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UNT Libraries Web Content Development Policies and Guidelines
- Introduction
- Multimedia Development Lab Responsibilities
- Request/Remove/Change CMS Access
- Report Site Problems
- Special Content Handling
- Content Reuse
- Reference
Introduction
The web site of the UNT libraries is the interface as well as the repository for proving information about the libraries services and resources to the academic community. In the year 2007, the UNT Libraries implemented a content management system PLONE to support the transformation from a decentralized web management model to a centralized operation.
While the web site management responsibilities are centralized to Multimedia Development Lab, the site content development will remain under control by individual units. To maintain the identity, consistency, accuracy and usability of the library site, a collaborative effort through out the library is vital.
Multimedia Development Lab Responsibilities
- Maintain and manage the content management system
- Maintain the overall navigation of the UNT libraries’ site
- Review the information through out the site routinely
- Maintain effective communication with individual units via unit content liaison
- Ensure the site is compliance to UNT web publishing policies and standards.
With the help of the content management system, the following web publishing standards that required by the university are no longer needed to be maintained by the individual unit
- Accessibility
- Web Page Standards
- HTML Coding Requirements
- Sitemap
- Site Wide Search
- Links to the following UNT Policies
- Open Records
- Disclaimer
- AA/EOE/ADA
- Privacy Statement
- Web Accessibility Policy
- Emergency Preparedness Information
- Links to the following UNT information pages
- UNT Home
- UNT News
- UNT Events
- Search UNT
- Links to the State of Texas
Content Creator and Contributor Responsibilities
The content reviewers of each unit are responsible for the accuracy of their web section information. Their responsibilities include:
- Using Mozzila- FireFox as the designated web browser for CMS content editing
- Understand and adhere to university web publishing policies and guidelines
- Maintain effective communication with MMDL team via unit content liaison
- Be familiar with the content management system for content creation
- Be familiar with basic html coding for better practice
- Be familiar with Adobe Acrobat
- Be familiar with image editors such as Adobe Photoshop or Firework
- Ensure all files uploaded to the CMS are free of viruses.
- Respond to user inquiries
- Review and Spell-proof content before publishing
- Review unit level content routinely to ensure its timeliness and accuracy.
- Delete obsolete pages and files
- Fix Broken Links in timely manner
- Keep content updated , and modify content as needed
Request/Remove/Change CMS Access
Please submitting request via email to MMDL@library.unt.edu for adding, changing, or removing employee access to the CMS. Please do not send request to individual MMDL staff's email account.
Report Site Problems
Please use "report a problem" form, or send an email to MMDL at MMDL@library.unt.edu to report a problem of using the library website.
Special Content Handling
Large files consume bandwidth resource, and will take your end-user’ additional time to download. Therefore, monitoring and controlling the size of the files is an important part of the web content development policy.
Meta Tags
For automatically generating the university required Meta Data by the CMS, the following fields of all content types are required to be completed
Title:
The topic or subject of the content.
Description:
A short summary of the content. A short summary should not exceed 3 or 4 sentences.
Keyword:
The words specific to the page subject. When creating new keywords, please use lowercase for all words.
Creator:
Persons who current responsible for this content.
Please use Novell user name as the name of the Creator, e.g. KBoyett for Kristin Boyett
Image files
The use of images for all content type of the CMS should be content related, and should not be used for decoration only. Before you publish any images please to
- Ensure there is no copyright issues
-
Use the images that are appropriate to the content context
- Use high quality and high resolution images as your images source whenever it’s possible
- Rescale down the images to an appropriate size that will fit for screen monitor with various resolutions.
- Convert the images into one of the following allowable file type: jpg, gif or png
- Minimize the image file size to be less than 200 KB, the image file that are at risked to be removed.
- Minimize the number of images you display on any single page to minimize web traffic
- Provide short description (Alt Tag) for all images you display on any single page
The site administrator reserves the right to remove the images from the system if the images are not compliance to the proper use of the images. Please click here to see image policies for details.
PDF files
- A link (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html) to the Adobe Reader is required to be provided aside of the link to the PDF file for download.
