UCSD Libraries Portal Project: Building a Database-Driven

Web Content Management System

Sharecase, 3/28/2001Esmé Cowles and Laura Galvan-Estrada

Why we did this

Sites were difficult to use, no consistent navigation or graphic identity

Organized according to our physical and department structure

Rudimentary or non-existent search capabilities

Duplication of workBecause we had to

Site from user point of view

Consistent navigation and designHome page features core resources

Roger - local catalog Sage - our database-driven application CDL/Melvyl - UC-wide catalog/databases Library Services - hours, policies

Let's take a look!

Sage

Not an acronymMultiple ways to access

Browse subject hierarchy Full-text search Specialized pages

All built from database of author-chosen resources

Database

Sybase database Resources Subjects and subject hierarchy Types Custom fields

Roger Integration E-Journal records retrieved from proprietary

system in XML Converted to SQL and updated in database

Subject Browse

Java Servlets and server-side includesHierarchy of subjects and E-Journals

built from databaseCustom fields allow any combination of

resources to be displayed in a hierarchy

Search Engine

Highly customized Netscape CompassUnderstands Sage subjects and types

and links back to browse pagesDifferent categories of resources

Sage records (from Database) E-Journals (from Roger via Database) Library Services pages Other pages (Pointed to by Sage records)

Other Pages

Hours Pages Used XML since data is very hierarchical Distributed data entry

Static Pages Reverse proxy from other machine where

authors have accountsFormatting

Chopped into small HTML fragments Use rsync to keep intranet and public server

synchronized

Author tools

Managing resources Resource editor Author profiles Link checking Review date notification Link grabbing

Statistics Database and webserver

Dynamic page-building

Social aspects

Different libraries had very different practices

Looking like members of the same familyWebmaster meetingsPortal teams - no one can escapeSupport from the topSelling it to the organization

Design and Usability

Graphics Graphics by outside graphic designer Involved web content providers Different sites need to look "related"

Usability testing Learned from other UCs and useful books Paper/terminology Online prototypes Iterative testing

Future development

California Digital Library Search tool enhancement

CustomizationPersonalization

Infrastructure improvements

Scalability and fault-tolerance Linux Clusters Oracle

Questions?