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A Content Management Approach for the Delivery of the University of Waterloo Library's Public Web Site

Final Report

November 24, 2003

"Planning is the key to successful content management, and you can't buy planning in a box. Content management is a deliberate process. This may seem obvious, but let me just make it clear that you have to plan." -- Phil Suh: Content Management Systems

Table of Contents:


Executive Summary:

The task of keeping the Library’s web site up-to-date has become problematic. For example, a coop student has been hired to update pages and train library staff in XHTML. It will take at least a year to complete this pass through each of the Library’s 11,600 web pages. It could take another year to run a similar program to introduce Cascading Style Sheets to all the pages in the site. The entire site also needs to be revised to accommodate accessibility legislation. Web technology has grown more complicated. A change in one area often breaks something in another. The Library’s web development staff is spending more time fixing problems which means less time spent on developing new and improved client services. While some database components have been developed and new tools introduced, the handcrafted approach to web site creation and maintenance used back in 1994 remains in place in most areas. In this environment only a substantial increase in resources dedicated to the task can hope to keep the site up-to-date. There is a technology, content management, which promises a solution while also helping to address increasing demand and rising expectations. The purpose of this project was to determine the feasibility of the content management approach for the Library.

The project members analyzed the current web site’s problems, workflows and existing site structure in order to develop a list of functional requirements for a Content Management System (CMS) in the UW Library environment. Using these requirements, a number of commercial and open-source content management systems were briefly reviewed.

The group concluded that a content management approach would substantially improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Library’s web services. The capabilities and costs of the many CMSs vary wildly but all require degrees of customization in order to give the web site a local brand. The use of the Library’s existing tool set (i.e. ColdFusion) to build an entire customized CMS, although possible, would require a significant investment of the Library’s limited programming resources. Another promising option is offered by commercial and open source content management systems built upon a ColdFusion platform. Acquiring a CMS based upon the ColdFusion platform would provide many of the required options but also allow the leveraging of existing knowledge and expertise of the Library and its TUG (TriUniversities Group of Libraries) partners. This is the key option that the committee recommends that the Library explore.

There are a couple of other options that may warrant investigation. A Zope based content management system name Plone was used to demonstrate the functions of content management to members of the committee. Plone was voted the number one Open Source project in the world in an O’Reilly & Associates/Comdex survey. The Library also has some expertise in Zope. Zope has been providing reliable access to the TUG Electronic Journals database and the LT3 CLOE (Co-operative Learnware Exchange) learnware database for over 2 year. In addition, an announcement by the Open Text Corporation, a cooperating partner of the University of Waterloo, revealed that Open Text has acquired access to the content management systems of IXOS Software AG and Gauss Enterprises AG. Open Text software is made available to the University without charge and is currently used by the Library for indexing purposes. This recent development opens up new possibilities. The Open Text and the Plone options may be worth exploration by the Library. Since content management is a rapidly developing area, until a final direction for development is determined, the Library should keep all its options open.

The group also studied the nature of the content management approach and its impact upon the web delivery operations of an organization, specifying recommendations that address this critical area of implementation.

Recommendations:

  1. The Library proceed with the implementation of Content Management.

System Evaluation:

  1. A CMS Evaluation Team be established.

  2. The Evaluation Team initiate a detailed evaluation of available ColdFusion-based content management systems.

  3. A report with recommendations and cost estimates be prepared based upon the evaluations in recommendation 3.

  4. If a suitable ColdFusion based solution is not found, the Evaluation Team may recommend further examination of alternatives including Plone and the products offered by Open Text.

  5. A group be established to concurrently, with the system evaluations effort, develop a preliminary plan with cost estimates for the migration of the Library’s web site to a content management system.

CMS Implementation:

  1. Subject to the reports above and the Library’s decision to implement a content management system, the committee recommends that a CMS Implementation Team be established.

  2. The Implementation Team develop a content management implementation plan for the University of Waterloo Library.

  3. The implementation plan include an education program to inform Library staff of the nature and potential benefits of the content management approach.

  4. The Implementation Team establish subgroups of content experts currently responsible for selected areas of the web site and assign them the task of analyzing, organizing, and developing metadata requirements for the content within their areas of responsibility.

  5. The Implementation Team also assign the subgroups, with the assistance of the required expertise (graphics designer, accessibility expert, etc.), the task of redesigning their pages within the context of content management and the University of Waterloo’s web site guidelines.

  6. The Implementation Team using the information provided by the subgroups examine, with a strong emphasis on user requirements, the overall site structure.

  7. The Implementation Team assign a technical subgroup with responsibility for developing a customization plan based upon the system selected in recommendation 3, Library requirements and the information gathered in recommendations 10, 11, and 12.

  8. The Implementation Team oversee the implementation of content management for the Library’s web site.
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Background:

The Library's Web Site was originally published in 1994 by a nine-member Internet Resources Committee. The site won the OLITA (Ontario Library & Information Technology Association) Innovation award in 1995 as one of the first web-based electronic libraries. Through the implementation of a “buddy” system the number of participants in the creation of the web site was increased substantially and as a result the site grew in breadth and width. The main site currently includes roughly 11,600 documents (not including images and other supplementary files). Although technology has changed since 1994, growing more powerful and at the same time more complex, aside from some improved tools and the implementation of some database services, the same handcrafted approach used to create and maintain the original Web site remains in place.

