Power to the People:
The IUB Libraries' Digital Asset Management System
Phyllis H. Davidson
Director of Information Technology
Indiana University
Doug Ryner
IUB Libraries Web Administrator
Indiana University
The Indiana University Bloomington Libraries Web site evolved over a
period of several years, from a few pages of information to more than
6000 static Web pages, with completely decentralized control over the
content and the layout of the pages. The only standard created was a
template with a common look and feel that various users adapted in different
ways. Many staff spent time learning HTML and trying to keep the content
up-to-date, but were not always successful.
At the same time, the site had become a focal point for access to the
Libraries' growing collection of electronic databases, full-text resources,
and electronic journals. Two consulting companies conducted usability
studies with students and faculty and studied the architecture of the
site in 2000. They recommended engineering the site with a database
infrastructure and hiring a Web administrator to lead the effort. After
a year of searching we hired an experienced Web administrator and formed
a planning team. The new site debuted a little more than a year later,
in October 2002.
This briefing will describe the re-engineering of the site, assessing
philosophical and cultural factors, and highlighting the internal development
of a content manager to allow librarians to present information without
the need for strong design or HTML skills. We will demonstrate a few
highlights and efficiencies of the system (organizing the information,
simplicity of publishing, quality control, separating content from presentation,
responsiveness, data collection, reporting, and flexibility), and will
discuss in detail revisions made to the site since its implementation
and planned next steps.
Web Site:
http://www.libraries.iub.edu
Presentation:
Power to the
People (PowerPoint)