- Do not use PDF simply for providing a printable document of an existing piece of web content.
- Optimize the PDF for web use and minimize the file size before upload them to the assets folder
Microsoft Office files
Please try not to upload any Microsoft Office files to the CMS. If the upload is inevitable, please be sure it’s virus free.
Tables
Table shall be used to mark up tabular data, the structural element such as heading shall be provided.
Mark for Deletion
Content Reviewers could mark their own content for deletion, and retract the content form mark for deletion before the end of each month. On the last Friday of each mouth, the MMDL will erase all content that are marked for deletion. Those erased content will no longer be available in the CMS.
Hours
Prior to publish the hours page at your unit level site, each unit shall continue the current hours review process that has established between your unit and Lon Ann Bradley. Once the hours page has been published, the state of this page shall be changed from published to submit for promotion.
The MMDL will be responsible for promoting the unit hours to the library site wide hours’ page. The MMDL reserves the right to un-publish any unit’s hours if the hours reviewing process with Lou Ann is not completed.
Location
- Please DO NOT includes links to, or local copies of UNT hosted maps. These are provided for you as links in the template, itself.
- Please Don Not including Mailing Address, the regular mailing address of the UNT libraries is provided for you in the template.
- Please coordinate with Lon Ann Bradley on floor plan maps updates. All updated floor maps of different libraries shall live in the General Resources folder.
News and Events
Please only create and publish the news or events that are for the public. Please do not use the News and Events for internal use, such as the news for unit staff or library staff.
Once the news or event has been published, your unit level news and events will be included into the library site wide News and Events Listing.
News and Events Home Page Promotion
If the unit would like to ask for the consideration of including a news or event to the library home page highlight area, please do the following:
- change that item’s state from published to submit for promotion when it closes to the time for promoting this item to the home page.
- complete the effective date and expiration date under properties
The MMDL will be responsible for promoting the news and events to the library home page when space is available.
Home page News and Events Highlights Display Criteria
First Priority:
Administrative events, announcement and news to the public. The starting date, duration and ending date for displaying this category’ news and events will be determined by the administrative office.
Second Priority:
Unit’s upcoming events that are catering to the UNT community. The starting date, duration and ending date for displaying these events may vary based on the quantity of the events are in the queue for promotion., and the actually events date. There is no absolute guarantee that all events in this category will be displayed. In general, an immediate future event will be on top of the priority for displaying, and no event in this category will be displayed for more than a week.
Third Priority:
Unit’s important news about new high-profile acquisition, new exhibit, new collection and new service, etc. The starting date, duration and ending date for displaying this category of news may vary based on the quantity of the news and events are from the First and Second Priority Categories. There is no absolute guarantee that all news in this category will be displayed. In General, no news in this category will be displayed for more than a week.
When all the above priorities do not occur, the news and events for the home page will be selected from the top of the news and events queue for promotion.
Front Page Photos
All units are welcome to submit high quality photos about UNT libraries to the Photo pool for library home page photos display and rotation. The high quality photos shall be submitted via email MMDL@library.unt.edu or CD to MMDL.
Content Reuse
The definition of the content reuse is that when a single piece of content is written once, it can be used in multiple locations or contexts. Similarly, one change made to the source of the content will reflect through out the site.
Benefit of Content Reuse
- Improves site wide consistency and accuracy
- Increase site development efficiency
- Simplifies content update from multiple locations to one
Good Practice
- Review the content you about to create to identify the possibility and practicability for content reuse.
- Browse or Search the site to see if somebody has already created a piece of content that you are intended to create. If so, instead of copy and paste the existing content to your page, you could easily use link or alias functions to utilize this existing content.
- If the content you about to create has the potential to be reused within your department or beyond, create it as a separate object instead of as part of the page content. This will make it easy to let others to reuse your content.
Reusable resources within the CMS
General Resources
Images and Maps
Tutorials for Electronic Resources
Way to reuse resources
Alias, Internal Link and Related Item.
Reference
- UNT Web Publishing Policy, UNT Policy 3.9 - Web Publishing