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.
