For this assignment I contacted
Jarvis Sims, head of the Information Technology Department for the Hall County
Library System, on May 23, 2012. I
conducted a face-to-face interview at the library Headquarters in Mr. Sims
office.
1.
How and where did they hear about CMS?
Well, I heard about it a while ago,
going thru school and at my previous site of employment. When I started working here, the library was
not using CMS, so immediately I started working towards having a website easier
to manage.
2.
What were your motivations to adopt CMS for its current
use?
First of all, my main motivation for
adopting CMS was that there is no coding or HTML involved. I had to make it easy to use for other staff
that has not coding or HTML knowledge. Second,
the fact that it allows to add common functionalities like forms, wikis, blogs,
online stores, etc., in a short amount of time. Last but not least, it is free.
3.
What was your decision making criteria? And what is
the name of CMS they are using now?
We are currently using Joomla 1.7,
testing 2.5. During my decision making I
took into consideration how hard it will be to install and maintain; and how
often the software is updated. Another
thing I had to consider was how would the other staff helping maintain the site
would like it.
4.
What are the important benefits or advantages of
CMS they are using now over the old system or another CMS system they've used in
the past?
Prior to using Joomla we were using
straight up HTML coding to manage our site, so the advantages are many. The main one is that with Joomla there is no
coding or HTML involved in the process. Joomla does it for me, and I can concentrate
in how the site looks versus how it functions.
Features to the website can be added instantly as oppose to taking weeks
to do.
I also considered Drupal at the
time, but did not like the admistrator panel, seemed very convoluted, and I had
to keep in mind the non-IT staff that would have to use it.
5.
How was the learning curve?
Joomla was easy to understand and work with. I was able to teach it to other staff
members, who have none or minimal web design knowledge.
6.
How has using Joomla changed the library’s website?
It has given our patrons abilities they never had
before. Now our patrons are able to shop
online, chat with staff members and give feedback among others. The site is more user-friendly and appealing
to the eye.
Reflection: The fact that it takes more than one person
to manage a website to me it’s amazing, but after our last assignment, I
understand better. Even using a CMS like
Joomla, with all its advantages, it takes a lot of work to build, maintain and
keep a website current. Mr. Sims had to take a lot of different things into
consideration before choosing a CMS that would fit his library system’s needs,
considering both staff and patrons needs as well.