The Web Operational Management group (WebOps) was formed in 2001 to manage the day-to-day technical operations of the Web site and to act as a resource for staff contributing to the site. The handcrafted approach requires considerable technical knowledge to publish even a simple page. Besides knowledge of the content, expertise is required in HTML, JavaScript, and server technology (server side includes), as well as the software (Dreamweaver) used to maintain the site. Training is, therefore, a major WebOps concern but much of this effort goes for naught because staff lack the time to master the technology and infrequent use prevents them from becoming familiar with the software. The expertise required will only increase as W3C industry standards such as XHTML and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and standards for accessibility are applied to every page on the site.

WebOps has experienced a couple of major revisions to the look and feel of the web site and each implementation was a resource intensive exercise. Updating the entire site to the latest standards requires major training and time commitments of all staff participating in site maintenance. WebOps plans to make multiple passes through the entire web site to tackle XHTML conversion, CCS (Cascading Style Sheet) implementation and conformance to accessibility guidelines. A co-op student has been hired to help with combing through the site for the purpose of upgrading coding standards to XHTML and training participants in validation and use of the XHTML standard. It is expected to take at least a year to complete this pass through all the Library’s 11,600 web pages. Similar efforts will be required for Cascading Style Sheets and accessibility standards. The effort required to keep the Library’s web site up-to-standard is stretching existing resources and will only continue to get worse with the increasing demand and rising expectations being placed upon web services. .

WebOps is the only group that knows "the whole site" and is aware of problems of badly out-of-date content, duplicate content and problems with inconsistency in presentation which can make for difficulty when using the site. The Library's web site, to remain effective, needs to move away from the handcrafted approach. An approach that separates the creation and maintenance of content from its presentational design and its technological functionality, may provide an answer to these challenges. This approach, called “Content Management,” could allow the entire library staff to contribute to the vitality of the site's content by lowering the level of expertise required and freeing the WebOps team to apply its expertise to the larger issues of site design and functionality. The desire to reach a point where the site can be changed and kept clean without repeated scouring of the site page-by-page prompted WebOps to look to the possible use of a Content Management approach for the delivery of the Library’s web site.

In May 2003, WebOps proposed the establishment of a group to look into alternative web delivery methods. The result was a project charter “The Feasibility of a Content Management Approach for the Delivery of the University of Waterloo Library’s Public Web Site.”[1] The primary purpose was to determine whether a content management approach is a viable option for the publication of the Library’s public web site.

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Methodology:

In June 2003 the charter was finalized and the group members selected.

The group was charged with producing an interim report with recommendations for submission to the University Librarian by the end of September 2003. The report will be reviewed by the Digital Library Coordination Committee (DLCC), WebOps, ISMC (Information Services Management Committee) and other interested parties. A final revised report will be issued November 30, 2003.

The inaugural meeting of the group was July 23, 2003 and the group continued to meet weekly until the end of September. A further meeting to discuss the interim report was held October 8, 2003. A web site was established[2] to collect documents and links to relevant resources and to maintain the minutes of the group’s activities.

Educating everyone on the nature of content management was the first order of business. Using an existing CMS, a slide show[3] was prepared and presented to the group outlining the advantages and processes needed for the successful implementation of any CMS. Five copies of the book, Content Management Systems by Dave Addey, James Ellis, Phil Suh and David Thiemecker were ordered and arrived the week of August 13. Uses of Content Management by other institutions[4] were investigated and the Movable Type[5] CMS, being explored for possible use at Waterloo, was demonstrated.

Guided by the project’s charter, the groups analyzed the current problems[6] of the UW Library’s web site[7] and the workflows[8] used to maintain it. The structure[9] of the current site and the division of responsibilities were reviewed as were a number of current database delivered services[10]. These efforts led to the development of a list of functional requirements[11] that was used to evaluate a number of existing Content Management Systems.

Using all the information collected, the group examined the data, discussed the implications, and recommended a course of action for the Library. This report is the product of these deliberations.

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Site Problems:

An effective web site must contain up-to-date information. The site must be easy to navigate and technologically sound to avoid browser compatibility problems for the clients. The site should provide equitable access to all library clients by meeting accessibility standards. And, the site must be flexible enough to easily adapt to changing technologies and rising expectations. The current web site while achieving it goals has areas where information is dated. Browser incompatibilities occasionally arise and although efforts are made to ensure accessibility some areas are woefully inadequate. The flexibility of the current web site is such that these service problems can only be adequately addressed by an increase in personnel resources dedicated to the task.

A more efficient publication technology, for example, is Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). The implementation of this technology will require a major training effort. Each maintainer must become proficient in the technology before it can be used effectively. Visiting all the pages to implement CSS is a massive task. This situation creates an inertia severely limiting the site’s flexibility.

