Re: [CODE4LIB] New article on discovery tool evaluation

[TAYLOR Robin]

Hi Nara,

Sadly this is not available for free for me at least at this site, is it 
available elsewhere?

Thanks, Robin.

Robin Taylor
Main Library
University of Edinburgh

From: Code for Libraries  on behalf of Newcomer, Nara 
L. 
Sent: 11 February 2014 16:54
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: [CODE4LIB] New article on discovery tool evaluation

If you need to evaluate a discovery tool, allow me to recommend Rebecca 
Belford's just-published article "Evaluating Library Discovery Tools Through a 
Music Lens" Library Resources & Technical Service, V. 58, no. 1 (2014), p. 
49-72. Available here, http://alcts.metapress.com/content/h608575u926r6886/  
and soon in various aggregator databases.

Don't be put off by "music" in the title - the paper provides a practical 
method anyone can use to put a discovery tool through the paces. It is full of 
examples of what to test, specific searches to use, how to interpret the 
results, and why. Appendix A is a checklist of what to search and Appendix B 
systematically provides actual sample searches.

It is an excellent companion to the Music Discovery Requirements 
http://committees.musiclibraryassoc.org/ETSC/MDR  (Of which, full disclaimer, I 
was the lead author and Rebecca Belford was a co-author.) The Music Discovery 
Requirements outlines discovery needs for music materials. Rebecca's article 
details how to evaluate an existing discovery tool's performance.

The abstract:
"This paper outlines how to use specialized cataloging to evaluate discovery 
tools for library collections. An awareness of the capability offered by 
bibliographic records and data for specialized materials enables libraries to 
conduct their own evaluation of a discovery tool's functionality for complex 
materials. Bibliographic records for materials such as music are excellent for 
putting a discovery tool through rigorous testing. This paper may be used to 
facilitate evaluation of discovery tools by those without music cataloging 
expertise, and it provides a ready supply of examples to quickly identify 
complex search strategies."

-Nara

Nara Newcomer
Head of Music/Media Library | Adjunct Associate Professor, Conservatory of 
Music and Dance
University of Missouri-Kansas City | G03C Miller Nichols Library
800 E. 51st St. | Kansas City, MO 64110-2499
p: 816-235-1679 | f: 816-333-5584
https://www.facebook.com/groups/umkcmusicmedialibrary/

-- 
The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in
Scotland, with registration number SC005336.

[CODE4LIB] Job: System Administrator at Saskatchewan Information and Library Services Consortium (SILS)

[jobs]

System Administrator
Saskatchewan Information and Library Services Consortium (SILS)
Regina or Saskatoon, SK

**Saskatchewan Information and Library Services Consortium  
Integrated Library System Administrator**

  
**What is SILS?**  
The Saskatchewan Information and Library Services Consortium (SILS) is a
network of over 300 public libraries that work together to provide seamless
and consistent library services within the province of
Saskatchewan. SILS maintains the core library technology
infrastructure for its municipal library and regional library system
members. The role of SILS will be expanding in 2014 to
include the development of patron-facing web applications with a goal of
achieving a common user experience and dynamic integration of library
collections and patron account functionality. Now is the
time to join this forward-thinking organization and contribute to supporting
world-class library services in Saskatchewan!

  
**We are looking for** a service-oriented individual who enjoys working in a 
diverse and customer-focused environment. You are organized, technically sound 
and a credible system administrator. You have demonstrated an ability to work 
within a fast-paced and collaborative team environment, and you have excellent 
skills in building relationships, communicating effectively, and serving the 
needs of others. Most importantly, you are a responsive, hands-on problem 
solver and have a propensity to get things done!  
  
**What you'll be doing:**  
The Integrated Library System Administrator is responsible for the support and
administration of the Consortium's integrated library system (ILS) that
provides a variety of services including circulation, cataloguing,
acquisitions, serials, reports, external interface functions, and public
access. Work is performed with considerable independent judgment and
initiative.

  
**Key responsibilities include:**  
• Manage the integrated library system (ILS) functionality and system access.

• Determine best practices for ILS system upgrades and software
implementation.

• Develop and configure ILS features for effective system performance in a
consortial environment.

• Advise circulation and assessment managers in best practices of data
management and extraction relating to the Consortium-wide database.

• Configure and manage system data loads and third-party software connections.

• Work with stakeholders to improve services through systems refinement,
enhancement, and innovation.

• Train agency and SILS staff in the management of statistical reporting and
circulation functionality.

• Develop and create recurring and on-demand reports for SILS agencies.

• Collaborate with clients and colleagues to ensure timely completion of
tasks, assists others when needed, and request assistance if necessary.

• Monitor industry trends and best practices related to information access and
discovery and recommend improvements to existing tools and workflows as
appropriate.

• Act as a resource to the Consortium's committees and working groups when
requested.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

  
**Qualifications and Skills:**  
• An ALA-accredited MLIS degree.

• 3-5 years of relevant professional experience.

• Ability to work in a creative and highly productive
environment. Demonstrated ability to liaise effectively
with clients. Excellent oral and written communication
skills in English.

• Self-directed, flexible, and results-driven with a demonstrated ability to
initiate, collaborate, and deliver results.

• Demonstrated knowledge of SQL and relational database structure.

• Familiarity with MARC and non-MARC metadata schemas, standards, and best
practices.

  
**The following would be an asset:**  
• Additional degree or advanced diploma in computer science or equivalent
experience.

• Relevant and current Microsoft Certification(s) such as MCITP or MCSA (SQL
Server).

• Five years of public library experience.

• Experience working in a consortium.

  
**Position:** Full-Time. Travel may be required throughout the Province of 
Saskatchewan. A valid driver's license is required. This position is based in 
either the Regina or Saskatoon (your choice).  
  
**Salary Range:** Commensurate with education and experience. This is a 
full-time, permanent position offering a comprehensive benefit package and 
professional development opportunities.  
  
**To Apply:** Interested parties should submit a resume, including the names of 
three references, to Rob Zylstra, Executive Director, 2207 Smith Street, 
Regina, SK, S4P 2P5. 306-260-6459. rzyls...@sasklibraries.ca. The position will 
remain open until filled.  
  
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens
and permanent residents will be given priority.



