Content Strategy, Workflow, and Governance

MOAR LITA STUFFS!

• Top Technology Trends– Sunday, 10:30-11:30, 201C

• LITA 201– Sunday, 4:30-5:30, Convention Center 120 C

• LITA Happy Hour– Sunday, 6:00-8:00, Bar-ly, Chinatown, 101 N. 11th Street

• Town Meeting– Monday, 8:30-10:00, Convention Center 120 C

LITA Forum 2014

Transformation: From Node to NetworkAlbuquerque, NM

November 5-8

Program Proposals due February 24th

Registration opening Junelita.org

Seminal Works for Content Strategy

Kristina Halvorson Erin Kissane

Content strategy is…

“Content strategy plans for the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content.”

-Kristina Halvorsonhttp://www.alistapart.com/articles/

thedisciplineofcontentstrategy

Content strategy is…

• A growing discipline unto itself;• How (and sometimes when) you say what you

say;• A mix of branding and editing;• A way to ensure a consistent experience for all

of your users.

Content strategy is NOT your CMS

“Hoping that a content management system will replace…human care and attention [to web content] is about as effective as pointing a barn full of unmanned agricultural machinery at a field, going on vacation, and hoping it all works out.”-Erin Kissane, The Elements of Content Strategy

Wherefore Content Strategy in Libraries?

• Reference/public services have the reference interview;

• Tech Services have the AACR2, MARC record;

• IT staff (network/desktop) have recognized industry standards.

Web staff have content strategy.

This is our area of expertise;

These are newly emerging librarian skills;

Embracing content strategy creates a clear channel in which we can operate.

Roles in Kissane’s Content Strategy Model

• Editors– Know how/trained to write for the web– Understand the audience

• Curators– Develop ideas for new tools and types of content

• Marketers– Communicate with customers– Usability testing, outreach

• Information Pros– Create information architecture– Develop workflow for all

Activity: Content Creators

Who are your editors, curators, marketers, and info pros?

If every answer is “me,” take a REALLY hard look at your duties, your time, and your job description.

Defining Content• Primary audience:

• WHO is this content for?

• Scope:• WHAT information and elements comprise it?

• Interactivity outcome:• What do we want to happen when the primary audience

interacts with it?

• Update frequency:• How often does this need freshened up to prevent it from

being stale? WHEN (and WHERE?) is it relevant in users’ lives?

Examples: Jefferson County Libraries

• Feature Carousel• Pressroom Page• Database Lists

Feature Carousel, 1/2Primary audience: PatronsScope: • qualitative selection & timely promotion of

services• qualitative selection & timely promotion of

events, programs and classes• qualitative selection & timely promotion of

campaigns• no more than 5 items at a time• primarily graphical presentation w/ text only

serving as a title to elicit a click through

Feature Carousel, 2/2

Interactivity outcome: – Provide a hook into an experience of the library

(digital or physical)– Circulating traffic within the website

Frequency:- multiple times per week

Press Room Page, 1/1Primary Audience• Media & community contacts

Scope• press releases• “In the news” items• awards & recognitions• Reporter Resources

o Fact Sheetso Strategic Plan & Budgeto Annual Reportso Request an Interview

Press Room, 2/2Interactivity Outcome:• Accurate and timely information about the libraries is

reported

Update Frequency:• Awards & recognition items updated as needed• Reporter Resources reviewed/updated 1x per year

Database Lists, 1/2Primary audience• Power users• Staff

Scope• Comprehensive list of subscription databases listed

alphabetically by name and grouped by subject.• Intended for staff assisting patrons or patrons doing more

extensive research with the databases.• Connects patrons with resources for topics not covered by

subject guides.

Database Lists 2/2Interactivity Outcome

• Staff will have quick access to a complete list of JCPL’s databases.• Patrons researching topics not covered by the subject guides will still

have a path to reliable content.

Update frequency:Monthly (related to purchase acquisition activities)

Workflow Matrices

• Once you have all of the content pieces defined, you can create workflow matrices

• Benefits:– Communicating content expectations for all (so they

know what/when to expect change)– Communicating obligation to responsible parties and

their management– Making these discussions with stakeholders iterative

ensures that it accurately reflects everyone's understanding.

What to Include in a Matrix

• Name of the content type• Responsible party/ies• Frequency of updates• Staff time required

Content Type Responsibility Frequency Time

Blog posts - Crazy Readerz

TART daily .5 hr

Reviews by Teens (patron)

TART weekly - 2x .5 hrs

Page - Homework help (Teens)

TART quarterly 2 hrs

List - Teens TART yearly 16 hrs (2 hrs X 8 people)

Teens section workflow

Content Type Responsibility Frequency TimeDatabase list Digital

Resources Librarian

quarterly 1 - 2 hrs

Seasonal guides Digital Resources Librarian

quarterly 1 - 2 hrs

Subject guides Digital Resources Librarian

quarterly 1 - 2 hrs

Research section workflow

Content Type Responsibility Frequency Time

Blog posts - Books & Beyond

Collections Committee

weekly - 3x .5 hr

List - Adults Adult collection development staff

monthly 3 hrs

Books, Movies & Music workflow

How much of this can we reasonably do?

If it’s too much, we should scale back our content.

If you can't support it, don't build it!