Global changes across the whole web site, aside from server-side-includes, are not possible. For example, although a maintainer using the capabilities of Dreamweaver, may update a URL within their own area of responsibility, if that URL appears other places in the site it may not get updated and a broken link will result. Although monthly Linkbot reports listing problems with broken links and orphan files are issued, the task of cleaning up these problems is time consuming and frequently neglected resulting in a degradation of the quality of the web site as a whole.

Duplication of effort occurs. In response to a need, one or more maintainers may create information resources designed to achieve the same objective. Not only is this a duplication of effort but different approaches to the same information can cause confusion to our users. A system that promotes the reuse of information resources can reduce this confusion and wasted effort.

Timeliness is a problem. Pages are created and once published they are ignored in many cases because of workload constraints. There is just not enough time to regularly review pages. Dated pages degrade the quality of the web site as a whole.

Changes initiated by a maintainer may unwittingly result in technological problems. For example, the addition of a JavaScript capability by a maintainer using a variable name duplicated in the navigation bar rendered the navigation bar inoperable. The result was the publication of pages that did not work. In many cases this type of problem goes undetected until a client complaint is received. The sheer size and complexity of the current web site compounds all these problems. Web development resources are continually being consumed fighting fires rather than developing improved services.

Web site maintainers must have a degree of expertise in HTML and now must update these skills to handle XHTML. With the increased complexity of web publishing, training and retraining is a constant. Maintainers may use Dreamweaver without a thorough knowledge of HTML but end up facing frustration when their pages do not display as expected. Some maintainers trained in Dreamweaver find the software too complex and the learning curve too steep. The problem is compounded when a maintainer only visits their pages infrequently. Training is a constant need but often goes for naught because of the infrequent use of the learned skill.

Each HTML page contains subject content, presentation coding (HTML or XHTML), and may even contain program code such as ColdFusion or JavaScript. The level of expertise required to deal with these pages competently is extensive. It is frequently necessary to coordinate a number of people to launch a webpage when the expertise for these different skills resides in different people. This need for coordination of diverse expertise increases the inertia around change and inhibits the speed with which new information resources can be introduced.

In some areas within the web site the look and feel of pages, although from a similar area of the site, can vary to an extent that a client may believe they have entered a new site. This can disorient a user. The culture of page ownership can result in a variety of designs, some creative and some not, but the variation can confuse the users of the site.

WebOps has published "Standards & Practices for UW Library Webpages" to assist maintainers and introduced the use of “server side include” statements to help maintainers conform to Library webpage design and provide a level of global update. However, contributors still require knowledge of HTML and webpage design to be able to contribute directly to the Library web site. Many have resorted to relying on the help of designated web site maintainers. Others may contribute directly but need help in HTML or design from time to time. To encourage participation of library staff, help distribute the workload, and allow a quicker response to changes in service requirements and new technologies, a more efficient web publishing strategy is required for the Library.

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Workflows:

One key to efficient operation is effective workflow design. This is particularly important in the automation of a process. Currently UW Library Web maintainers are assigned responsibility for a work area or directory[12]. Each directory has group permissions and ownership [13]associated with it. You cannot edit a file unless you are part of the UNIX group assigned to that directory. Many of our webpages are edited via Dreamweaver by page owners or their support staff. A few staff members still edit their pages via pico. In one area, at least, an approval mechanism is in place. Once the page is prepared, the page is examined and it must be approved before it is officially published.

In a number of instances code fragments are maintained in separate files and then added to pages at the point of publication. The header or navigation bar used on most public webpages is a prime example. The Journal Indexes service has an HTML fragment in a static HTML page on the computer, lap2 that is edited by the maintainer using pico. Headers are also retrieved from a Guelph web server for those TUG services (Journal Indexes, Ejournals and Electronic Reference) where the display is tailored based upon the source of the requestor. The OCUL Staff Search service also retrieves, for those libraries using the local directory option, headers and footers from around the province. Dreamweaver and pico at Waterloo are the tools used to maintain these fragments and most other webpages.

A different variety of workflows have evolved for the maintenance of the Library’s ColdFusion/Zope web publishing processes. In these processes a maintainer updates a database of metadata using a number of methods. For the TUG Ejournals system a distributed input method using web forms loads a record with a temporary status. These records are examined and then added officially after an edit check. Batch update processes are also occasionally required for the Ejournals system as a result of major changes affecting a large number of records. A batch update process is also available in the OCUL Staff Search service. In most of the webpage-based database maintenance processes, changes, once entered, are published instantaneously. Besides the use of web forms for input there is also an instance where Microsoft Access forms are used and another where PGAdmin, a PostgreSQL database client, is used for updating purposes.

These different workflow scenarios represent the variety of methods currently in use to maintain the UW Library public web site.

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Site Structure:

To determine the applicability of the content management approach to the UW Library’s public web site, a general analysis of the site was performed. The goal of this effort was to find areas with common characteristics that have a potential for standardization in an automated environment. The site can be broken into two components, database services and those areas delivered from static webpages.