Brought to you by code4lib jobs: http://jobs.code4lib.org/job/12404/

Re: [CODE4LIB] PHP HTTP Client preference

[Karen Coombs]

Hi everyone,

Wanted to let people here know that the OCLC WSKey or OCLC Auth
library in PHP which the community helped contribute feedback about is
now available via GitHub
(https://github.com/OCLC-Developer-Network/oclc-auth-php). You can
learn more about what it does via our announcement on the Developer
Network blog - http://t.co/vaNDsvw01w. Please send any questions or
comments via emails to devnet[at]oclc[dot]org

Karen

On Fri, Sep 13, 2013 at 10:54 AM, Karen Coombs  wrote:
> Thanks everyone for your helpful feedback on the PHP HTTP Client
> library. I ended up choosing Guzzle and am in the process of
> incorporating and testing it. If you're interested in my rationale and
> when the OCLC WSKey (Web Service key) code library will be available,
> check out my post on the development effort on the Developer Network
> website - http://oc.lc/RyoUKC
>
> Karen
>
> On Tue, Sep 3, 2013 at 6:01 PM, Walker, David  wrote:
>> We're also using Guzzle, and really like it.
>>
>> --Dave
>>
>> -
>> David Walker
>> Director, Systemwide Digital Library Services
>> California State University
>> 562-355-4845
>>
>>
>> -Original Message-
>> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of 
>> Karen Coombs
>> Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2013 3:52 PM
>> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
>> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] PHP HTTP Client preference
>>
>> Thanks so much for all the feedback guys. Keep it coming. I'll definitely 
>> check out Guzzle as an option.
>>
>> Karen
>>
>> On Tue, Sep 3, 2013 at 4:26 PM, Hagedon, Mike 
>>  wrote:
>>> Guzzle++
>>>
>>> -Original Message-
>>> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf
>>> Of Kevin S. Clarke
>>> Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2013 8:37 AM
>>> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
>>> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] PHP HTTP Client preference
>>>
>>> Another +1 for Guzzle
>>>
>>> Kevin
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, Sep 3, 2013 at 11:32 AM, Kevin Reiss  wrote:
>>>
 I can second Guzzle. We have been using it for our our in-house PHP
 applications that require HTTP interactions for about six months and
 it has worked out very well. Guzzle has also been incorporated as the
 new default HTTP client in the next version of Drupal.


 
  From: Ross Singer 
 To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
 Sent: Tuesday, September 3, 2013 10:59 AM
 Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] PHP HTTP Client preference


 Hey Karen,

 We use Guzzle: http://guzzlephp.org/

 It's nice, seems to work well for our needs, is available in
 packagist, and is the HTTP client library in the official AWS SDK
 libraries (which was a big endorsement, in our view).

 We're still in the process of moving all of our clients over to it
 (we built a homegrown HTTP client on top of CURL first), but have
 been really impressed with it so far.

 -Ross.

 On Sep 3, 2013, at 10:49 AM, "Coombs,Karen"  wrote:

 > One project I'm working on for OCLC right now is building a set of
 object-oriented client libraries in PHP that will assist developers
 with interacting with our web services. The first of these libraries
 we'd like to release provides classes for authentication and
 authorization to our web services. You can read more about
 Authentication/Authorization and our web services on the Developer
 Network site
 >
 > The purpose of this project is to make a simple and easy to use
 > object
 oriented library that supports our various authentication methods.
 >
 > This library need to make HTTP requests and I've looked at a number
 > of
 potential libraries and HTTP clients in PHP.
 >
 > Why am I not just considering using CURL natively?
 >
 > The standard CURL functions in PHP are not object-oriented. All of
 > our
 code libraries (both our authentication/authorization library and
 future libraries for interacting with the REST services themselves)
 need to perform a robust set of HTTP interactions. Using the standard
 CURL functions would very likely increase the size of the code
 libraries and the potential for errors and inconsistencies within the
 code base because of how much we use HTTP.
 >
 > Given this, I believe there are three possible options and would
 > like to
 get the community's feedback on which option you would prefer.
 >
 > Option 1. - Write my own HTTP Client on top of the standard PHP
 > CURL
 implementation. This means people using the code library can only
 download it and now worry about any dependencies. However, that means
 adding extra code to our library which, although essential, isn't at
 the core of what we're trying to support. My fear is that my client
 will never be as good as an existing client.
 >
 > Option 2. - Use HTTPful code lib

[CODE4LIB] Job: Technical Support Specialist at ProQuest

[jobs]

Technical Support Specialist  
ProQuest
Palo Alto

Are you an outstanding problem solver?

Do you enjoy working with customers and being seen as a source of product
expertise?

Can you take complex technical specifications and turn them into simple, easy-
to-understand explanations?

Are you familiar with the demands and challenges of today's libraries?

  
The Product and technical Support Specialist for ProQuest's ebrary e-book
platform use their extensive product expertise to help solve problems for
librarians, library users, library administrators, and internal sales reps and
are recognized as the source of technical product knowledge and solutions
related to ebrary.

  
Some of what you'll be doing:

• Provide Superior Service - Support librarians and patrons in getting the
most out of ebrary e-books, provide assistance as well as become an advisor to
differentiate our offerings

• Solve Authentication and Content Discovery Issues - Serve as the primary
technical resource for these services

• Author - Identify documentation gaps and enrich the self-help with thought
topics and articles

• Communicate Effectively - Provide technical support primarily via email, but
also by phone

• Stay Connected - Maintain alignment with ebrary sales reps, trainers, and
marketing team to provide consistent service

  
To apply follow link: http://ch.tbe.tale
o.net/CH17/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=PROQUEST&cws=1&rid=1216

  
What you'll have experience doing:

• Passion for customer service in a technical environment

• Excellent problem solving and technical skills

• Outstanding written communication skills

• Ability to quickly learn, master, and then describe new technology

• Ability to professionally interact with a diverse blend of personalities to
reach resolution and maintain strong relationships

And we would love it if you also have:

• 2+ years of technical customer support experience

• Experience with remote authentication methods such as: Shibboleth, Athens,
EZproxy, etc.

• Experience with Discovery tools such as: Worldcat,
Summon, etc.

• An MLIS degree or library experience

  
About ebrary

  
ebrary® is a leading provider of e-books and research technology to academic,
corporate, government, public, and high school libraries worldwide.

  
If this position isn't quite your fit, check out our other positions posted on
our "Career" page under About. ebrary a ProQuest® business,
is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA.

  
www.ebrary.com

  
ebrary is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits unlawful discrimination
of any kind.



Brought to you by code4lib jobs: http://jobs.code4lib.org/job/12405/

[CODE4LIB] Job: Web Application Programmer for Digital Publishing at University of Michigan

[jobs]

Web Application Programmer for Digital Publishing
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor

As publishers, we craft a message about our content, our
authors, and ourselves. As developers, we create the tools to deliver that
message online. The message and its delivery are intimately linked, and both
the technology choices we make and how well we implement them reflect on us as
publishers of content. Are you ready to join the team that makes this
innovation happen?

  
Michigan Publishing seeks an Application Programmer to design and develop a
variety of software systems to transform the practices of scholarly
publishing. As a member of the Publishing Technology team, you'll create new
applications for web delivery of content and office productivity tools to
enhance production workflow, maintain and improve existing systems, and take
part in experiments with new, better, more open models for scholarly
publishing.

  
This is a full-time, TWO YEAR, TERM-LIMITED position with the possibility for
renewal.

