[WEB4LIB] Re: PWB and javascript errors

[Karen G. Schneider]

:I do wonder how many people will be able to go with V 2 of PWB given
the
:proposed charges. I have no problem with a charge being levied for the
:development of something that clearly takes a lot of time to develop
but
:people in charge of purse strings may see IE6 for "free" and wonder
just
:why
:people wish to spend money on an alternative.

(Note: I assume we're comparing using "free" strategies such as Andrew's
tips for browser security versus purchasing a product such as Public Web
Browser.)

It may well be that in one library it makes the most sense to spend the
labor hours learning how to secure IE without using external tools.  But
in another, after comparing alternatives, outsourcing browser security
may make the most sense.  

As someone who has frequently been "purse strings" and "wrench turner,"
often simultaneously, I believe what is most important here is that
librarians communicate with the "purse strings" to explain their
position and get fiscal advocacy.  If time spent doing X is valuable,
that needs to be conveyed; if purchasing Y is a better path, that then
needs to be conveyed.  For that matter, building a technology budget and
strategy that whenever possible allow for flexibility during the
year--if X doesn't work out, we'll switch to Y--is a good idea.

However, calculating the cost benefits of any strategy is crucial as
well.  I read on the PWB page, "One of the options is to have a $100
yearly site license subscription, or $40 per seat, that would include
PWB, and all future updates, support, and add-ons, starting with PWB
v2.x." 

That translates to--at most--several personnel hours, at the loaded rate
(factoring in benefits, training, overhead, etc.).  On the face of it,
this is extremely inexpensive--trivially inexpensive.  No doubt there
are other issues to consider--how easy/hard it is to manage in a network
environment, whether it provides the results you want, the browsers you
are using, or whatever.  And of course, everything takes time--there are
no turnkey solutions.  Period.  Anywhere.  Nor does any solution produce
perfect results.  But on the simplest "purse string" analysis, PWB
sounds like a rock-bottom bargain.  (And no, Andrew didn't ask me to
make this pitch.)  Given the usual list of "get around tuits" that any
technology department has, the astute purse-string-manager might well
force a technology person to explain why an inexpensive software product
is not as good as hours spent on a homespun solution.  Again, you may
have your reasons, but $100 really can't be one of them.  (And savvy
purse string managers tend to think along the lines of, "if you were hit
by a truck or won the Lottery, how easy would it be to have someone step
in your shoes?")

Keep in mind that in evaluating technology costs, even as underpaid as
librarians usually are, there are few things more expensive than labor
hours.  Getting all stakeholders in a library to connect the dots on
this issue is an important technology advocacy role for librarians. (My
favorite example, seen more places than I care to think about:  a
library system office uses a computer to print a machine-generated
circulation report that goes on a truck to be handed to a person who
keys the data back into a spreadsheet... effectively using computers as
labor-generating devices.  And why won't the system office produce a
machine-readable version of the data? Why, because they don't have
"time!")

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Karen G. Schneider kgs at lii.org  http://lii.org 
Coordinator, Librarians' Index to the Internet
lii.org  New This Week:     http://lii.org/ntw 
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