Reaction to CMS Interview

In our MLIS 7505 class this Maymester, we’ve been learning about Content Management Systems (CMS), such as Joomla and Wordpress. For this assignment, I interviewed Mark, the librarian in charge of managing the library’s website for my local library system. He was kind enough to conduct an email interview with me, and I was surprised by some of his answers to my CMS questions.

I was most surprised to learn what little experience he had with CMS prior to running the library’s site. According to Mark, he had never used a CMS before, even when working on his MLIS. I have to wonder if this sort of experience is common among those who now run their library’s website or do their social media. Is learning to use a system like Joomla or Wordpress a skill many tend to learn while on the job? Fortunately, these systems do not normally require the users to write their own code and can be somewhat easily taught to users with decent computer skills. While Mark has never used Joomla, which he says would probably be his second choice, he uses Wordpress to run the library’s website. When I asked him about the learning curve for Wordpress, he noted that it was fairly simple to learn to use. He is fairly comfortable around computers, as many MLIS graduates are, and he did get some pointers from the library’s IT personnel to start him off. He also pointed out that Google was very useful when he was stumped or had questions.

I was also very interested in how much time maintaining CMS takes on a regular basis. For Mark, updating the website is just one part of his job; he is also the branch manager, which means that his job has all the facets to it the other branch managers in the system have, plus the added duty of website maintenance. Therefore, before the interview, I thought the website must not take up too much time - maybe once a week or so. I was very wrong. According to Mark, the website needs almost daily updates. He says that the actual work of changing the content, like taking down posts or uploading new images, takes only seconds or minutes. The part of this process that is most time-consuming is creating various images, such as fliers, posters, and other images, in programs outside of Wordpress (like Publisher) and then having to save them as .jpg files to upload in Wordpress. Fortunately, the uploading of these images into the CMS is usually very quick. After using Joomla for this class, I can see how once the main format of a website is created, going back and making updates and content changes can be fairly simple. Still, I am surprised the site needs updating so often, but I think this constant need for updates shows the system has lots of activity, lots to offer its patrons, and a good online presence.

Mark has been managing our library’s website for several years now, and for my final question, I wanted to know if he has any advice to offer those of us who are just beginning with CMS. “Don’t be afraid to experiment,” he says. I couldn’t agree more. After all, isn’t that what making our own Joomla sites was all about - not only learning to use CMS, but learning how to customize it to fit our needs, both aesthetically and contextually? He even mentioned the plug-ins that are available for Wordpress, similar to the ones Joomla uses. His advice also makes a good point because during these years as MLIS students, this may be our only chance to really experiment with CMS before it becomes part of a resume or job description.

From my interview with Mark, I learned that those using CMS do not necessarily have a lot of experience and that keeping CMS updated, like that used to run a website, takes frequent, yet not usually time-consuming, work. While CMS does not require an IT degree, it does take being comfortable with computers, the patience to learn new systems, and the courage to experiment and try new things. And if you get stumped or have questions, there are probably plenty of other MLIS professionals who use the same CMS, who have probably been in the same boat, and who can offer their advice.

You can find the link to this Google Doc here