Choosing WordPress CMS for CCLS

Meet the Virtual Services Librarian

Technology is changing rapidly. The need to stay relevant in this respect has compelled academic and public libraries to try to keep up. Clayton County Library System (CCLS) is no exception.  It offers one main branch and five satellite branches that serves a population of about 272,600. With a budget of around $3.5 million for 2015, the library system utilizes only one Virtual Services Librarian (Clayton County Annual Operating Budget, 2015).

Roy Cummings has been the Virtual Services Librarian for CCLS since April 2014. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Communication and Media Studies from Clayton State University.  His MLS and Graduate Certificate in Digital Content Management came from the University of North Texas (UNT). Before starting with CCLS Cummings worked at as a Reference Librarian at the Atlanta University Center Woodruff Library and was Webmaster for the Swilley Library at Mercer University. He stated, “Most of my tech training has been self-guided, usually from online tutorials, tinkering, and trial and error” (R. Cummings, personal communication, May 26, 2015).

Content Management System (CMS)

When I spoke with Cummings about CCLS’s website, he described the transition to its current Content Management System (CMS) and how the decision was made. A Content Management System is “a computer application that allows publishing, editing and modifying content, organizing, deleting as well as maintenance from a central interface” (Wikipedia, 2015). One of the major aspects of a Content Management System is that “unlike a traditional Web site, where HTML defined both the content and the formatting in a single document, a CMS uses databases and newer Web languages to store content and define formatting separately” (Austin and Harris, 2008, p. 5).

Its strength lies in that changes can be made to individual pages without compromising coding for the entire website. Content can be edited in a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) environment where it is stored outside of the website. This enables different users to edit content without the possibility of disrupting the code. Content management systems include three common attributes:

·      They provide a framework for creating, managing, and publishing Web-based content;

·      They provide a secure environment with managed user roles; and

·      They provide extensions for enhanced capabilities (Austin, 2008).

 Making the Decision

As the sole Virtual Services Librarian, Roy Cummings was charged with making the decision to transition from ColdFusion to WordPress. Some points he considered were the cost of software and hosting, scalability for future growth, and determining if it was easy to learn. He also needed to know if there was documentation for the CMS and theme so he could address any issues and fix any associated problems. Most importantly, the county library needed a system that was widely used and well-supported with resources such as tutorials that would quickly allow him to learn new features.

Cummings considered WordPress mainly because it “made sense” for him to pick something he had experience with and was comfortable using. “I thought about ‘stretching’ myself and using a tool I’m not very familiar with (namely Joomla or Drupal), but I was on a tight deadline to get the site done and that wasn’t the best time to experiment.”

The biggest motivation from changing from ColdFusion to WordPress was sustainability. According to Cummings, ColdFusion seldom used web technology. It also had a learning curve that required a large investment of time in order to update the site. He could only make changes from his desk, which was not always convenient. On the other hand, WordPress had what he deemed “ample” documentation, and several forums, as well as tutorials all over the web. One benefit of WordPress’s extensive documentation and online help is that anyone can find answers to almost any question or issue.

Benefits and Disadvantages

For Cummings, the greatest benefit of WordPress is the site’s mobility. He is able to update it from any location with Internet connectivity because it is web-based. The website is hosted by the Georgia Public Library Service that offers free hosting to most public libraries as long as the library uses a technology they support.

Another selling point for Cummings was the availability of plugins that allow the administrator to add different functionality to the website like contact forms and image galleries without extensive coding knowledge. Because of these features included in the CMS, it is not necessary to know coding such as HTML and CSS. After using several WordPress themes, he has found that no two operate exactly the same, so the learning process is continual. The current theme used in the CCLS’s website is Spacious.

When asked what the disadvantages were in using WordPress, Cummings responded, “While WordPress has good documentation, there is no 1-800-Help-Me available. In other words, you might find yourself spending a bit of time searching the web for solutions to issues you might have.”

Conclusion

Cumming is satisfied with WordPress for CCLS’s website. Although his learning curve was not “terribly steep” because of his web design background, he suspects that it may be more difficult for someone who is new to web design. He urged that while it’s not necessary, knowing HTML and CSS at a minimum will make its use easier. Clayton County, Georgia library system’s website can be viewed at http://www.claytonpl.org.

Reflections

Before I began trying to create a website using Joomla’s Content Management System, I thought that I would have to learn HTML coding and spend a lot of time in training. Although using Joomla simplified web development, knowing all the different components and their functions ahead of time would have made the process easier as Cummings noted.

I believe that CMS are valuable tools that can allow a team of professionals to contribute equally to website development and maintenance without being experts. My experience with Joomla was a practice in patience and perseverance. Based on my interview and my experience with Joomla, I will consider the ease of use of a Content Management System in the future due to their cost effectiveness as well as readily available literature and support.

References

Austin, A., & Harris, C. (2008). Welcome to a new paradigm. Library Technology Reports, 44(4), 5-7.

Clayton County Government. (2015). Clayton County Annual Operating Budget. Jonesboro, Georgia: Ramona Thurman.

Wikipedia. (2015, May 29). Content Management System. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_management_system - cite_note-MEC-UCS-1