CMS (Content Management System)

Colleagues,

   This is a cross posting.

   Our library is considering implementing a CMS (Content
Management System)
for managing our website.  We may end up using it for more
things -
intranet, calendars, email (??)  We are a small to medium
size public
library serving a community of about 20-24,000 people.  One
CMS we are
considering is Drupal.

  I would appreciate any input regarding experiences,
advantages,
disadvantages, opinions, etc. regarding CMS, which is best,
etc.

  I would also appreciate any recommendations for books,
websites, etc. on
the topic.

Thanks very much.

Sincerely,
Raumin "Ray" Dehghan
West Chicago Public Library
West Chicago, Illinois
_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

this year, we purchased some server space from a hosting
provider. At 75.00 or less a year, we can install and test
different applications easily and securely.

Here is our "sandbox".

http://www.ulsandbox.org/

So far we have installed the applications listed for testing
and try out.

PS: So far, we like drupal and are leaning toward it.


-----Original Message-----
From: Raumin "Ray" Dehghan
[mailto:infoscience1gmail.com]
Sent: Tue 10/30/2007 12:53 PM
To: web4lib; SYSLIB-Llistserv.buffalo.edu; DLS tech; LITA-Lala.org
Subject: [lita-l] CMS (Content Management System)
 
Colleagues,

   This is a cross posting.

   Our library is considering implementing a CMS (Content
Management System)
for managing our website.  We may end up using it for more
things -
intranet, calendars, email (??)  We are a small to medium
size public
library serving a community of about 20-24,000 people.  One
CMS we are
considering is Drupal.

  I would appreciate any input regarding experiences,
advantages,
disadvantages, opinions, etc. regarding CMS, which is best,
etc.

  I would also appreciate any recommendations for books,
websites, etc. on
the topic.

Thanks very much.

Sincerely,
Raumin "Ray" Dehghan
West Chicago Public Library
West Chicago, Illinois

_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

Hi - I would recommend Cmsmadesimple - one of the five
finalists in the 2007
Open CMS Awards

http://www.packtpub.com/article/2007-open-so
urce-cms-award-finalists 

More info here: www.cmsmadesimple.org

Have tried a few but this beats them all in my view - simple
(as it says!),
compliant and its extensibility and ease of use impresses me
every time I
use it

Good support forum as well - very helpful

Regards
Lynne

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounceswebjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounceswebjunction.org] On Behalf Of Raumin
"Ray" Dehghan
Sent: 30 October 2007 16:54
To: web4lib; SYSLIB-Llistserv.buffalo.edu; DLS tech; LITA-Lala.org
Subject: [Web4lib] CMS (Content Management System)

Colleagues,

   This is a cross posting.

   Our library is considering implementing a CMS (Content
Management System)
for managing our website.  We may end up using it for more
things -
intranet, calendars, email (??)  We are a small to medium
size public
library serving a community of about 20-24,000 people.  One
CMS we are
considering is Drupal.

  I would appreciate any input regarding experiences,
advantages,
disadvantages, opinions, etc. regarding CMS, which is best,
etc.

  I would also appreciate any recommendations for books,
websites, etc. on
the topic.

Thanks very much.

Sincerely,
Raumin "Ray" Dehghan
West Chicago Public Library
West Chicago, Illinois
_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

Deciding which CMS system is best is highly dependent on the
context in 
which it will be used.  Here are a few links that should
help to get you 
started exploring your CMS needs and options.

The CMS Matrix - cmsmatrix.org - The Content Management
Comparison Tool 
<http://www.cmsmatrix.or
g/>

CMS Matrix - OSCOM - Open Source Content Management 
<http://www
.oscom.org/matrix/index.html>

OpenSourceCMS <http://www.opensour
cecms.com/>
(has a large number of online demos)

Linux.com :: Choosing an open source CMS 
<http://www.li
nux.com/articles/54814>

2007 Open Source CMS Award Finalists 
<http://www.packtpub.com/2007-open-source-cms-awa
rd-finalists>

Joomla and Drupal - Which One is Right for You? 
<http://www.
alledia.com/blog/general-cms-issues/joomla-and-drupal-%11-wh
ich-one-is-right-for-you?/>




Raumin "Ray" Dehghan wrote:
> Colleagues,
> 
>    This is a cross posting.
> 
>    Our library is considering implementing a CMS
(Content Management System)
> for managing our website.  We may end up using it for
more things -
> intranet, calendars, email (??)  We are a small to
medium size public
> library serving a community of about 20-24,000 people. 
One CMS we are
> considering is Drupal.
> 
>   I would appreciate any input regarding experiences,
advantages,
> disadvantages, opinions, etc. regarding CMS, which is
best, etc.
> 
>   I would also appreciate any recommendations for
books, websites, etc. on
> the topic.
> 
_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

As a follow up to this conversation:

I'm a library science student at Michigan and was
contemplating taking a
course in CMS next semester. Do you find that this is an
important skill to
have as a librarian?