  
Responsibilities*

Michigan Publishing is the primary academic publishing enterprise of the
University of Michigan and part of its dynamic and innovative university
library. Publishing Technology is responsible for the design, development, and
maintenance of digital delivery systems and management tools which place
Michigan Publishing on the cutting edge of today's scholarly communication
landscape. See the scope and variety of our work at publishing.umich.edu. Some
highlights:

- University of Michigan Press (press.umich.edu)  
- mPach (hathitrust.org/mpach)  
- Digital Culture Books (digitalculture.org)  
- The Pancreapedia (pancreapedia.org)  
- The Journal of Electronic Publishing (journalofelectronicpublishing.org)  
  
Duties:

- Develop new tools for the creators, producers, and readers of our scholarly 
content in a test-driven Ruby-JRuby environment  
- Redesign, refactor, and document existing systems for improved maintenance  
- Problem analysis: we don't just fulfill requests, we work with stakeholders 
to improve them  
  
Required Qualifications*

- Bachelors degree and 3 or more years experience in designing, developing, 
coding and maintaining data-driven applications or equivalent amount of related 
education and experience  
- Ability to work independently in a flexible development environment and 
contribute your ideas back to the team  
- Demonstrated understanding of current web standards as recommended by W3C 
including accessibility standards and cross browser issues;  
- Experience using Linux, MVC frameworks, Object Oriented Programming, version 
control workflows, test-driven development, and XML;  
- Demonstrated ability to design effective UI/UX using HTML5 and CSS3.  
- Commitment to writing clean, documented code  
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills  
- Ability to work well in a multicultural and collaborative environment  
  
Desired Qualifications*

- Experience with Ruby on Rails, JRuby, Git, MySQL, JQuery, XSLT, Perl, PHP, 
RESTful APIs.  
- Experience working in the publishing, library, or other information 
industries.  
- Experience as a project manager  
- Intellectual curiosity and desire to discuss why we develop what we develop.  
  
Additional Information

Excellent benefits, including 24 vacation days per year, partial tuition
reimbursement, travel support for up to two (2) conferences per year, and 2:1
retirement fund contributions.

  
Questions about this job description may be emailed to Jeremy Morse, Director
of Publishing Technology at jgmo...@umich.edu.

  
Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. This job may be
removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting
period has ended.

  
U-M EEO/AA Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action
employer.



Brought to you by code4lib jobs: http://jobs.code4lib.org/job/12407/

[CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Coral Sheldon-Hess]

Hi, everyone!

I've gotten clearance to totally rewrite my library's website in the
framework/CMS of my choice (pretty much :)). As I have said on numerous
occasions, "If I can get paid to write Python, I want to do that!" So,
after some discussion with my department head/sysadmin, we're leaning
toward Django.

Here's a broad question, re: Python and Django: If you've made the switch,
what has your experience been? Has Django (or any other Python framework)
given you something cool that was lacking in your previous
language/framework/CMS? Has it helped you build something awesome? Have you
found it enabling or limiting in any way? If you were going to sell people
on (or against) using it, what would your arguments be? I'm a relative
newbie to Python, and a total newbie to Django, so even if there was a
tutorial you found useful, or some caveat you learned along the way, I'm
interested. :)

And then a more specific question: Given the following requirements, do you
have a Django-based CMS you'd recommend? (Of course, I'll also do my own
research, but I'd love to see what other libraries' experiences have been
and what's popular, right now.)
 * There's a chance we'll want to offer other editors access to it, at some
point, so it would be nice if I can provide a WYSIWYG interface, which I
also am going to want the option to *turn off*, for my own sanity.
* We're a Springshare-heavy library with Summon and big secret API-based
plans, so easy JavaScript (preferably jQuery) integration is a must.
* It should play nicely with MySQL.
* Because I probably won't be here forever, it's of the utmost importance
that whatever we end up with is easy to maintain.
* I'm used to MODx's page-ID model, where I can move pages around, and as
long as I don't delete/recreate a page (thereby changing its ID), I don't
have to change any links anywhere else in the CMS. I'd really like
something that will work equally well, since the odds that I'll nail the
information architecture on the first try are probably slim. :) (Maybe this
one should go without saying, since I know WordPress and many other CMSs do
this, but if you have to err, err on the side of being explicit, right?)
* A nice forms-builder plugin (module?) would be a great thing to have, as
well. We use FormIt in MODx, and now I'm spoiled.

And, I mean, if there's a CMS on top of another Python framework you think
I should be considering, feel free to throw that out as a possibility, too!

Thank you!

-- 
Coral Sheldon-Hess
http://sheldon-hess.org/coral
@web_kunoichi

Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Francis Kayiwa]

-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-
Hash: SHA1

On 02/13/2014 07:13 PM, Coral Sheldon-Hess wrote:
> Hi, everyone!
> 
> I've gotten clearance to totally rewrite my library's website in
> the framework/CMS of my choice (pretty much :)). As I have said on
> numerous occasions, "If I can get paid to write Python, I want to
> do that!" So, after some discussion with my department
> head/sysadmin, we're leaning toward Django.
> 
> Here's a broad question, re: Python and Django: If you've made the
> switch, what has your experience been? Has Django (or any other
> Python framework) given you something cool that was lacking in your
> previous language/framework/CMS? Has it helped you build something
> awesome? Have you found it enabling or limiting in any way? If you
> were going to sell people on (or against) using it, what would your
> arguments be? I'm a relative newbie to Python, and a total newbie
> to Django, so even if there was a tutorial you found useful, or
> some caveat you learned along the way, I'm interested. :)

After you play around with their really good tutorial from the Django
Project I recommend getting the 2 Scoops of Django book. You won't
regret that and any person you ever collaborate with will thank you.

At my last job we went back and forth between Web2Py and Django and by
the time I left Django "won" out. The big reason was just the number
of people using it. It made it easier to play "Google Bingo" when we
ran into problems. I personally pushed hard and lost out ;-) for
Web2Py and my biggest reason was Web2Py guaranteed backwards
compatibility which made maintenance *ahem* easier. (Like I said I
lost out. ;-))

> 
> And then a more specific question: Given the following
> requirements, do you have a Django-based CMS you'd recommend? (Of
> course, I'll also do my own research, but I'd love to see what
> other libraries' experiences have been and what's popular, right
> now.)

I took Mezannine for a walk with an eye towards moving to that if we
ever scuppered our Perl based CMS. It was turnkey and my foggy memory
is that...

> * There's a chance we'll want to offer other editors access to it,
> at some point, so it would be nice if I can provide a WYSIWYG
> interface, which I also am going to want the option to *turn off*,
> for my own sanity. * We're a Springshare-heavy library with Summon
> and big secret API-based plans, so easy JavaScript (preferably
> jQuery) integration is a must. * It should play nicely with MySQL.

Does this.