Databases systems[14]:

The current database-delivered web services are:

  1. Electronic Journals[15] (Zope/MySQL) – 8, 789 record

  2. CLOE [16] (Cooperative Learning Object Exchange) (Zope/MyQL) – 58 records

  3. Electronic Ttheses[17] (ColdFusion/PostgreSQL) – 176 records

  4. Journal Indexes [18] (ColdFusion/PostgreSQL) – 201 records

  5. OCUL Staff Search[19] (ColdFusion/PostgreSQL) – 1,833 records

  6. Scholarly Societies Project[20] (ColdFusion/PostgreSQL) – 3,483 records

  7. Electronic Reference[21] (ColdFusion/PostgreSQL) – 899 records

  8. Electronic Reserves[22] (ColdFusion/PostgreSQL) – 111 records

Each of these services represents discrete packages operating out of discrete databases. Metadata is maintained for the resources in each package and pages delivered through templates created either with Zope or ColdFusion. Although content in the form of metadata is kept separate from presentation, the templates are a mix of presentation and transformation coding.

Static Webpages:

There are an estimated 11, 600 HTML files in 60 directories in the Library’s web site not including images and other supplementary files. Within the web site there are a number of areas where many pages have common characteristics. Within a CMS these areas can potentially be delivered using a common template or templates.

A table[23] was prepared listing directories, number of pages and the groups responsible for the contents of each area.

  1. Area: Ejournals
    Directory: /Ejournals/passwords
    Description: This area provides the userid and passwords required for UW users to access Ejournals purchased by UW. All pages contain the same units of information (Title, URL, userid, password) and would benefit from maintenance via a template or database.
    Content Responsibility: ejournal UNIX group; Christine Jewell; currently maintained by Esther Millar and Heather Schaaf
    Number of pages: 75

  2. Area: Adaptive Technology Centre
    Directory: /access
    Description: The files in this directory provide information about the Adaptive Technology Centre. Workstations in the Centre can be reserved for individual use and are recorded on the Centre's web pages. The bookings pages share many of the same features and would lend themselves to templates or even a database approach.
    Content Responsibility: access UNIX group; Janet Wason & Val Huggan
    Number of pages: 107

  3. Area: Library Documents - Annual Reports and Task Group Reports
    Directories: /News and /info
    Description: Spread over several directories are a group of files that provide information about the Library via Annual Reports and Task Group Reports. In addition to the library-side navigation scheme and footer, the main pages also share a site-specific navigation bar and common look. Within the area, each Annual Report shares a common look and specific navigation bar as well.
    Content Responsibility: liboff UNIX group; Cheryl Kieswetter retains primary responsibility for the pages, although Esther Millar and Rose Koebel have been involved as well.
    Number of pages: 436

  4. Area: Selected Library Catalogues
    Directory: /catalogues
    Description: Two pages: Selected Ontario College and University Library Catalogues and Selected U.S. Library On-Line Catalogues. Provide links to the library, library catalogue, and institution home page for selected college and university libraries in Ontario and the U.S. Displayed in a table format, these two pages could be produced via a database.
    Content Responsibility: matproc UNIX group; Larry Helfand maintains these two pages
    Number of pages: 2 (with 57 institutions)

  5. Area: CD-ROM Research Indexes
    Directory: /databases
    Description: The Research Indexes page was created to facilitate subject access to CD-ROM based indexes to journal, book, conference, and technical paper literature available at the University of Waterloo Libraries. Presented in a tabular form, for each database the following information is given: Title, short description, coverage, and location in the Library. One file lists the 64 databases in one alphabetical sequence and they are then organized by general subject areas into 5 additional files. Good database material.
    Content Responsibility: dcisr UNIX group; maintained by Doug Morton
    Number of pages: 7 (with 64 databases)

  6. Area: Library Development
    Directory: /develop and /friends
    Description: These pages provide information about the Library Campaign as well as other Library Development information. A new design is in process that deploys a similar look across all pages in its site: a constant header, side navigation bar, and footer with contact information. It already employs a template format. Various sections within the site (e.g., Author's events) demonstrate further similarities between the pages, so certain sections could use even more detailed templates.
    Content Responsibility: liboff UNIX group; Linda Hastings, designer; Linda and Cheryl Kieswetter, maintainers
    Number of pages: the old site had 20; new site unknown

  7. Area: Discipline pages
    Directory: /discipline/...
    Description: This area includes 48 sub-directories for all the subject specialty pages. It includes Cartography, account, actuarial, anthro, appliedmath, arch, biology, chem, chemeng, classics, comopt, compsci, drama, earth, econom, etc., right through to all of the specific disciplines. These pages are in the process of moving into a template structure, using cascading style sheets, to promote a consistent look in design and layout. In the new template structure the pages have many common elements: heading, side navigation bar, font, size, colour, specific area for image, specific area for text, footers. The group of pages that have adopted the new template have an overall unified look.
    Content Responsibility: webmaint, cartog, special, dpisr, dcisr UNIX groups; liaison librarians are responsible for content, support staff assist in maintenance
    Number of pages: 1079

