Computers in Libraries 2008: Drupal in Libraries

Computers in Libraries 2008: Drupal in Libraries

Ellyssa Kroski presented this session on how Drupal can be used in a library setting.  She is posting her presentation on SlideShare.

She talked about her first experience with Drupal with a class she was teaching.  Everyone had blogs and could tag or comment on any of the posts, bookmark sites using del.icio.us or furl or could favorite sites within the Drupal community, and share things with other classmates with an "email this" feature.  In addition everyone could upload videos and photos and could create personal profiles with avatars.  There was a class chat room.  Everyone had a wall where people could comment on each other's profiles.  And they could view the most recent and popular content (posts, comments, etc.) at any time.  All of the lectures and reading lists were made available.  They could see who was online at any time.

Drupal runs on a combination of Apache, MySQL, and PHP and can be used on a Windows, Linux, or Mac operating system.  20,000 implementations of Drupal are currently active on the web.  The core program has a content management system that lets you create, organize, and manage web content.  Some things like blogs and user profiles come standard.  The modular functionality undergoes a lot of quality assurance.  There are many contributed modules, tools that you download and install for added functionality for Drupal.  There are currently 1900+ contributed modules.  The choosing of themes in Drupal is one of the things that requires you to get your hands dirty with the code.  To install a module you put it into one of your folders, choose user access privileges, and you're good to go. 

She recently attended Drupal Camp, a Drupal UnConference.  Many libraries are using Drupal today.  The most recognizable installation is the Ann Arbor District Library's website.  They have a custom module that integrated their OPAC into the website.  They've received 13,000 comments on their site, 12,000 are teens.  They have 50,000 unique registered users.  They saw a 40% increase in traffic with their new website. 

The Oregon Library Network is using Drupal for their staff intranet.  They use it to store and search their virtual reference transcripts and conduct systemwide reports across their 37 partner libraries (something that QuestionPoint couldn't offer them).  They are also using an automated keyword search to generate subject guides from the transcripts.  They are also using it for their public library website. 

The Franklin Park Library is also using Drupal for their public website.  It's a small library without IT staff.  They have news with RSS feeds, director and librarian blogs, and more. 

The next example was the St. Lawrence University Library, who uses Drupal for their intranet and to plan their library website redesign.  Students, faculty, and staff are contributing ideas on the Drupal site about features they want to see.  They are planning to offer user and staff generated content for their online subject guides. 

The University of Minnesota's Biomedical Library is using Drupal and all the libraries at the University will move into Drupal too. 

The University of Alaska is using Drupal in a multi-site installation.  Three sites share one code base and one database.  They are using it for their staff intranet, their library's public website, and a distance learner's version of the site.  Installing the MySite module lets users create an account and then rearrange content on their landing page. 

The Indiana University Purdue University Library is using Drupal for their public website.  They have integrated it with the ExLibris Metalib X-Server, which harvests database data and displays the list and links to all of their databases. They use it for librarians to create subject guides, and they plan to also use it to create an intranet. 

The Simon Fraser University Library is using Drupal for a workshop sign-up service. 

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Library is using Drupal for their public site.  They created a DVD browser that searches the library catlaog, pulls out film records, grabs cover art from IMDB, and outputs it on the library's website. 

The Hoover Public Library is using Drupal for their public website.  They apparently had some serious problems with spam, but they installed the captcha module which helped with that.  They offer RSS feeds for events.  They also use multiple themes to create microsites--Kids site looks one way, Teen site another, and Adult site the standard look.  The webmaster reported that Drupal allows him to focus on the content instead of troubleshooting back-end stuff. 

The University of Saskatchewan Library is using Drupal for their public website--new book listings, room bookings, a module for managing patron types so they can offer context-sensitive information on the homepage depending on the user's patron type, they have an eResources module which allows for database searching.  On the staff side, they have a staff directory with many search fields, use it for scheduling staff hours, and keep a theses database.

The Cleaveland Public Library used Drupal to build their library website.  Each subject area is set up as its own sub-site.  They offer blogging, events module, RSS feeds, and they are also using it for their consortium website, their intranet, and the Ohio Center for the Book website.

The Idaho Commission for Libraries is using Drupal for their library website and is designing a new website that contians more of Drupal's social features.  A really unique program that they're providing is that they provide the EBranch in a Box program which gives their member libraries a starter Drupal site with many things already installed.  Over 50 libraries have already taken advantage of this option.

She went through some other examples really quickly and then noted a few trends that she saw.  Drupal is being used in most libraries to empower staff to be able to contribute content to the website directly without the filter of a webmaster.  Drupal also offers the ability for users to interact with the sites.  It is also being used quite often to create staff intranets.

To get started with Drupal, here are some tips.  Take a look at the modules that are available, and check which versions of Drupal they are designed for. Talk to other libraries who are using Drupal.  Sign up with Something like Bryght so you can set up a test installation.

A few library-friendly modules to know about: The Bibliography Module lets you manage and display lists of scholarly resources.  The Marc Record Module.  The Book Review Module allows you to publish book reviews on the website with things like book covers and so on.  The Millennium Module searches the III catalog and creates a Drupal-based catalog.  The Z39.50 module searches any catalog and displays the results on a webpage

There is a Drupal in Libraries Group, a Drupal in Libraries Listserv, and a Drupal Library Community website.  There are Drupal support groups with over 3600 members, Drupal conferences, Drupal camps.  There will be a Library Technology Report focused on Drupal in libraries, and it's coming out next month.  Drupal Dojo and Lullabot Drupal Podcasts are great resources for finding information on how to use certain aspects of Drupal.

AWESOME PRESENTATION!!!

CIL2008