CMS Scenario

    For this assignment, I chose Option 1 and conducted an interview by way of email with the Systems Librarian at one of our “sister schools”, a larger Christian university with a student population of over 5,000. I asked the provided questions as well as some of my own. For the purposes of this reflection, I will refer to the librarian as Ms. B. Many of her responses fell right in line with what we read during Module 2 about Content Management Systems, but I was pleased to learn that, as the library systems administrator, she did have a voice in her university’s adoption of a new CMS, and was able to review potential systems and give valuable input.

    This particular library began using a CMS in August of 2008, but Ms. B says that she knew about them before then, but she couldn’t remember exactly when and where. This first system was forced on them by the university administration, but as it became obsolete and wasn’t meeting their needs any longer, the decision was made to go with a new system. As I understand it, the old system was not user friendly or adaptable to the university’s needs.The library is now under the campus-wide CMS called Percussion, and the library launched its portion of the website in May, 2014. According to Ms. B, one of the main criteria for a new system was “how well it could migrate our old site into the new system. With 1,000’s of pages to move, it was essential that we have a system that would be able to transfer content and organizational structure”. The two main advantages she sees with the new system are flexibility and user friendliness. When I asked if the library staff was resistant to change, she said, “The excitement for the new layout and design may have been because we were all so very frustrated with the old one. Anything had to be better than what we had.” I found it interesting that she mentioned that others on the library staff didn’t care one way or the other which CMS was chosen, because they weren’t going to be called upon to deal with it, but surely they would know that the choice certainly affects them indirectly, if not directly.

    In relation to the learning curve, Ms. B admitted that it was very steep because of how different the two systems were. To help mitigate problems and frustration, the university’s Information Systems and Technology department offered some preliminary navigation and usage instruction to those who were going to be charged with maintaining their respective sites. Ms. B has freedom, but it’s still limited by having to remain under the overall structure of the CMS. I cited Connell’s  (2013) statement, “One common theme was the issue of lack of control and problems of collaboration between academic libraries and the campus entities controlling website management”, and asked her if that was an issue in her situation.  I’m including her responsive verbatim because I think it is indicative of the situation many academic libraries are finding themselves in: “It’s been a battle to get administrators and IS&T to understand how different the library is from the average undergrad/grad department. They want us to smash and squeeze all that we do into a very constrained layout and still make the information and services we offer user friendly and findable. I have asked for years for a similar yet separate CMS template so the library could have more flexibility in presenting all the various components of our resources and services.” She says even though she hasn’t gotten exactly what she wants, she has been able to get some “special compensations” that have been very helpful.

    I asked her if she was the only one with permission to make changes to the library’s site, and she said she has the highest administrative level, but that there are two other staff members who have been given permission to edit page content. When asked if the new system is meeting the library’s and students’ needs, she replied that it was, and that very positive feedback has been the result. I checked out the site, and I found it to be very visually appealing and easy to use. One thing that struck me was that the very first links to click on were “Ask Us”, “Desktop Availability”, and “Suggestion Box”, with links to the catalog and resources displayed underneath. The “Ask Us” link goes directly to their “Ask a Librarian” service, IM, text, and email contact information. I interpret this as placing more emphasis on connecting with the students rather than placing the resources at the forefront, which I think is a good idea.

    I concluded by asking her for advice for individuals that may be responsible for maintaining their library’s site, and she replied emphatically to, “Make friends with your campus IT folks!”. She stressed to keep the lines of communication open while introducing new ideas to them. Her last statement hit home with me, because I don’t see our library doing this, but I think it is a good guiding principle for library administration and staff. She said, “Be assertive in what you need and want for your library but also be willing to listen and compromise as the planning and implementation process goes along”.I found this assignment to be very helpful, because it helped me make a real world connection with the types of issues we’ve been reading about in class.

To "QR" or not to "QR" That is the "QRestion"!