  8. Area: Special Collections
    Directory: /discipline/SpecColl
    Description: This is the web site for the Special Collections Department. Special Collections holds early editions and rare books, collections of archives and manuscripts, and other material which requires special care and handling. In recording the holdings of the various collections, similar pieces of information are given: title of the collection or archive, time period covered, who donated or when purchased, description of contents, size of the collections (i.e., how much physical space it occupies on the shelf). Templates would definitely serve to enhance consistency across many of the pages; processing via a database may be possible as well.
    Current Responsibility: special UNIX group; maintained by Ruth Lamb for Susan Bellingham, Special Collections
    Number of pages: 252

  9. Area: Electronic Text Centre
    Directory: /etc
    Description: Specific to Classics, English, French, German and Philosophy, the focus is on electronic versions of primary texts. A template structure would be beneficial to give this area a stronger common look. Under close scrutiny it looks as though this site would be a good candidate for a database.
    Content Responsibility: etexts UNIX group; produced by Christine Jewell, Helena Calogeridis, Erin Murphy
    Number of pages: 8

  10. Area: Mark Haslett's home page
    Directory: /haslett
    Description: The University Librarian's website is a broad welcoming statement, providing information on the role and the goals of the Library. Mark's photograph on the home page is an important visual element. Some consistency with the use of a side navigation bar, with links to Campaign Waterloo, Library Documents, Library Staff, news @ your library, Partnerships, Presentations, Staff web, and Stuff, Other. Some of the underlying pages have consistency with this same side navbar but a different footer and page layout. Overall, it appears to be moving towards a template structure.
    Content Responsibility: webmaint UNIX group; Mark Haslett responsible for content, maintained by Cheryl Kieswetter
    Number of pages: 6

  11. Area: Key phone numbers and executive/managers
    Directory: /keyinfo
    Description: These two pages list key people and key phone numbers in the library. Information is listed in a table format, with email links on the key people page, and a link to Mark's home page. Important contact information pages would do well in a template design that would be consistent, or more compatible, with the page that links to it.
    Content Responsibility: liboff UNIX group; produced and maintained by Esther Millar
    Number of pages: 2

  12. Area: Librarians Association of UW (web site)
    Directory: /lauw
    Description: Information pertaining to the Librarian's Association of the University of Waterloo. There is a link to the LAUW constitution and the Annual General Meeting minutes. The members of the Executive Committee for 2002/03 are listed. The linked pages appear as word documents. Lacking a navigation bar, footer information, and document titles on three of the five pages, these pages would be best served if they were inserted in a template structure.
    Content Responsibility: lauw UNIX group; produced and maintained by Christine Jewell
    Number of pages: 87

  13. Area: Library Guides series
    Directory: /libguides
    Description: A total of 95 guides ranging from general library instruction to specific subject information, including guides on particular resources and guides on government information. There appears to be a variety in layout: variables include table of contents, images, bulleted lists, and also a colourful side navigation bar (see Searching Electronic Databases: Introduction). A template, with flexibility, could be designed to give the Library Guides a stronger consistency in appearance. Common elements include: title of the guide and number in the Library Guide series at the beginning of each page; a common guide-specific footer at the end of each page.
    Content Responsibility: pub UNIX group; liaison librarians responsible for content, maintained by liaison librarians and their support staff
    Number of pages:111

  14. Area: Special Collections - Seagram Museum Library Collection
    Directory: /seagrams
    Description: An exhibition featuring the Seagram Museum Library Collections donated by The Seagram Company. The design is consistent throughout with site-specific footers and navigation. Includes sections on Gastronomy, Distillation, Temperance, etc. Within each section, consistent information for each resource is given when known: resource name, author, publisher, date published, brief description and a scanned image of the resource. Would easily lend itself to the use of templates. May also fit into a database.
    Content Responsibility: special UNIX group; maintained by Ruth Lamb for Susan Bellingham, Special Collections
    Number of pages: 109

  15. Area: UMD
    Directory: /locations
    Description: The UMD site is very attractive in its layout and design. Many common elements are used to give a consistent overall 'look and feel'. Use of headings, side navigation bar, colour, font, images, footers, and spacing of the information follow a uniform structure. This site features Architecture, ERS, Geography, Planning, Cartographic and GIS resources. It includes points of interest, frequently asked questions, and a site index. Given its comprehensiveness in design features, a migration into a content management system would be relatively straight forward process.
    Content Responsibility: umd UNIX group; Richard Pinnell responsible for content, maintained by Peter Johnson
    Number of pages: 137

  16. Area: TILT @ UW
    Directory: /tilt
    Description: TILT@UW is an educational Web site designed to ensure a level of information literacy among undergraduates. It is an adaptation of TILT (Texas Information Literacy Tutorial). Uses frames to provide a consistent site-specific header and footer throughout. It does not include the site-wide UW Library navigation bar and footer. The use of font, colour, headings, and images is consistent throughout. Quizzes follow each of the 3 modules. These quizzes are maintained using Angel (UWone).
    Content Responsibility: webmaint UNIX group; content is the responsibility of Yulerette Gordon, maintained by Esther Millar
    Number of pages: 266