Thanks for you advice,
Elizabeth

On 10/30/07, Lynne Jones <mljonesbtinternet.com> wrote:
>
> Hi - I would recommend Cmsmadesimple - one of the five
finalists in the
> 2007
> Open CMS Awards
>
> http://www.packtpub.com/article/2007-open-so
urce-cms-award-finalists
>
> More info here: www.cmsmadesimple.org
>
> Have tried a few but this beats them all in my view -
simple (as it
> says!),
> compliant and its extensibility and ease of use
impresses me every time I
> use it
>
> Good support forum as well - very helpful
>
> Regards
> Lynne
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: web4lib-bounceswebjunction.org
> [mailto:web4lib-bounceswebjunction.org] On Behalf
Of Raumin "Ray" Dehghan
> Sent: 30 October 2007 16:54
> To: web4lib; SYSLIB-Llistserv.buffalo.edu; DLS
tech; LITA-Lala.org
> Subject: [Web4lib] CMS (Content Management System)
>
> Colleagues,
>
>    This is a cross posting.
>
>    Our library is considering implementing a CMS
(Content Management
> System)
> for managing our website.  We may end up using it for
more things -
> intranet, calendars, email (??)  We are a small to
medium size public
> library serving a community of about 20-24,000 people. 
One CMS we are
> considering is Drupal.
>
>   I would appreciate any input regarding experiences,
advantages,
> disadvantages, opinions, etc. regarding CMS, which is
best, etc.
>
>   I would also appreciate any recommendations for
books, websites, etc. on
> the topic.
>
> Thanks very much.
>
> Sincerely,
> Raumin "Ray" Dehghan
> West Chicago Public Library
> West Chicago, Illinois
> _______________________________________________
> Web4lib mailing list
> Web4libwebjunction.org
> http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/
>
> _______________________________________________
> Web4lib mailing list
> Web4libwebjunction.org
> http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/
>



-- 
Elizabeth Perry
eswieriumich.edu
(857) 928-6554
Committee on Institutional Cooperation, Center for Library
Initiatives
http://www.cic.net
University of Michigan School of Information
http://www.si.umich.edu
_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

Good question.

I think that studying CMS software is not as valuable as
studying how  
you use the Web to communicate with your constituency. No
CMS will  
stop you from building a terrible site, nor do you
absolutely need a  
CMS to build a great site (although they can be a big help).
In other  
words, the key task is to figure out what your site will do,
then  
figure out how to do it.

I do admit that I am curious as to what a course on content 

management software would teach and how they would teach
it.

Thanks,

Cary

Cary Gordon
The Cherry Hill Company
http://www.chillco.com

On Oct 30, 2007, at 1:11 PM, Elizabeth Perry wrote:

> As a follow up to this conversation:
>
> I'm a library science student at Michigan and was
contemplating  
> taking a
> course in CMS next semester. Do you find that this is
an important  
> skill to
> have as a librarian?
>
> Thanks for you advice,
> Elizabeth
>
> -- 
> Elizabeth Perry
> eswieriumich.edu
> (857) 928-6554
> Committee on Institutional Cooperation, Center for
Library Initiatives
> http://www.cic.net
> University of Michigan School of Information
> http://www.si.umich.edu

_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

As someone who works with and supports Drupal for a living,
I like my  
job and love the product. Drupal has strong support and
growing  
market penetration in the library community, as well as a
burgeoning,  
active international user community.

Drupal has long been lauded for its capabilities and
functionality.  
The current version has made it significantly easier to
install and  
administer. The next version -- cue in the next month or so
-- make  
more improvements in those areas, and also make the theming
process  
much faster and easier.

Drupal is now scalable enough that mega-sites like Lifetime
TV and  
the Sony artist series use it.

Good stuff, even if I am biased <g>.

