[Web4lib] Electronic Library

[Thomas Dowling]

On 07/24/2009 11:39 AM, Suelzer, Elizabeth wrote:
> ...I
> think I'm going to focus on Greenstone for now since I can download this
> onto my computer and start working with it right away; I'm supposed to
> get a prototype going in the next few weeks. 


I don't think you can make "for now" decisions here.  Once you pick a platform,
sheer inertia is going to keep you on it for quite a while.  If you avoid a
well known, well respected platform used by many similar programs, just because
IT needed another week or two to install it, it's a decision you could be
kicking yourself about for years.

Let me strongly recommend that you *not* make this strategic decision based on
what you can prototype within such an unrealistic timeline.  In my experience,
getting a successful ETD program rolling requires a lot of time and effort
getting buy-in from faculty and students, and then lots of time establishing
workflow and policies.  In other words, months of meetings and one-on-one
discussions (even if you just have a couple hundred theses to put up).  Use
that time to establish your actual needs - now and in the foreseeable future -
and determine what platform best meets those needs.  If you need to show people
"Here's what it might look like," mock up some dummy HTML pages.


-- 
Thomas Dowling
tdowling at ohiolink.edu