Kyle M. L. Jones - Using WordPress as a Library Content Management System: A Library Technology Report

Library Technology Reports

Expert Guides to Library Systems and Services

Using WordPress as a Library Content Management System

Library Technology Reports

Expert Guides to Library Systems and Services

Using WordPress as a Library Content Management System

Kyle M. L. Jones and Polly-Alida Farrington

American Library Association

Library Technology Reports

ALA TechSource purchases fund advocacy, awareness, and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide.

Volume 47, Number 3

Using WordPress as a Library Content Management System

ISBNs: 978-0-8389-5831-5 (paper); 978-0-8389-9232-6 (PDF); 978-0-8389-9233-3 (ePub); 978-0-8389-9234-0 (Mobipocket); 978-0-8389-9235-7 (Kindle)

American Library Association

50 East Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611-2795 USA
alatechsource.org
800-545-2433, ext. 4299
312-944-6780
312-280-5275 (fax)

Advertising Representative

Brian Searles, Ad Sales Manager
ALA Publishing Dept.
312-280-5282
1-800-545-2433, ext. 5282

Editor

Dan Freeman
312-280-5413

Copy Editor

Judith Lauber

Editorial Assistant

Megan ONeill
800-545-2433, ext. 3244
312-280-5275 (fax)

Production and Design

Tim Clifford, Production Editor

Karen Sheets de Gracia, Manager of Design and Composition

Library Technology Reports (ISSN 0024-2586) is published eight times a year (January, March, April, June, July, September, October, and December) by American Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. It is managed by ALA TechSource, a unit of the publishing department of ALA. Periodical postage paid at Chicago, Illinois, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Library Technology Reports, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611.

Trademarked names appear in the text of this journal. Rather than identify or insert a trademark symbol at the appearance of each name, the authors and the American Library Association state that the names are used for editorial purposes exclusively, to the ultimate benefit of the owners of the trademarks. There is absolutely no intention of infringement on the rights of the trademark owners.

Copyright 2011 American Library Association

All Rights Reserved.

Subscriptions

alatechsource.org/subscribe

Kyle M. L. Jones is a PhD student at the University of WisconsinMadison in the School of Library and Information Studies, where his research interests are focused on e-learning informatics, traditional and untraditional online learning environments, and digital library technologies. He received his BA in English literature and secondary education from Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois, and his MLIS from Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. He enjoys downtime with his wife, Liz, and at the historic Road America racecourse in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. He can be contacted by e-mail at , and on Twitter @thecorkboard.

Polly-Alida Farrington is a former academic librarian with seventeen years experience in reference, government documents, ILL, and technology. Since 1996, as principal of PA Farrington Associates, shes provided technology-related training, web project development, and consulting services to libraries, library systems, and schools. She has a keen interest in how libraries and schools are using technology and adapting to change, and loves helping people explore emerging technologies and assess how technology can help deliver better services to customers. When not in front of a computer, she can be found in her garden trying to help things grow. She can be contacted by e-mail at , and on Twitter @pollyalida.

The authors begin their exploration of WordPress by spotlighting the concerns inherent in online content management as the Web has taken on highly complex and interactive characteristics. They advise that content management and strategy as they relate to web publishing is no longer optional for libraries.

The authors discuss the use of WordPress as a content management system in libraries, highlighting its unique technical characteristics, superb user experience qualities, and extensible features, as well as providing a fair discussion of the systems flaws.

A variety of guest authorslibrarians, archivists, and educatorscontribute case studies, responses, and best practices.

Also included:

a brief history of WordPress

an introduction to the different types of content management systems

a list of resources to guide an exploration of WordPress

simple-to-follow cookbooks for best practices and choosing excellent plugins

Contents

Part 1: WordPress for Blogs, CMSs, and So Much More

Part 2: Preparation, Installation, and Initial Settings

Notes

Part 1: Extensibility via Plugins

Part 2: Look and Feel with Themes

Notes

Part 1: A Better Workflow

Part 2: Safe, Sound, Tracked

Part 3: Flexible DesignWidgetize Everything

Part 4: Enhancing the User Experience

Part 5: Roll Your Own Social Network

Notes

Creating Dynamic Subject Guides

Laura Slavin and Joshua Dodson

First-Year Seminar Blogs

Jacob Hill and Peg Cook

BuddyPress and Higher Education: An Interview with Dr. Michael Stephens and Kenley Neufeld

Kyle Jones

From LibGuides to WordPress

Paul Boger

Creating a Digital Archives with WordPress

Kelli Bogan

Ten Ways WordPress Can Improve Website UX

Aaron Schmidt and Amanda Etches-Johnson

Using WordPress to Create a Virtual School Library

Anne Robinson

Kansas Libraries on the Web

Liz Rea

Kyles and Pollys Delicious Bookmarks

Bloggers

Books

Community Sites

Mailing Lists

Premium WordPress Resources

In the past years, libraries of all types and all sizes have been engaging in online content creation. And who better to partake of such an activity than the intellectual centers of communities, campuses, and organizations? With the breadth of material at hand and knowledge workerslibrarianswilling, theres a lot to share. Stable publishing platforms have emerged for diverse needs. We have Twitter and Facebook for social sharing of information; we have sites like Blogspot and WordPress.com for blogging; we turn to open source content management systems such as Drupal for our library websites. Our online publishing needs, and the tools used to fulfill those needs, are disparate.

In this issue of Library Technology Reports, authors Kyle M. L. Jones and Polly-Alida Farrington introduce us to another excellent addition to our technology toolbox that might just surprise you with its power and form: WordPress as a content management system. Bucking its blogging roots, WordPress stands as a relevant option for library content management needs due to new features and excellent usability.

Jones and Farrington introduce you to the history and progression of WordPress, get you going with the system, help you customize it to your needs, share the greatest plugins to extend its usability and functionality, and provide a resource list to assist you in your research. Guest pieces from all types of libraries and librarians also grace the pages as exemplary models and reflections on using WordPress as a content management system.