Post on 21-Oct-2014
description
Intranet 2.0 School: How to Build the Essential Staff Intranet for
Your Library
Chris Evjy and Nina McHaleColorado Association of Libraries Annual
Conference October 8 2010
Introduction
The Problem with Email
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/email
Why do “traditional” intranets fail?
• They’re not easy/intuitive to use• They’re not integrated well into daily
workflows of all staff• They don’t contain useful/relevant/timely
information• They are not collaborative spaces– Communication is unidirectional– Editorial bottlenecks stifle open communication
Intranets 2.0?
• Web 2.0 tools have the potential to help overcome these hurdles
• Platforms are simpler to use (i.e., blogs, wikis) for people without web development skills
• Environments can be more open and collaborative, especially if history of content is kept
• However, 2.0 tools do not guarantee success
Evjy/McHale Intranet Continuum
Environmental Scan
Gathering Input: User Survey
• What do you like about our current intranet?– Or: if we had one, what would you like to have?
• What do you go there to find?– Or: what would you want to find on an intranet?
• What would you like to be able to do?• Present them with potential features/content• Design aesthetic: Google or NYTimes.com• Make survey results public, but anonymous
Auraria Survey Example, 1 of 2
• Questions 1 and 2 asked respondents to view two academic library intranets and rate:– Content– Presentation– Organization– Usability
• What do you currently go to the intranet to find?– Examples: blank forms, newsletter, statistics, reports,
minutes, policies, department information
Auraria Survey Example, 2 of 2
• If provided, which of the following would you use?– Internal news, warnings/alerts, draft material for
cttees, conference reports, presentations, calendar, room scheduler, budget, other
• What other information would you like to find or what task would you like to perform?
• What do you like/dislike about current procedures for posting to the intranet?
• Any other feedback?
Other Information Gathering Methods
• Observe your colleagues at work (with permission)– What tools to they use?– What types of documents/data do they produce?– Where do they store these documents/data?
• Visit department/team/committee meetings– Discuss work that members perform as a team– Are there opportunities for tech-enabled
communication and collaboration?
Project planning
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jazzmasterson/2738790/
Framing the Project
• Who will do the work?• What software/platform will be used?• What types of content will we include?• Where will this new creation live?• When? What is our timeline?• How do we pay for it?
Who Will Do the Work?
• Do you have web skills in-house?– Does that person/those people have time to take
on a very large project?– Can you budget the human resources?– Team approach recommended
• Should you hire a developer?– Can you budget the $?– How will maintenance be handled post-launch?– Who will work with the developer?
Where Will This New Creation Live?
• Where is your web server currently?• Do you have a high enough level of access to
create a new site, or will you have to negotiate with your IT support?
• If you don’t have an appropriate environment, investigate options such as:– Purchasing commercial web space– Using a free hosted service, i.e., PBWorks– Consider how to secure sensitive information
What Software/Platform Will Be Used?
• Blogs– Blogger– WordPress
• Wikis– PBWorks– MediaWiki
• Content Management Systems– Microsoft SharePoint– Drupal– An intranet is a great way to introduce a CMS into your
organization because it is low risk
What content areas to include?
• People• Documents/Documentation• Communication venues• Professional resources
People
• Personal profiles– Professional details– Personal details (fun & optional)
• Photos arranged in galleries• Birthdays! Yes!• Contact lists
Documents/Documentation
• Minutes, policies, forms?• Conference reports? Presentations given to the
library? Professional resources?• Department, committee, group info?• Procedures, documentation?• Online workflow?– Examples: purchase and travel request forms, tech
services workflow• Communication?
Pic Break
http://www.igougo.com/photos/journal/132x132/Carmax_LA%20-%2042.jpg
Communication Venues
• Admin/Management Staff– Blogs
• Staff Admin/Management– Forums
• Staff Staff– Blogs– Forums– Comments
• Between members of work groups
Professional Resources
• RSS feeds from publications– LISNews– LibraryJournal feeds, etc.