Hands-On: Content Definition and Workflow

• Pick a page on your site that has a lot of components that come from different sources, and:• define it: primary audience, scope, outcome,

frequency• make a workflow matrix for it: responsibility,

frequency, time needed

Governance“Web governance is the structure of people, positions, authorities, roles, responsibilities, relationships, and rules involved in managing an agency’s website(s). The governance structure defines who can make what decisions, who is accountable for which efforts, and how each of the players must work together to operate a website and a web management process effectively.”

• Federal Web Managers Governance and Operations Sub-Council

• http://www.howto.gov/web-content/governance/definition

Why Do We Need Content Governance?aka, “The Great LibGuides Fail of 2011”

• LibGuides was Auraria Library’s first CMS• Best practices for guide content were drafted,

posted, and reviewed on the intranet but never fully vetted/implemented

• The result:– No consistency in IA/navigation– No consistency in design/layout– No consistency in image use/quality/attribution– Frustrated web admins, frustrated librarians,

disinterested users

Who are the People, Positions, andRoles in Library Content Governance?

• Web librarians, designers, and developers• Marketing/communications/graphic design• Content creators (often in public services, but can

include any and all other areas of the library)• IT (in-library, external)• Admin

What are, or should be, the responsibilities of all of these entities for library web governance? What are the relationships among them?

Who are the Authorities in Library Content Governance?

• Web librarians, designers, and developers• Supervisors• Web oversight/advisory committees• IT department(s; library/external)• Administration• Boards (public libraries)• Parent institutions (city, college/university)

What Documents Constitute the Rules for Library Content Governance?

• Job descriptions, performance plans• Strategic plans• Best practices, guidelines, style guides• Process documentation• Training materials• Committee charges• Web server access agreements

Who makes which rules? Why?

So…Are We the Web Police?

• Sorta…but our goals are to:– Decentralize content production– Bring more people into the web site fold– Take advantage of, and promote, everyone’s expertise

and knowledge about library resources and services– Establish a unified voice/brand for our libraries– Create a web site that is consistent, current, adheres

to best practices, and is easy/pleasant to maintain and use

Recovering from The Great LibGuides Fail of 2011:The Auraria Content Governance Model

• Two new governance models:– New content creation model– New tool/service creation model

• People, positions, authorities, responsibilities and roles were sorted into appropriate planning, development, launch phases

• Models and processes were vetted and adopted by the Shared Leadership committee

Vet content with staff as appropriate

Content container created Assign responsibility for

content creation/maintenance

Mockup/sample content, developed based on best

web writing practices

Web staff checks code, tests

CXC vets content

Published to live

Proposal for new content, revisions to CXC for idea

approval

Content Creation/Revision

Make changes as necessary

Make changes as necessary

Planning

DevelopmentLaunch

Gather information from stakeholders

Content Model: Planning Phase

• Anyone can make suggestions for new content• Responsibility for creation/maintenance must be

assumed or assigned• Sample content must be provided before web staff

work begins• Web team makes recommendations for presentation

of the content

Content Model: Development Phase

• Content container created (Drupal content type) and designed by web staff

• Vet with staff as appropriate (depends on content)

• Web team revises as necessary based on feedback

• Communications Committee reviews/approves content

Content Model: Launch Phase

• Communications Committee vets content• Web staff checks/tests affected parts of the

web site• Changes made, as necessary• Content published to production environment• Content marketed as determined by the

Communications Committee

New Tool/Service Creation

Tool/content manager/group

manager assigned

Project specifications & plan developed by Online Interfaces Working Group

Prototype developed on dev server

Prototype presented to library staff

Training conducted, if necessary

New tool deployed to live server

Prototype moved to staging server

Prototype revised based upon staff input

Documentation created

Launch date/plan coordinated

Planning Phase Development Phase Launch Phase

Written proposal, with stakeholder input, for new tool to ADs for approval

Project manager assigned

New Tool/Service Model: Planning Phase

• Requires a written proposal from initiator• Approval (including prioritization, more

to follow) by assistant directors• Project plan and specifications developed

by tech experts in Online Interfaces Working Group

• Project/content manager(s) assigned

New Tool/Service Model: Development Phase

• Web staff develop iterative prototypes in dev environment

• Complete prototype placed in context of entire site on staging environment

• Feedback from staff solicited, evaluated, incorporated

New Tool/Service Model:Launch Phase

• Web team writes documentation• Develop/conduct training• Launch planned/coordinated• (Left off: marketing!)• Deployment

Activity: Governance

Tips for Governance Modeling

• Be democratic• Be transparent• Be overly communicative• Be positive/use positive language• Give authority to others, with a clear understanding

of the related responsibilities• Ask for authority for yourself and articulate why you

need it

Hands-On Governance• Draft the following lists:– The existing web content people, positions, roles,

relationships, and responsibilities – The existing authorities over the library’s web site– The existing rules governing the library’s web site• Policies, best practices, job descriptions,

strategic plans• Do a quick assessment (what exists of) your current

governance model• Write/sketch some suggested improvements

Maintenance & Development Possible Topics?

• Web environment development• Migrating web sites• Advanced tools• …?

Questions? Comments?

Christine Coughlan

christine@atendesigngroup.com

@hoodedcloak74

Nina McHale

ninermac.net/contact

@ninermac