> * Because I probably won't be here forever, it's of the utmost
> importance that whatever we end up with is easy to maintain.

It is well documented and supported.

> * I'm used to MODx's page-ID model, where I can move pages around,
> and as long as I don't delete/recreate a page (thereby changing its
> ID), I don't have to change any links anywhere else in the CMS. I'd
> really like something that will work equally well, since the odds
> that I'll nail the information architecture on the first try are
> probably slim. :) (Maybe this one should go without saying, since I
> know WordPress and many other CMSs do this, but if you have to err,
> err on the side of being explicit, right?) * A nice forms-builder
> plugin (module?) would be a great thing to have, as well. We use
> FormIt in MODx, and now I'm spoiled.
> 
> And, I mean, if there's a CMS on top of another Python framework
> you think I should be considering, feel free to throw that out as a
> possibility, too!

Flask is lean and mean and stays out of the way but most of what I've
done with it is Mickey Mouse projects. Like I said Web2Py is also a
decent framework and worth taking for a spin.



> 
> Thank you!
> 


- -- 
The fortune program is supported, in part, by user contributions and by
a major grant from the National Endowment for the Inanities
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Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Nate Hill]

What are the advantages to deploying a python based CMS when things like
Drupal and Wordpress are so popular and well supported? I'm sure there are
some... I'd love to know more.
N

On Thursday, February 13, 2014, Francis Kayiwa  wrote:

> -BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-
> Hash: SHA1
>
> On 02/13/2014 07:13 PM, Coral Sheldon-Hess wrote:
> > Hi, everyone!
> >
> > I've gotten clearance to totally rewrite my library's website in
> > the framework/CMS of my choice (pretty much :)). As I have said on
> > numerous occasions, "If I can get paid to write Python, I want to
> > do that!" So, after some discussion with my department
> > head/sysadmin, we're leaning toward Django.
> >
> > Here's a broad question, re: Python and Django: If you've made the
> > switch, what has your experience been? Has Django (or any other
> > Python framework) given you something cool that was lacking in your
> > previous language/framework/CMS? Has it helped you build something
> > awesome? Have you found it enabling or limiting in any way? If you
> > were going to sell people on (or against) using it, what would your
> > arguments be? I'm a relative newbie to Python, and a total newbie
> > to Django, so even if there was a tutorial you found useful, or
> > some caveat you learned along the way, I'm interested. :)
>
> After you play around with their really good tutorial from the Django
> Project I recommend getting the 2 Scoops of Django book. You won't
> regret that and any person you ever collaborate with will thank you.
>
> At my last job we went back and forth between Web2Py and Django and by
> the time I left Django "won" out. The big reason was just the number
> of people using it. It made it easier to play "Google Bingo" when we
> ran into problems. I personally pushed hard and lost out ;-) for
> Web2Py and my biggest reason was Web2Py guaranteed backwards
> compatibility which made maintenance *ahem* easier. (Like I said I
> lost out. ;-))
>
> >
> > And then a more specific question: Given the following
> > requirements, do you have a Django-based CMS you'd recommend? (Of
> > course, I'll also do my own research, but I'd love to see what
> > other libraries' experiences have been and what's popular, right
> > now.)
>
> I took Mezannine for a walk with an eye towards moving to that if we
> ever scuppered our Perl based CMS. It was turnkey and my foggy memory
> is that...
>
> > * There's a chance we'll want to offer other editors access to it,
> > at some point, so it would be nice if I can provide a WYSIWYG
> > interface, which I also am going to want the option to *turn off*,
> > for my own sanity. * We're a Springshare-heavy library with Summon
> > and big secret API-based plans, so easy JavaScript (preferably
> > jQuery) integration is a must. * It should play nicely with MySQL.
>
> Does this.
>
> > * Because I probably won't be here forever, it's of the utmost
> > importance that whatever we end up with is easy to maintain.
>
> It is well documented and supported.
>
> > * I'm used to MODx's page-ID model, where I can move pages around,
> > and as long as I don't delete/recreate a page (thereby changing its
> > ID), I don't have to change any links anywhere else in the CMS. I'd
> > really like something that will work equally well, since the odds
> > that I'll nail the information architecture on the first try are
> > probably slim. :) (Maybe this one should go without saying, since I
> > know WordPress and many other CMSs do this, but if you have to err,
> > err on the side of being explicit, right?) * A nice forms-builder
> > plugin (module?) would be a great thing to have, as well. We use
> > FormIt in MODx, and now I'm spoiled.
> >
> > And, I mean, if there's a CMS on top of another Python framework
> > you think I should be considering, feel free to throw that out as a
> > possibility, too!
>
> Flask is lean and mean and stays out of the way but most of what I've
> done with it is Mickey Mouse projects. Like I said Web2Py is also a
> decent framework and worth taking for a spin.
>
>
>
> >
> > Thank you!
> >
>
>
> - --
> The fortune program is supported, in part, by user contributions and by
> a major grant from the National Endowment for the Inanities
> -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-
> Version: GnuPG v1.4.11 (GNU/Linux)
> Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://www.enigmail.net/
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>


-- 
Nate Hill
nathanielh...@gmail.com
http://4thfloor.chattlibrary.org/
http://www.natehill.net

Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Riley Childs]

Riley Childs
704 497-2086
Sent from my superior my Windows Phone

From: Coral Sheldon-Hess
Sent: ‎2/‎13/‎2014 7:15 PM
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

Hi, everyone!

I've gotten clearance to totally rewrite my library's website in the
framework/CMS of my choice (pretty much :)). As I have said on numerous
occasions, "If I can get paid to write Python, I want to do that!" So,
after some discussion with my department head/sysadmin, we're leaning
toward Django.

Here's a broad question, re: Python and Django: If you've made the switch,
what has your experience been? Has Django (or any other Python framework)
given you something cool that was lacking in your previous
language/framework/CMS? Has it helped you build something awesome? Have you
found it enabling or limiting in any way? If you were going to sell people
on (or against) using it, what would your arguments be? I'm a relative
newbie to Python, and a total newbie to Django, so even if there was a
tutorial you found useful, or some caveat you learned along the way, I'm
interested. :)

And then a more specific question: Given the following requirements, do you
have a Django-based CMS you'd recommend? (Of course, I'll also do my own
research, but I'd love to see what other libraries' experiences have been
and what's popular, right now.)
 * There's a chance we'll want to offer other editors access to it, at some
point, so it would be nice if I can provide a WYSIWYG interface, which I
also am going to want the option to *turn off*, for my own sanity.
* We're a Springshare-heavy library with Summon and big secret API-based
plans, so easy JavaScript (preferably jQuery) integration is a must.
* It should play nicely with MySQL.
* Because I probably won't be here forever, it's of the utmost importance
that whatever we end up with is easy to maintain.
* I'm used to MODx's page-ID model, where I can move pages around, and as
long as I don't delete/recreate a page (thereby changing its ID), I don't
have to change any links anywhere else in the CMS. I'd really like
something that will work equally well, since the odds that I'll nail the
information architecture on the first try are probably slim. :) (Maybe this
one should go without saying, since I know WordPress and many other CMSs do
this, but if you have to err, err on the side of being explicit, right?)
* A nice forms-builder plugin (module?) would be a great thing to have, as
well. We use FormIt in MODx, and now I'm spoiled.