• RSS feed from LEO (Library Education Opportunities)
• Conference calendar• Internal job openings• Local resources specific to your library
Sample project goals, BPL
• Facilitate communication between staff members, departments & branches and contribute to the sense of a BPL Community.
• Effectively support the work of BPL Public Services staff.
• Provide BPL staff with a reliable source of information concerning logistical aspects of working for the Boulder Public Library.
• Introduce BPL staff to the concepts and practices involved in web content management.
Auraria Project Planning
• In 2006, Intranet Redesign Task Group was formed
• Survey conducted revealed great dissatisfaction with legacy SharePoint intranet
• Aging server threatened stability of intranet• Decision was made for static web site to moved
content to stable environment ASAP• Work turned over to Web Librarian for
implementation
Implementation
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottrettberg/1596702/
Migrating Content
• What can be moved as-is?– very little…
• What needs revision?– and by whom?– what is critical prior to launch?
• What can be left off the new intranet?– can it be forgotten forever?– should it be archived?
Usability Observations
• “As easy as a light switch.”• Looking over users’ shoulders• Task focused• Streamline user experience– What are people getting hung up on?– What could make tasks more efficient?– Are your design decisions in line with the reality of
use?
Drupal (Boulder) vs. MediaWiki (Auraria)
• Open Source/Free• Fully customizable• Steep backend learning curve• More user-friendly to end
users• Overall, more feature
flexibility• More theme (look and feel)
options for Drupal• Permissions can be defined
more granularly
• Open Source/Free• Much quicker to
install/configure/launch• Automatically has
document history/revisions, discussion pages
• Backend learning curve easier
• Does not handle document files well
• Doesn’t manage workflow
Our fav
=
Drupal issooooooperfect forIntranets
Blogs, Wikis, Commentsand Web 2.0 goodness
Forums & Notifications
Content Profile & Views
LDAP Integration
Finder & Birthdays
Node Reference & Taxonomy
Work in progress…
Aggregator & Feeds
RSS
Organic Groups &Organic Groups Taxonomy
Work in progress…
FAQ & Taxonomy
Roll-out
http://www.flickr.com/photos/axlefoley/4001306346/
Roll-out
• Launch Beta site• Training– Group training (workshops)– Training tree– Screencasts (point-of-need help)– Help documentation
• Resources• Marketing– Task focused weekly campaign approach
Auraria Roll-out Examples
• Adoption by Shared Leadership Team• Minutes procedures (documentation page)• Group training– Covered the basics of wikitext (links, lists)– Individual wiki page as sandboxes
Minutes Best Practices
Assessment
http://www.flickr.com/photos/traductioninfidele/50939641/
Assessment
• User Satisfaction– Usability isn’t just for the library’s home page– Re-administer survey– Individual features and content areas
• Metrics/quantitative evidence– Survey results• Compare to “environmental scan” results
– Web statistics
Boulder Examples
•Not there yet.
Auraria Assessment 2010
• Email poll: what should be on the intranet’s home page?
• Survey responses to four questions:– How often do you refer to the intranet– How often do you add, edit, or change content?– What do you like best?– What could be improved?
• Wiki statistics
Email Poll
Survey Responses, 1 of 2
Survey Responses, 2 of 2
Survey Results: What’s Good
• Uses network login• Easy to create, edit, and store content• Freedom and flexibility to add content• Good for documentation• Good for collaboration• Gets information out of our email, off of our
hard drives, and into a centralized location
Survey Results: What Could be Better
• Login clunky (even though it’s network)• Formatting wiki pages• Navigation• Search feature and results• Linking to non-wiki documents (i.e., shared
drive)• Easy to lose content (no auto save)• Integration with Excel and PowerPoint
Auraria Wiki Stats
Intranets Issue of Journal of Web Librarianship
Questions? Comments?
Chris EvjyBoulder Public Library
MSLIS candidate, Syracuse University
evjyc@boulderlibrary.org@endupok
Nina McHaleAuraria Library
nina.mchale@ucdenver.edu@ninermac
milehighbrarian.net
slideshare.net/endupokslideshare.net/ninermac