Evaluating Content Management Systems in Academic Libraries
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This document summarizes a study that evaluated content management systems (CMS) used in academic libraries. A survey of library staff found that CMS generally made web development easier but satisfaction varied by system. While CMS simplified content management, institutionally mandated templates sometimes limited customization. Templates prioritized institutional branding over library usability. The benefits of CMS were ease of use and content control, but limitations included lacking features and templates not considering library needs.
Evaluating Content Management Systems in Academic Libraries
- 1. Evaluating Content Management Systems in Academic Libraries A Pilot Study of the Novanet Consortium INTRODUCTION RESEARCH OBJECTIVES RESULTS DISCUSSION CONCLUSION 1. What are the perceptions and attitudes of the CMS library staff use to manage the library’s website? 2. What impact does a CMS have on web development for web authors and web developers? 3. What are the benefits and limitations of using a CMS? METHODS Mixed-methods online survey sent to library staff listed on staff directory in the Novanet Consortium. Web authors and publishers were only eligible to participate. Qualitative responses were coded to identify salient themes. Quantitative questions were analyzed using basic descriptive statistical analysis. 7 6 1 3 1 1 2 1 1 1 Not at all satisfied Slightly satisfied Moderately satisfied Very satisfied Levels of Satisfaction by CMS Adobe Experience Manager Drupal Joomla OneWeb Terminal Four Participants were generally satisfied with the CMS, however, satisfaction varies by the CMS. Half of the participants indicated the CMS simplified the web development process, reducing the amount of time spent managing the library’s website and making it easier for staff with little to no background in web development to manage library web content. Institutionally-mandated templates do not always consider the library’s specific functional requirements, therefore can impose limitations on how the library can present their content. Templates are designed for promotional and informational branding for the academic institution and obstruct the usability of the library’s website. “There are limits to the look of the web pages. This can be very frustrating at times. I often end up settling for having the information display in a manner that is not as user-friendly or even as attractive as I would like.” “It's relatively easy to create web pages. It's nice to be able to control the information that is posted and quickly make changes and updates without having a computer background and without relying on someone else to make the changes that you require.” Academic Institution Number of Participants Atlantic School of Theology 1 Dalhousie University 14 Mount Saint Vincent University 2 Nova Scotia College of Art and Design 1 St. Francis Xavier University 4 St. Mary's University 5 Université Sainte-Anne 1 Total 28 Content Management Systems (CMS) are applications that enables users to author, edit, publish, track, and reuse content in an integrated user interface (Arnold, 2004). They enable those with limited knowledge of markup language (i.e. HTML) to design webpages (Connell, 2008). Academic institutions often purchase CMS at the institutional level, requiring all departments to use a mandated template. The library may have different functional requirements and purposes than the parent institution potentially imposing limitations on the library’s website A link to the survey was sent to 248 library staff. 44 surveys were completed, 28 were eligible for analysis. Figure 1. shows the profile of respondents. Figure 1. Profile of survey respondents. CMS Benefits CMS Limitations Ease of use Uniform look Control over content Specific features Lacking features Institutionally-mandated templates REFERENCES Arnold, S. E. (2004). Content management: Role and reliability. In M.E.D. Koenig & T. Srikantaiah (Eds.), Knowledge management lessons learned: What works and what doesn't (pp. 157-172). ASIST Monograph Series. Medford, NJ: Information Today. Connell, R. S. (2013). Content management systems: trends in academic libraries. Information Technology and Libraries (Online), 32(2), 42-55 CMS are beneficial web development tools, however, the library’s functional requirements are often not considered when designing the institutional template or during CMS procurement impacting the usability of the library’s website. 1 1 5 9 10 2 Never Once or twice per year Once per month Once every couple of weeks Several times per week Several times per day Frequency of CMS Use Charlotte MacKeigan School of Information Management