And, I mean, if there's a CMS on top of another Python framework you think
I should be considering, feel free to throw that out as a possibility, too!

Thank you!

--
Coral Sheldon-Hess
http://sheldon-hess.org/coral
@web_kunoichi

Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Riley Childs]

WordPress is the best thing to use for something like this, it is not advisable 
to reinvent the wheel ;). Well
Good Luck =)

Riley Childs
704 497-2086
Sent from my superior my Windows Phone

From: Coral Sheldon-Hess
Sent: ‎2/‎13/‎2014 7:15 PM
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

Hi, everyone!

I've gotten clearance to totally rewrite my library's website in the
framework/CMS of my choice (pretty much :)). As I have said on numerous
occasions, "If I can get paid to write Python, I want to do that!" So,
after some discussion with my department head/sysadmin, we're leaning
toward Django.

Here's a broad question, re: Python and Django: If you've made the switch,
what has your experience been? Has Django (or any other Python framework)
given you something cool that was lacking in your previous
language/framework/CMS? Has it helped you build something awesome? Have you
found it enabling or limiting in any way? If you were going to sell people
on (or against) using it, what would your arguments be? I'm a relative
newbie to Python, and a total newbie to Django, so even if there was a
tutorial you found useful, or some caveat you learned along the way, I'm
interested. :)

And then a more specific question: Given the following requirements, do you
have a Django-based CMS you'd recommend? (Of course, I'll also do my own
research, but I'd love to see what other libraries' experiences have been
and what's popular, right now.)
 * There's a chance we'll want to offer other editors access to it, at some
point, so it would be nice if I can provide a WYSIWYG interface, which I
also am going to want the option to *turn off*, for my own sanity.
* We're a Springshare-heavy library with Summon and big secret API-based
plans, so easy JavaScript (preferably jQuery) integration is a must.
* It should play nicely with MySQL.
* Because I probably won't be here forever, it's of the utmost importance
that whatever we end up with is easy to maintain.
* I'm used to MODx's page-ID model, where I can move pages around, and as
long as I don't delete/recreate a page (thereby changing its ID), I don't
have to change any links anywhere else in the CMS. I'd really like
something that will work equally well, since the odds that I'll nail the
information architecture on the first try are probably slim. :) (Maybe this
one should go without saying, since I know WordPress and many other CMSs do
this, but if you have to err, err on the side of being explicit, right?)
* A nice forms-builder plugin (module?) would be a great thing to have, as
well. We use FormIt in MODx, and now I'm spoiled.

And, I mean, if there's a CMS on top of another Python framework you think
I should be considering, feel free to throw that out as a possibility, too!

Thank you!

--
Coral Sheldon-Hess
http://sheldon-hess.org/coral
@web_kunoichi

Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Riley Childs]

Also you just described WordPress!

Riley Childs
704 497-2086
Sent from my superior my Windows Phone

From: Coral Sheldon-Hess
Sent: ‎2/‎13/‎2014 7:15 PM
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

Hi, everyone!

I've gotten clearance to totally rewrite my library's website in the
framework/CMS of my choice (pretty much :)). As I have said on numerous
occasions, "If I can get paid to write Python, I want to do that!" So,
after some discussion with my department head/sysadmin, we're leaning
toward Django.

Here's a broad question, re: Python and Django: If you've made the switch,
what has your experience been? Has Django (or any other Python framework)
given you something cool that was lacking in your previous
language/framework/CMS? Has it helped you build something awesome? Have you
found it enabling or limiting in any way? If you were going to sell people
on (or against) using it, what would your arguments be? I'm a relative
newbie to Python, and a total newbie to Django, so even if there was a
tutorial you found useful, or some caveat you learned along the way, I'm
interested. :)

And then a more specific question: Given the following requirements, do you
have a Django-based CMS you'd recommend? (Of course, I'll also do my own
research, but I'd love to see what other libraries' experiences have been
and what's popular, right now.)
 * There's a chance we'll want to offer other editors access to it, at some
point, so it would be nice if I can provide a WYSIWYG interface, which I
also am going to want the option to *turn off*, for my own sanity.
* We're a Springshare-heavy library with Summon and big secret API-based
plans, so easy JavaScript (preferably jQuery) integration is a must.
* It should play nicely with MySQL.
* Because I probably won't be here forever, it's of the utmost importance
that whatever we end up with is easy to maintain.
* I'm used to MODx's page-ID model, where I can move pages around, and as
long as I don't delete/recreate a page (thereby changing its ID), I don't
have to change any links anywhere else in the CMS. I'd really like
something that will work equally well, since the odds that I'll nail the
information architecture on the first try are probably slim. :) (Maybe this
one should go without saying, since I know WordPress and many other CMSs do
this, but if you have to err, err on the side of being explicit, right?)
* A nice forms-builder plugin (module?) would be a great thing to have, as
well. We use FormIt in MODx, and now I'm spoiled.

And, I mean, if there's a CMS on top of another Python framework you think
I should be considering, feel free to throw that out as a possibility, too!

Thank you!

--
Coral Sheldon-Hess
http://sheldon-hess.org/coral
@web_kunoichi

Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Francis Kayiwa]

-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-
Hash: SHA1

On 02/13/2014 08:28 PM, Nate Hill wrote:
> What are the advantages to deploying a python based CMS when things
> like Drupal and Wordpress are so popular and well supported? I'm
> sure there are some... I'd love to know more.

If you work in a do-ocracy the person who will be "doing" the actual
work gets a very heavily weighted vote comes to mind. If you are keen
on working with Python and have never worked, don't want to work, with
PHP then that is the "killer feature".

Otherwise I'd say (for me anyway) it is a flip of the coin.

Cheers,
./fxk

- -- 
The fortune program is supported, in part, by user contributions and by
a major grant from the National Endowment for the Inanities
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Version: GnuPG v1.4.11 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://www.enigmail.net/

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=hxoA
-END PGP SIGNATURE-

Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Nate Hill]

To roll out a basic CMS you don't necessarily need to know a line of PHP or
Python.