  17. Area: Online Tutorials - CISTI Source Tutorial
    Directory: /user_ed/cistitutorial
    Description: Teaches how to search for and obtain journal articles using CISTI Source, a multidisciplinary journal database. Does not use the site-side UW Library navigation bar. Provides a consistent look and feel throughout by using site-specific header and a consistent use of font, colour, headings, and images.
    Content Responsibility: instruct UNIX group; produced by Jackie Stapleton; maintained by Rose Koebel, Ted Harms, and Ted Ireland
    Number of pages: 60
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Functional Requirements:

The Library's Mission Statement was used as a starting point for determining the requirements of a system for the efficient and effective delivery of our web services. The audience for the web site was also determined. It was concluded that the primary audience is the faculty, staff, and students (including co-op, distance education, and special needs students), the secondary audience is users of the government publications depository collection, and the tertiary group is all others who visit the site. With distance education students among our primary clients, off-campus delivery, particularly of commercial access controlled resources, becomes an essential requirement of the system. Similarly for special needs students, accessibility standards must be achieved. Achieving the Library’s goal of meeting client’s needs is the overall objective of the Library and the Library’s web site.

Based on the identified problems and strengths of the UW Library’s web site and the workflows of the existing maintenance processes, a list of functional requirements of a CMS for the UW Library were determined. Please note that the numbers in parentheses at the end of each line represent the priority for each requirement (1 = Essential, 2 = Desirable, 3 = Nice).

Authentication and Control

  1. The CMS must provide access control for content managers. (1)
  2. The CMS must ensure the assignment of responsibility to each free standing piece of content within the system (i.e., pages, page fragments, templates, etc.). (1)
  3. The CMS must provide access control by groups to allow multiple individuals to maintain any single piece of content within the system. (1)
  4. The CMS must allow for client access control based upon IP and/or user profiles (TUG navbars). (1)

Document Management

  1. The CMS must provide a checkin and checkout capability to ensure conflict free handling of documents in a distributed maintenance environment with multiple users. (1)
  2. The CMS must provide for the efficient creation, maintenance, storing, and tracking of resource metadata. (1)
  3. The CMS should provide a global update capability based upon style sheets technology (CSS, XSLT). (2)
  4. The CMS should facilitate content reuse with the goal of a single file (full page or content fragment) serving multiple uses. (2)
  5. The CMS should provide expiry or review date alerts to those responsible for a piece of content to avoid dated and/or stale pages. (2)
  6. The CMS should provide a change alert where the adjustment of a piece of content requires the update of information beyond the CMS system boundary (i.e. Google header). (3)
  7. The CMS should provide time dependent triggers for the display or withdrawal from the display of pages or content fragments. (3)

Document Creation and Maintenance

  1. The CMS must ensure that a reasonable level of knowledge is all that is required for content managers to update their content. (1)
  2. The CMS must store assets (or provide access to them) in a standardized format (e.g., XML) to provide for future migrations. (1)
  3. The CMS must be standards compliant (e.g., XHTML). (1)
  4. The CMS must meet the university level web accessibility standards. (1)
  5. The CMS must ensure a clear separation of content from presentation and transformation coding. (1)
  6. The CMS should provide spell checking for content. (3)
  7. The CMS should allow a content manager to visualize a page in test mode before publication. (3)

Document Publications/Transformation

  1. The CMS must provide a means of tailoring output based upon user profiles including domain source of request (i.e., TUG library headers). (1)
  2. The CMS should provide a sitemap index capability. (2)
  3. The CMS should provide a complete site search capability (a single search that would include static as well as database content if both form part of the CMS). (2)
  4. The CMS should provide publishing flexibility to allow the delivery of content potentially in formats other than the web (e.g., print format, text only, etc.). (2)
  5. The CMS should provide content contact information on each page (spam email proof). (3)
  6. The CMS should provide a means to solicit and manage user feedback (surveys, polls, etc.). (3)

Workflow

  1. The CMS should provide workflow management for content approval processing. (2)

Other Features

  1. The CMS must be able to handle the Library’s current needs and be scalable to keep pace with the site's growth over the next five years. (1)
  2. The CMS must provide a link management function. (1)
  3. The CMS must provide a sandbox or trial environment for the prototyping of changes. (1)
  4. The CMS must provide web usage statistics. (1)
  5. The CMS must allow for the integration of static and database content. (1)
  6. The CMS must allow a flexibility of customization to meet the diverse needs of the Library's web site. (1)
  7. The CMS must provide a rollback and/or backup capability. (1)
  8. The CMS should provide an archiving capability. (3)
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CMS Evaluations:

Using the requirements above, a select number of commercial and open source content management systems were briefly evaluated. A short list[24] of systems were selected for evaluation. An evaluation was also performed of the Library’s existing tool set (ColdFusion, Apache, PostgreSQL, Dreamweaver) and its suitability for the building of a local customized content management system.