Cary Gordon
The Cherry Hill Company
http://www.chillco.com



On Oct 30, 2007, at 9:53 AM, Raumin Ray Dehghan wrote:

> Colleagues,
>
>    This is a cross posting.
>
>    Our library is considering implementing a CMS
(Content  
> Management System) for managing our website.  We may
end up using  
> it for more things - intranet, calendars, email (??) 
We are a  
> small to medium size public library serving a community
of about  
> 20-24,000 people.  One CMS we are considering is
Drupal.
>
>   I would appreciate any input regarding experiences,
advantages,  
> disadvantages, opinions, etc. regarding CMS, which is
best, etc.
>
>   I would also appreciate any recommendations for
books, websites,  
> etc. on the topic.
>
> Thanks very much.
>
> Sincerely,
> Raumin "Ray" Dehghan
> West Chicago Public Library
> West Chicago, Illinois

_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

We started using Joomla a year ago at our small library
(www.jkmlibrary.org).  I have found it simple to use and
versatile.  The
Joomla forums offer a decent level of support, and there are
a
wide-variety of extensions and add-ons.  The only problem is
that most
(all?) of the library staff other than myself seem
intimidated by
anything web-related.  Thus, I still end up posting most of
the content.
This may only demonstrate the need for more staff training.


Chad Pollock

Reference Librarian

JKM Library

773-256-0703


-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounceswebjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounceswebjunction.org] On Behalf Of Raumin
"Ray"
Dehghan
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 11:54 AM
To: web4lib; SYSLIB-Llistserv.buffalo.edu; DLS tech; LITA-Lala.org
Subject: [Web4lib] CMS (Content Management System)

Colleagues,

   This is a cross posting.

   Our library is considering implementing a CMS (Content
Management
System)
for managing our website.  We may end up using it for more
things -
intranet, calendars, email (??)  We are a small to medium
size public
library serving a community of about 20-24,000 people.  One
CMS we are
considering is Drupal.

  I would appreciate any input regarding experiences,
advantages,
disadvantages, opinions, etc. regarding CMS, which is best,
etc.

  I would also appreciate any recommendations for books,
websites, etc.
on
the topic.

Thanks very much.

Sincerely,
Raumin "Ray" Dehghan
West Chicago Public Library
West Chicago, Illinois
_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/
_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

Raumin "Ray" Dehghan wrote:

> 
>    Our library is considering implementing a CMS
(Content Management System)
> for managing our website.  We may end up using it for
more things -
> intranet, calendars, email (??)  We are a small to
medium size public
> library serving a community of about 20-24,000 people. 
One CMS we are
> considering is Drupal.
> 
>   I would appreciate any input regarding experiences,
advantages,
> disadvantages, opinions, etc. regarding CMS, which is
best, etc.
> 
>   I would also appreciate any recommendations for
books, websites, etc. on
> the topic.


Since Drupal runs on PHP/MySQL, it helps if you have someone
familiar 
and comfortable with those two technologies.  Also the joys
of working 
with a database-driven site need to be mastered --
particularly backing 
up the database.

Some of these skills would be necessary no matter what CMS
you chose. 
None of them require an inordinate amount of expertise.

If you're interested, I could help you set up a preliminary
site.  Just 
email me off-list.  After you've done a number of these, it
gets kind of 
routine.

LEO

-- -------------------
www.leoklein.com (site)
www.ChicagoLibrarian.com (blog)
aim/msn/yhoo/goog: 'leorobertklein'
_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

Greetings,

I think this is an excellent point and a problem shared by
many
administrators.  You can lead a person to a website
interface, 
but you can't make them think.

I am not sure if it is actually an issue of training,
rather
than motivation.  Many people are disinclined to write. The
ratio of lurkers to contributors on this list is about 100
to
one. 

*************************************************
Robert L. Balliot
1-401-441-5763
Skype: RBalliot
Bristol, Rhode Island
http://oce
anstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm
*************************************************

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounceswebjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounceswebjunction.org] On Behalf Of Chad
Pollock
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 5:41 PM
To: Raumin "Ray" Dehghan; web4lib
Subject: RE: [Web4lib] CMS (Content Management System)


We started using Joomla a year ago at our small library
(www.jkmlibrary.org).  I have found it simple to use and
versatile.  The
Joomla forums offer a decent level of support, and there are
a
wide-variety of extensions and add-ons.  The only problem is
that most
(all?) of the library staff other than myself seem
intimidated by
anything web-related.  Thus, I still end up posting most of
the content.
This may only demonstrate the need for more staff training.


Chad Pollock

Reference Librarian



_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/