On Thursday, February 13, 2014, Francis Kayiwa  wrote:

> -BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-
> Hash: SHA1
>
> On 02/13/2014 08:28 PM, Nate Hill wrote:
> > What are the advantages to deploying a python based CMS when things
> > like Drupal and Wordpress are so popular and well supported? I'm
> > sure there are some... I'd love to know more.
>
> If you work in a do-ocracy the person who will be "doing" the actual
> work gets a very heavily weighted vote comes to mind. If you are keen
> on working with Python and have never worked, don't want to work, with
> PHP then that is the "killer feature".
>
> Otherwise I'd say (for me anyway) it is a flip of the coin.
>
> Cheers,
> ./fxk
>
> - --
> The fortune program is supported, in part, by user contributions and by
> a major grant from the National Endowment for the Inanities
> -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-
> Version: GnuPG v1.4.11 (GNU/Linux)
> Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://www.enigmail.net/
>
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> =hxoA
> -END PGP SIGNATURE-
>


-- 
Nate Hill
nathanielh...@gmail.com
http://4thfloor.chattlibrary.org/
http://www.natehill.net

Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Francis Kayiwa]

-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-
Hash: SHA1

On 02/13/2014 08:43 PM, Nate Hill wrote:
> To roll out a basic CMS you don't necessarily need to know a line
> of PHP or Python.

Partly true.

You seem to be suggesting that CMS's deliver every imaginable problem
one could have. I find that hard to believe given the number of
hacks/plugins that are out there to fix what "the stock roll out" lacks.

In what language are these written?

./fxk


- -- 
The fortune program is supported, in part, by user contributions and by
a major grant from the National Endowment for the Inanities
-BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-
Version: GnuPG v1.4.11 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://www.enigmail.net/

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-END PGP SIGNATURE-

Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Nate Hill]

It's true. Nothing is perfect out of the box.

On Thursday, February 13, 2014, Francis Kayiwa  wrote:

> -BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-
> Hash: SHA1
>
> On 02/13/2014 08:43 PM, Nate Hill wrote:
> > To roll out a basic CMS you don't necessarily need to know a line
> > of PHP or Python.
>
> Partly true.
>
> You seem to be suggesting that CMS's deliver every imaginable problem
> one could have. I find that hard to believe given the number of
> hacks/plugins that are out there to fix what "the stock roll out" lacks.
>
> In what language are these written?
>
> ./fxk
>
>
> - --
> The fortune program is supported, in part, by user contributions and by
> a major grant from the National Endowment for the Inanities
> -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-
> Version: GnuPG v1.4.11 (GNU/Linux)
> Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://www.enigmail.net/
>
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> =Hf8r
> -END PGP SIGNATURE-
>


-- 
Nate Hill
nathanielh...@gmail.com
http://4thfloor.chattlibrary.org/
http://www.natehill.net

Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Coral Sheldon-Hess]

Valid question, WordPress fans. :)

I've done a bunch of work with WordPress--that's what my personal site is
built in, as well as a couple of organizational sites I help manage, and we
have a multisite installation for our librarians to maintain their own
blogs/sites, here. I've even hacked on it, a little (not the WP core, just
my own installs). So I'm not considering it for this purpose in part
because I would like the opportunity to learn something else. I mean, I
*can* work in PHP, but it's not my favorite thing.

More importantly, though, I feel like some of the integration and API work
I want to do would be way harder in WordPress than it would be in MODx,
Drupal, Django, or any number of other tools. To be fair, I've never really
tried building database-driven pages in WordPress (except inasmuch as
WordPress *itself* is database-driven), but it just seems like it would be
... gross... I'm prepared to believe you that it might not be gross, but it
also wouldn't be any easier than doing the same stuff in my current CMS,
MODx. (MODx is way more flexible, actually.)

The goal, here, isn't "Stand up a CMS quickly," or obviously I'd pick
WordPress. It's "build something really flexible and extensible and,
hopefully, fairly pleasant to manage." And a sub-goal is that I'd like to
do all that in Python. :)

Does that make sense?

-- 
Coral Sheldon-Hess
http://sheldon-hess.org/coral
@web_kunoichi


On Thu, Feb 13, 2014 at 4:35 PM, Riley Childs wrote:

> Also you just described WordPress!
>
> Riley Childs
> 704 497-2086
> Sent from my superior my Windows Phone
> 
> From: Coral Sheldon-Hess
> Sent: 2/13/2014 7:15 PM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs
>
> Hi, everyone!
>
> I've gotten clearance to totally rewrite my library's website in the
> framework/CMS of my choice (pretty much :)). As I have said on numerous
> occasions, "If I can get paid to write Python, I want to do that!" So,
> after some discussion with my department head/sysadmin, we're leaning
> toward Django.
>
> Here's a broad question, re: Python and Django: If you've made the switch,
> what has your experience been? Has Django (or any other Python framework)
> given you something cool that was lacking in your previous
> language/framework/CMS? Has it helped you build something awesome? Have you
> found it enabling or limiting in any way? If you were going to sell people
> on (or against) using it, what would your arguments be? I'm a relative
> newbie to Python, and a total newbie to Django, so even if there was a
> tutorial you found useful, or some caveat you learned along the way, I'm
> interested. :)
>
> And then a more specific question: Given the following requirements, do you
> have a Django-based CMS you'd recommend? (Of course, I'll also do my own
> research, but I'd love to see what other libraries' experiences have been
> and what's popular, right now.)
>  * There's a chance we'll want to offer other editors access to it, at some
> point, so it would be nice if I can provide a WYSIWYG interface, which I
> also am going to want the option to *turn off*, for my own sanity.
> * We're a Springshare-heavy library with Summon and big secret API-based
> plans, so easy JavaScript (preferably jQuery) integration is a must.
> * It should play nicely with MySQL.
> * Because I probably won't be here forever, it's of the utmost importance
> that whatever we end up with is easy to maintain.
> * I'm used to MODx's page-ID model, where I can move pages around, and as
> long as I don't delete/recreate a page (thereby changing its ID), I don't
> have to change any links anywhere else in the CMS. I'd really like
> something that will work equally well, since the odds that I'll nail the
> information architecture on the first try are probably slim. :) (Maybe this
> one should go without saying, since I know WordPress and many other CMSs do
> this, but if you have to err, err on the side of being explicit, right?)
> * A nice forms-builder plugin (module?) would be a great thing to have, as
> well. We use FormIt in MODx, and now I'm spoiled.
>
> And, I mean, if there's a CMS on top of another Python framework you think
> I should be considering, feel free to throw that out as a possibility, too!
>
> Thank you!
>
> --
> Coral Sheldon-Hess
> http://sheldon-hess.org/coral
> @web_kunoichi
>

Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Nate Hill]

It does. I've got both python and php people in my shop right now, and even
as I tinker myself I'm finding myself asking "what is good for what?" Just
trying to decide what tool is the right tool for different problems.