The purpose of these brief evaluations was to see what CMSs were out there, how close they come to meeting the Library’s requirements and at what cost. The fact that “Content Management” is an evolving technology became immediately obvious as a variety of terminology was encountered to describe similar functions. This made the evaluation process difficult. Besides available commercial and open source products, the possible use of the Library’s existing tool set (ColdFusion, Apache, PostgreSQL, Dreamweaver) to build a CMS was explored.

It soon became apparent that many of the existing content management systems, which could meet most of the Library’s requirement, were very expensive. Other systems within the Library’s budget were often simplistic like weblogs and not designed to operate a large and complex site like the Library’s. One other fact became obvious. Any content management system taken out of the box will require significant customization in order to brand it as the UW Library web site.

The use of the Library’s existing tool set to build a complete CMS, although possible, would require a significant investment of the Library’s limited programming resources. Another option is offered by commercial and open source content management systems built on a ColdFusion platform. While many of the functions required by the Library are available in these systems, the fact that they are built upon the same tool set used in the Library would allow easy customization and the potential preservation of some of the Library’s current programs. Most of these systems also appear to be within range of the Library’s budget.

A Zope based content management system called Plone was used to demonstrate to participants the capabilities of content management. Zope is an open source, object oriented web publishing environment which the Library has been using to delivery the TUG Electronic Journals services for over 2 years. Plone is built upon the Zope content management framework. As previously mentioned it has gained an international reputation. The Plone system has demonstrated that it can provide most, if not all, of the Library’s requirements.

The University has an informal, partnership arrangement with the Open Text Corporation. The Library has been using their Livelink software for web site indexing for a number of years. Near the completion of this project, Open Text announced an agreement with IXOS Software AG and Gauss Enterprises AG which essential adds the CMSs of these companies to those offered by Open Text. Very preliminary information indicates that these are sophisticated content management systems. The Open Text agreement might allow access by the University to this software free of charge. The systems of these companies are another option that could be explored by the Library.

There are many content management systems available in the marketplace varying in price and sophistication. Reducing these options to a manageable number, the committee identified ColdFusion based systems as a starting point. Plone, the Zope system, and the systems from Open Text are additional options.

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Conclusions:

The disciplined separation of content from presentation and publication of that content is known as content management. The primary purpose of this project was to determine whether a content management approach is feasible for the delivery of the Library’s web services and provide some initial direction. Specifically the group was assigned the tasks of analyzing current problems and workflows and determining the requirements of the Library’s web publishing program. With that information in hand the group was charged with exploring a content management approach to determine whether it could meet the Library’s needs and substantially improve the functions of the Library and its services to its clients. It was determined that content management can provide a solution to the problems currently facing the Library’s web publication program.

Planning, as it relates to the implementation of a content management system, is critical. The Library’s web site has grown in importance from the early years until it has become an essential method for the delivery of a wide variety of services. This has made the web site a service that impacts on almost all library staff members. The implementation of a content management system will impact upon all aspects of web publishing and, therefore, have an impact on most staff members. All staff must be brought on board for the successful implementation of a content management approach because it may affect their work. The implementation process must acknowledge the need to acquaint people with the workings and the purpose of content management. From the beginning, feedback should be built into the entire process so that the system is adapted to the organization rather than forcing the organization to adapt to the CMS.

The Library’s web site can be broken down into a number of sections with various groups assigned responsibility for the areas. These groups or content experts, once familiar with the nature of the content management approach, are the natural groups to determine the details regarding template designs and specific workflows within their areas. Engaging these content experts in the development and implementation process ensures that best client-centered approach will be front and center and that staff will be fully cognizant of the benefits of the content management approach.

The evaluation of the content management systems during the study was not exhaustive. Many systems offered basic services and did not meet the Library’s essential requirements. Some of the more sophisticated systems were very expensive. In all cases extensive customization effort is required to create a local brand. To build a fully functional system from scratch would require a significant investment of limited Library programming resources. The ideal would be a fully functional, affordable content management system or a system that would be easily customizable and extensible based upon existing Library technical expertise.

In summary, the group concluded that a content management approach could substantially improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of the Library’s web services. Because a content management approach is transforming, it was concluded that all Library staff must be aware of the concept and those involved in web site maintenance must be intimately involved in the design and implementation process. Finally, to make the evaluation of available content management systems manageable, it is recommended that the Library proceed with detailed evaluations of systems built upon the ColdFusion platform. If a suitable ColdFusion based system is not identified, alternates including Plone and the products of Open Text should be evaluated.

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Recommendations:

  1. The Library proceed with the implementation of Content Management.

    After examining the current problems and processes for the delivery of web services and comparing these requirements to a number of CMSs, it became clear that a content management approach could significantly improve the efficiency, and effectiveness of the Library’s web services.

System Evaluation:

  1. A CMS Evaluation Team be established.

    An evaluation team composed of representatives of the Systems Department and web maintenance personnel is required to carry out the following recommendations.

