Talking to CTS has been one of the most valuable things in understanding how things are currently configured and where things will be going in the near future. In taking a look at the variety of different URL’s and locations for a variety of web related services the library uses, it gets a little confusing to keep things straight. It would actually make you quite confused and dizzy if you are responsible for maintaining these items.
In the previous post it was mentioned that the web servers in place at the university are running Apache. There is at least one caveat to this statement as far as the libraries are concerned. The libraries here at SUNY Potsdam are using Illiad for Inter Library Loan which runs on a Microsoft IIS web server.
Here is a listing of the current domains for websites the libraries is using:
- Library Website – http://wwwx.potsdam.edu/library/
- Library Wiki – http://pluto.potsdam.edu/libwiki/index.php/Main_Page Potsdam
- Library News (Blog) – http://blogs.potsdam.edu/library/
- Illiad – http://illiad.potsdam.edu/illiad/logon.html
- Early Periodicals Database – http://www.db.potsdam.edu:591/library-HistoricPers/persearch.htm
As you read through the domain names there is no consistency with the naming that has been selected because things were added at different times and locations based upon the colleges infrastructure. When taking a look at the URL for the current website and library news blog they look like completely separate entities; However, they are related to each other. Another thing to make note of is that almost all of these websites reside on different servers for a variety of different reasons. As stated earlier Illiad requires the use of a Microsoft web server and the way things have been configured have been based upon the colleges needs.
In talking with CTS some of the websites in place need to be moved from older servers to new ones as equipment gets replaced. With things getting moved around this is the time to start renaming and moving things around in a way that is coherent for people.
The most important change that will occur is that all of these domains will be renamed. The URL for the libraries website will become: http://www.libraries.potsdam.edu/. Along with having a new URL there will also be several name variations that will be put into place that would redirect a person to the main URL. The other name variations for the libraries website will become:
- http://www.library.potsdam.edu/
- http://www.lib.potsdam.edu/
- http://www.l.potsdam.edu/
By having these other name variations in place will help to eliminate confusion that may exist from people trying to access the libraries website. For example, if someone was to use the URL http://www.lib.potsdam.edu/ they would be automatically taken to http://www.libraries.potsdam.edu/.
Along with having a new URL for the libraries website the News Blog, Illiad, and the Early Periodicals Database will also be renamed. They will become:
- http://www.libraries.potsdam.edu/blog – WordPress Blog
- http://www.libraries.potsdam.edu/illiad – Inter Library Loan
- http://www.libraries.potsdam.edu/early_periodicals – Early Periodicals Database
This is just one of the early steps that need to take place before you can start designing and building a new website. Without having a solid infrastructure and consistent naming in place you will fail before you even begin to start the journey of creating something new.