     A comedian, I'm not. I was just trying to come up with a clever title for my post on the QR question. While serving as one of the moderators for a discussion post on the value of using QR codes in the library, I have had yet another chance to see how technology is truly becoming "ubiquitous". (I thought I had seen the last of that word, but evidently it's a popular word.) Anyway, my classmates have provided lots of food for thought on the matter and given me some good ideas that I might be able to convince my colleagues to experiment with in our academic library. Though we're still struggling with getting the students to come to the library in the first place, so maybe we need to put a huge QR code in the cafeteria that says "Scan me to see what you've been missing!" Hey, maybe that's my novel use that I haven't been able to think of for the discussion posts.
     Below is the QR code I created using the BQRious code generator. It is set up to link to the library's homepage, and I chose the color because it's close to our university's "Faulkner Blue" as we call it.

"Brave New World"

     Now that I've been able to catch my breath momentarily, I have to say that I am excited about all the new technologies that I've been introduced to in this class. That's not to say that I'm not apprehensive about their use, though. In this case, the only way to relieve my apprehension will be to start making use of them. As a librarian who is in charge of maintaining communications with three different satellite campuses, the potential for collaboration rises significantly with the use of these technologies. Many times the students at these campuses feel really disconnected from the main campus, not only because of distance, but because of lack of communication. Employing social media would be a great start towards making them feel more connected and truly a part of the university community.
     I can also see great potential in making use of a personal website when I am called upon to provide library instruction for the extended campuses, which is what I actually had in mind when I started the Joomla assignment. Often scheduling difficulties make it hard for me to travel to these campuses, but if I had a website these students could access anytime, I could tailor it to meet their needs. I really would like to emphasize the fact that I am here for them even though I'm miles away, and I think these emerging technologies will be the tools to accomplish that goal.

Change is Good

     I decided to change my background for my blog. I know some of you have used it before me, and I'm not trying to steal it, it's simply that it is somewhat comforting to me as a book lover. Plus it just looks a whole lot better than what I was using before! :)

My Joomla Adventure?

     You'll notice I put a question mark after the title, because I'm not sure you could really call it an adventure; maybe more like a nightmare. I think everything that could have gone wrong did. But since I have zero experience with any type of CMS, I count myself lucky to have created anything at all. I had to submit two support tickets and I chatted with about four different support team members, one of whom was called a "support guru". I shed a few tears along the way, but I was eventually able to create some menus, insert some images, and install the JCE extension as well as the Akeeba backup. I figured out the template background, but not the Google font. I changed the font in my articles, and inserted some links the old-fashioned way. With lots more time, a whole lot of patience, and a lot more knowledge, I might be able to master Joomla, but my stress level at the present time was a big hindrance to that.

Joomla Woes

Now that I'm on a first name basis with the Joomla support staff...I'll bet they ran when they saw my name come up in the chat box! I have had many issues with this assignment, but I don't blame it on anyone but me. I see just how far behind I am in the technology world, and I'm not sure I'll be able to make up the ground lost. Very trying experience for me.

Observations

   I would like to make some observations about the conference I attended that may or may not have some bearing on our current discussion topics. I actually tried to get out of going when I realized that the start date for this class was just days before we were to leave for the conference, but I'm actually very glad my director talked me into going. A couple of experiences have application for the conversations we've been engaging in.
    As I was glancing at the schedule of presenters, one topic stood out immediately:  "Purposeful Use of Facebook and Twitter in an Academic Library: Strategies, Policies, engagements, and Impressions". How neat is that? The conclusion reached by this individual's library was that the effort to participate in a social media program was definitely worthwhile. This decision was backed up by the increase in activity that was realized after restructuring their existing program.
     A highlight of the gathering came at the end of a long day of sessions and various activities. A faculty member at the host university gave a piano concert. He played with great intensity and feeling. He literally made the piano sing. I couldn't help but make an application for librarianship. This man used his tool, in this case the piano, to entertain, uplift, and inspire the audience. Had we been listening to the same music on a CD or a mobile device, I venture to say the experience wouldn't have been nearly as enjoyable. Why? Because we wouldn't have witnessed his facial expressions, technique, and the heart he put into his performance. This live performance was emotionally charged and engaging.
     Similarly, we as librarians have a vast arsenal of tools at our disposal for helping students, but we can't lose sight of how much more can be brought to the table by "live" encounters. Our nonverbal cues that make us approachable, our technique used in reference interviews, and the passion we have for our jobs can make for rewarding experiences for our users.
    That's not to say that we can't accomplish the same objectives with mobile technologies and such like, but we will have to make a conscious effort to make these tools "sing" and give them a human touch.