  2. The Evaluation Team initiate a detailed evaluation of available ColdFusion-based content management systems.

    The Library’s current web development platform is ColdFusion. Extensive customization will be required for any CMS and by selecting one based upon existing Library expertise, customization efforts may be expedited. With a ColdFusion base any extension of capabilities may also be facilitated.

  3. A report with recommendations and cost estimates be prepared based upon the evaluations in recommendation.

    These costs should include software costs as well as resources costs required for customization.

  4. If a suitable ColdFusion based solution is not found, the Evaluation Team may recommend further examination of alternatives including Plone and the products offered by Open Text

    Should the available ColdFusion content management systems prove inadequate alternative systems must be sought.

  5. A group be established to concurrently, with the system evaluation effort, develop a preliminary plan with cost estimates for the migration of the Library’s web site to a content management system.

    A content management system will provide a long-term solution to the Library’s current web publishing problems but besides the software costs there will be personnel cost related to the migration.

CMS Implementation:

  1. Subject to the reports above and the Library’s decision to implement a content management system, the committee recommends that a CMS Implementation Team be established.

    Because content management impacts across the organization, clear direction is essential. A committee composed of representatives of the primary stakeholders should be established to see the process through to completion and be responsible for the implementations of the following recommendations.

  2. The Implementation Team develop a content management implementation plan for the University of Waterloo Library.

    Since a content management approach impacts across the Library’s organization, a group like the Implementation Team with representation from the major stakeholders should be responsible for implementation.

  3. The implementation plan include an education program to inform Library staff of the nature and potential benefits of the content management approach

    Getting everyone on board is essential for successful implementation. Besides general sessions on content management for library staff, specific detailed sessions for the subgroups (see following recommendations) are needed to ensure that they have the understanding they need to help implement content management in their areas of responsibility.

  4. The Implementation Team establish subgroups of content experts currently responsible for selected areas of the web site and assign them the task of analyzing, organizing, and developing metadata requirements for the content within their areas of responsibility

    These subgroups will form the basic groups for the development of content management within the Library. They are the content experts and aware of workflow constraints and user requirements.

  5. That the Implementation Team also assign the subgroups, with the assistance of the required expertise (graphics designer, accessibility expert, etc.), the task of redesigning their pages within the context of content management and the University of Waterloo’s web site guidelines.

    These subgroups are composed of the content experts who, with the assistance of design expertise and in conformance with Library and University guidelines, can develop effective templates for their areas.

  6. The Implementation team using the information provided by the subgroups, evaluate, with a strong emphasis on user requirements, the overall site structure.

    The Library site has grown as need has arisen and without any overall structural design. With a clear picture of the entire site, it will be possible to rationalize the overall site structure.

  7. The Implementation Team assign a technical subgroup with responsibility for developing a customization plan based upon the system selected in recommendation 3, Library requirements and the information gathered in recommendations 10, 11, and 12.

    Using the list of functional requirements and the specific requirements determined by the area subgroups, it will be necessary to determine what requirements can be reasonably achieved. Compromises may be required and all stakeholders should participate in determining the capabilities of the final system.

  8. The Implementation Team oversee the implementation of content management for the Library’s web site.

    It is estimated that once a decision is made on how to proceed that the entire project will take from between six to twelve months to accomplish.
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References:

[1] The Feasibility of a Content Management Approach for the Delivery of the University of Waterloo Library’s Public Web Site - http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/dlcc/charter.html

[2] CMF - Content Management Feasibility - http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/dlcc/cmf.html

[3] Slide Show - http://philip.greenspun.com/wp/display/2041/

[4] Other Institutions and CMS - http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/dlcc/cmf/elsewhere/index.html

[5] Movable Type CMS

[6] Site Problems - http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/dlcc/cmf/current_problems.html

[7] UW Electronic Library - http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/dlcc/cmf/current_problems.html

[8] Workflows - http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/dlcc/cmf/workflow.html

[9] Site Structure - http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/dlcc/cmf/structure.html

[10] Current Database Services - http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/dlcc/cmf/ColdFusionSystems.html

[11] CMS – UW Functional Requirements - http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/dlcc/cmf/libcmsreq.html

[12] Work Areas/Directories Responsibilities - http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/webmaint/groups.html

[13] Groups - http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/webmaint/groups_all.html

[14] ColdFusion Systems - http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/dlcc/cmf/ColdFusionSystems.html

[15] Electronic Journals - (System Update)

[16] CLOE (Cooperative Learning Object Exchange) (System Terminated)

[17] Electronic Theses - http://etheses.uwaterloo.ca/

[18] Journal Indexes - http://journal-indexes.uwaterloo.ca/

[19] OCUL Staff Search - http://ocul-staffsearch.uwaterloo.ca/

[20] Scholarly Societies Project - http://ssp-search.uwaterloo.ca/compound.cfm

[21] Electronic Reference - http://testtube.uwaterloo.ca/reference/

[22] Electronic Reserves - http://www.ereserves.uwaterloo.ca/ereservesSearch.cfm

[23] Structure and responsibility table - http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/dlcc/cmf/structure.html

[24] Short List of CMSs - http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/dlcc/cmf/short_list.html

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May 8, 2008