ICT role in 21st century education and its challenges
Wapl2013
1. EASY WEB SITES TO
SOLVE BIG PROBLEMS
How two Wisconsin libraries used WordPress
to fix web issues.
Mark Beatty
mbeatty@wils.wisc.edu
May 2, 2013
WAPL 2013
2. Who we are …
• Mark Beatty
• WiLS
• WordPress “facilitator”
• Carol Wunsch
• Assistant Director, Cedarburg Public Library
• Pam Belden
• Director, Waterford Public Library
• Tricia Cox
• Children's Services Librarian, Waterford Public Library
WAPL 2013
3. What were the problems?
• Web sites for smaller libraries, that they control
• New site in 30 days, and no clue where to start
• Reaching and communicating with new and different
audiences
• Befores and Afters
• http://bit.ly/12QuYvi
WAPL 2013
4. Sample Sites
• South Wood County Historical Museum
• http://www.swch-museum.com
• Arlington VA
• http://library.arlingtonva.us/
• Topeka & Shawnee County PL
• http://tscpl.org
• Demo Library
• http://www.wilsorama.org/demolibrary/
• http://www.wilsorama.org/branchlibrary/
• Waterford Library *
• http://www.waterford.lib.wi.us/
• Cedarburg Library
• http://www.cedarburglibrary.org/
• SWLS
• http://swls.wordpress.com/
• * transitioned in 30 days
WAPL 2013
5. Why WordPress
• Easy to use and update
• Dynamic
• Looks terrific
• Interoperability
• Spend your time communicating with your patrons
• Not writing code
• http://wordpress.org/
• http://wordpress.com/
WAPL 2013
6. Resources
• Using WordPress as a Library Content Management
System
• ALA Techsource, 2011
• http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/733057112
• Use WordPress to Build Library Web Sites
• ALA Online course, $250
• http://www.ala.org/onlinelearning/use-wordpress-build-library-
websites
• Search WordPress and Libraries
WAPL 2013
7. Hosting
• Your own solution, get installer from WordPress.org
• Local Government
• Campus
• Who’s doing it now
• WiscNet
• https://www.wiscnet.net
• Commerical options
• Bluehost
• http://www.bluehost.com/
• DreamHost
• http://dreamhost.com/
• 1and1
• http://www.1and1.com/
• LISHost
• http://lishost.org
• WordPress.com
• http://wordpress.com/
WAPL 2013
8. What you can do
• Themes
• Responsive new solution to multiple screen sizes
• http://dbooks.wplc.info
• Static v. Dynamic content
• Pages and posts
• Widgets
• Interoperability
• Connecting with web services
• Google, Library Reads, RSS
• Plug ins
• Social media connections
• Increased functionality for images
WAPL 2013
10. Go do it!
• Start up can be fast
• Content population can be easy
• Adding and deleting resources is easy
• Changing entire look is easy
• It’s dynamic so…
• Don’t worry about perfect, especially day one
• Concentrate on making it better and better and more
useful every day
• Your website can be a conversation between you and
your patrons
WAPL 2013
11. EASY WEB SITES TO
SOLVE BIG PROBLEMS
How two Wisconsin libraries used WordPress
to fix web issues.
Mark Beatty
mbeatty@wils.wisc.edu
May 2, 2013
WAPL 2013