On Thursday, February 13, 2014, Coral Sheldon-Hess 
wrote:

> Valid question, WordPress fans. :)
>
> I've done a bunch of work with WordPress--that's what my personal site is
> built in, as well as a couple of organizational sites I help manage, and we
> have a multisite installation for our librarians to maintain their own
> blogs/sites, here. I've even hacked on it, a little (not the WP core, just
> my own installs). So I'm not considering it for this purpose in part
> because I would like the opportunity to learn something else. I mean, I
> *can* work in PHP, but it's not my favorite thing.
>
> More importantly, though, I feel like some of the integration and API work
> I want to do would be way harder in WordPress than it would be in MODx,
> Drupal, Django, or any number of other tools. To be fair, I've never really
> tried building database-driven pages in WordPress (except inasmuch as
> WordPress *itself* is database-driven), but it just seems like it would be
> ... gross... I'm prepared to believe you that it might not be gross, but it
> also wouldn't be any easier than doing the same stuff in my current CMS,
> MODx. (MODx is way more flexible, actually.)
>
> The goal, here, isn't "Stand up a CMS quickly," or obviously I'd pick
> WordPress. It's "build something really flexible and extensible and,
> hopefully, fairly pleasant to manage." And a sub-goal is that I'd like to
> do all that in Python. :)
>
> Does that make sense?
>
> --
> Coral Sheldon-Hess
> http://sheldon-hess.org/coral
> @web_kunoichi
>
>
> On Thu, Feb 13, 2014 at 4:35 PM, Riley Childs 
> 
> >wrote:
>
> > Also you just described WordPress!
> >
> > Riley Childs
> > 704 497-2086
> > Sent from my superior my Windows Phone
> > 
> > From: Coral Sheldon-Hess
> > Sent: 2/13/2014 7:15 PM
> > To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU  CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU >
> > Subject: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs
> >
> > Hi, everyone!
> >
> > I've gotten clearance to totally rewrite my library's website in the
> > framework/CMS of my choice (pretty much :)). As I have said on numerous
> > occasions, "If I can get paid to write Python, I want to do that!" So,
> > after some discussion with my department head/sysadmin, we're leaning
> > toward Django.
> >
> > Here's a broad question, re: Python and Django: If you've made the
> switch,
> > what has your experience been? Has Django (or any other Python framework)
> > given you something cool that was lacking in your previous
> > language/framework/CMS? Has it helped you build something awesome? Have
> you
> > found it enabling or limiting in any way? If you were going to sell
> people
> > on (or against) using it, what would your arguments be? I'm a relative
> > newbie to Python, and a total newbie to Django, so even if there was a
> > tutorial you found useful, or some caveat you learned along the way, I'm
> > interested. :)
> >
> > And then a more specific question: Given the following requirements, do
> you
> > have a Django-based CMS you'd recommend? (Of course, I'll also do my own
> > research, but I'd love to see what other libraries' experiences have been
> > and what's popular, right now.)
> >  * There's a chance we'll want to offer other editors access to it, at
> some
> > point, so it would be nice if I can provide a WYSIWYG interface, which I
> > also am going to want the option to *turn off*, for my own sanity.
> > * We're a Springshare-heavy library with Summon and big secret API-based
> > plans, so easy JavaScript (preferably jQuery) integration is a must.
> > * It should play nicely with MySQL.
> > * Because I probably won't be here forever, it's of the utmost importance
> > that whatever we end up with is easy to maintain.
> > * I'm used to MODx's page-ID model, where I can move pages around, and as
> > long as I don't delete/recreate a page (thereby changing its ID), I don't
> > have to change any links anywhere else in the CMS. I'd really like
> > something that will work equally well, since the odds that I'll nail the
> > information architecture on the first try are probably slim. :) (Maybe
> this
> > one should go without saying, since I know WordPress and many other CMSs
> do
> > this, but if you have to err, err on the side of being explicit, right?)
> > * A nice forms-builder plugin (module?) would be a great thing to have,
> as
> > well. We use FormIt in MODx, and now I'm spoiled.
> >
> > And, I mean, if there's a CMS on top of another Python framework you
> think
> > I should be considering, feel free to throw that out as a possibility,
> too!
> >
> > Thank you!
> >
> > --
> > Coral Sheldon-Hess
> > http://sheldon-hess.org/coral
> > @web_kunoichi
> >
>


-- 
Nate Hill
nathanielh...@gmail.com
http://4thfloor.chattlibrary.o

Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Riley Childs]

Yes it does, WordPress has one of the most fully developed WYSIWIG editors (you 
can go into text mode as well) I have encountered, I don't have much experience 
with anything other then WP/drupal, but I can tell you that WordPress is the 
best platform out there for content development and on the developer side it 
has a well documented API for themeing and plugin development! WordPress is not 
a "get a site up quickly", it can be that, but it is SO much more!

Thanks for lending your eyes to my short rant!

Riley Childs
704 497-2086
Head of ITS
Charlotte United Christian Academy
Sent from my Windows Phone

From: Coral Sheldon-Hess
Sent: ‎2/‎13/‎2014 8:59 PM
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

Valid question, WordPress fans. :)

I've done a bunch of work with WordPress--that's what my personal site is
built in, as well as a couple of organizational sites I help manage, and we
have a multisite installation for our librarians to maintain their own
blogs/sites, here. I've even hacked on it, a little (not the WP core, just
my own installs). So I'm not considering it for this purpose in part
because I would like the opportunity to learn something else. I mean, I
*can* work in PHP, but it's not my favorite thing.

More importantly, though, I feel like some of the integration and API work
I want to do would be way harder in WordPress than it would be in MODx,
Drupal, Django, or any number of other tools. To be fair, I've never really
tried building database-driven pages in WordPress (except inasmuch as
WordPress *itself* is database-driven), but it just seems like it would be
... gross... I'm prepared to believe you that it might not be gross, but it
also wouldn't be any easier than doing the same stuff in my current CMS,
MODx. (MODx is way more flexible, actually.)

The goal, here, isn't "Stand up a CMS quickly," or obviously I'd pick
WordPress. It's "build something really flexible and extensible and,
hopefully, fairly pleasant to manage." And a sub-goal is that I'd like to
do all that in Python. :)

Does that make sense?

