Services Librarian > North Park University > [log in to unmask] > 773-244-4562 -- Nina McHale @ninermac Developer, Aten Design Group atendesigngroup.com