--
Coral Sheldon-Hess
http://sheldon-hess.org/coral
@web_kunoichi


On Thu, Feb 13, 2014 at 4:35 PM, Riley Childs wrote:

> Also you just described WordPress!
>
> Riley Childs
> 704 497-2086
> Sent from my superior my Windows Phone
> 
> From: Coral Sheldon-Hess
> Sent: 2/13/2014 7:15 PM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs
>
> Hi, everyone!
>
> I've gotten clearance to totally rewrite my library's website in the
> framework/CMS of my choice (pretty much :)). As I have said on numerous
> occasions, "If I can get paid to write Python, I want to do that!" So,
> after some discussion with my department head/sysadmin, we're leaning
> toward Django.
>
> Here's a broad question, re: Python and Django: If you've made the switch,
> what has your experience been? Has Django (or any other Python framework)
> given you something cool that was lacking in your previous
> language/framework/CMS? Has it helped you build something awesome? Have you
> found it enabling or limiting in any way? If you were going to sell people
> on (or against) using it, what would your arguments be? I'm a relative
> newbie to Python, and a total newbie to Django, so even if there was a
> tutorial you found useful, or some caveat you learned along the way, I'm
> interested. :)
>
> And then a more specific question: Given the following requirements, do you
> have a Django-based CMS you'd recommend? (Of course, I'll also do my own
> research, but I'd love to see what other libraries' experiences have been
> and what's popular, right now.)
>  * There's a chance we'll want to offer other editors access to it, at some
> point, so it would be nice if I can provide a WYSIWYG interface, which I
> also am going to want the option to *turn off*, for my own sanity.
> * We're a Springshare-heavy library with Summon and big secret API-based
> plans, so easy JavaScript (preferably jQuery) integration is a must.
> * It should play nicely with MySQL.
> * Because I probably won't be here forever, it's of the utmost importance
> that whatever we end up with is easy to maintain.
> * I'm used to MODx's page-ID model, where I can move pages around, and as
> long as I don't delete/recreate a page (thereby changing its ID), I don't
> have to change any links anywhere else in the CMS. I'd really like
> something that will work equally well, since the odds that I'll nail the
> information architecture on the first try are probably slim. :) (Maybe this
> one should go without saying, since I know WordPress and many other CMSs do
> this, but if you have to err, err on the side of being explicit, right?)
> * A nice forms-builder plugin (module?) would be a great thing to have, as
> well. We use FormIt in MODx,

Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Daron Dierkes]

If you're new to python and django there will be a steep learning curve for
you, but probably a much steeper one for people after you who may not do
python at all.  Drupal and Wordpress are limited, but non-technical
librarians can still get in pretty easy to fix typos and add links at
least..  Codecademy has a decent intro python course:
http://www.codecademy.com/tracks/python
Udemy has a few python courses with some django as well.

A big reason why I've been learning django is to try to understand how our
library can work with the various DH projects that use our collections. If
we need to at some point take on permanent ownership of these projects or
if we want to develop them further, a basic familiarity on the part of our
library staff seems like a good idea.

Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Riley Childs]

WordPress is easy for content creators, but don't let the blog part fool you, 
it is a fully developed framework that is easy to develop for, it is intended 
to make it easy to get started, but from base upward it is 100% custom. I don't 
know what your particular needs are, but I would give WP a serious look! Plus 
WP integrates well with any web app you could shake a stick at. In summary 
chose a CMS that fits YOUR needs, my rants are what made WP a good fit for me, 
yours are different so make a decision based on what YOU need, not my needs!

Riley Childs
Student
Asst. Head of IT Services
Charlotte United Christian Academy
(704) 497-2086
RileyChilds.net
Sent from my Windows Phone, please excuse mistakes

From: Daron Dierkes
Sent: ‎2/‎13/‎2014 9:52 PM
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

If you're new to python and django there will be a steep learning curve for
you, but probably a much steeper one for people after you who may not do
python at all.  Drupal and Wordpress are limited, but non-technical
librarians can still get in pretty easy to fix typos and add links at
least..  Codecademy has a decent intro python course:
http://www.codecademy.com/tracks/python
Udemy has a few python courses with some django as well.

A big reason why I've been learning django is to try to understand how our
library can work with the various DH projects that use our collections. If
we need to at some point take on permanent ownership of these projects or
if we want to develop them further, a basic familiarity on the part of our
library staff seems like a good idea.

Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Andrew Hankinson]

I have a small anecdote on my experience with Drupal, Django, and custom 
development.

I was writing a site that required a number of custom content types, some of 
them fairly complex, and a Solr back-end for full-text and faceted search. I 
had developed a number of Drupal sites up to that point, but this was probably 
the most complex one.

I tore my hair out for a month or two, trying to get all of the different 
Drupal modules to talk to each other, and writing lots of glue code to go 
between the custom modules using the (sometimes undocumented) hooks for each 
module. 

One day I became so frustrated that I decided that I would give myself 24 hours 
to re-do the site in Django. If I could get the Django site up to par with the 
Drupal site in that amount of time, I would move forward with Django. 
Otherwise, I would keep going with Drupal. Up to that point, I had done the 
Django tutorial a couple times, and implemented a few test sites, but not much 
else.

Within 24 hours I had re-implemented the content type models, hooked up the 
Solr search, worked out a few of the templates, and was well on my way to 
actually making progress with the site. More than that, I was enjoying the 
coding rather than staring in frustration at hooks and wondering why something 
wasn’t getting called when it should be.

Since then I haven’t touched Drupal.

Cheers,
-Andrew

On Feb 13, 2014, at 9:59 PM, Riley Childs  wrote:

> WordPress is easy for content creators, but don't let the blog part fool you, 
> it is a fully developed framework that is easy to develop for, it is intended 
> to make it easy to get started, but from base upward it is 100% custom. I 
> don't know what your particular needs are, but I would give WP a serious 
> look! Plus WP integrates well with any web app you could shake a stick at. In 
> summary chose a CMS that fits YOUR needs, my rants are what made WP a good 
> fit for me, yours are different so make a decision based on what YOU need, 
> not my needs!
> 
> Riley Childs
> Student
> Asst. Head of IT Services
> Charlotte United Christian Academy
> (704) 497-2086
> RileyChilds.net
> Sent from my Windows Phone, please excuse mistakes
> 
> From: Daron Dierkes
> Sent: ‎2/‎13/‎2014 9:52 PM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs
> 
> If you're new to python and django there will be a steep learning curve for
> you, but probably a much steeper one for people after you who may not do
> python at all.  Drupal and Wordpress are limited, but non-technical
> librarians can still get in pretty easy to fix typos and add links at
> least..  Codecademy has a decent intro python course:
> http://www.codecademy.com/tracks/python
> Udemy has a few python courses with some django as well.
> 
> A big reason why I've been learning django is to try to understand how our
> library can work with the various DH projects that use our collections. If
> we need to at some point take on permanent ownership of these projects or
> if we want to develop them further, a basic familiarity on the part of our
> library staff seems like a good idea.

Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Toby Greenwalt]

Coral,

At Skokie, we were (using past tense since I'm no longer there) on our way
to implementing a new website, using Django as the framework. I don't want
to put her on the spot, but their developer Esther Verreau might be able to
provide you with some insights. If she isn't lurking here, I might be able
to connect you. Good luck!

Toby


On Thu, Feb 13, 2014 at 10:38 PM, Andrew Hankinson <
andrew.hankin...@gmail.com> wrote:

> I have a small anecdote on my experience with Drupal, Django, and custom
> development.
>
> I was writing a site that required a number of custom content types, some
> of them fairly complex, and a Solr back-end for full-text and faceted
> search. I had developed a number of Drupal sites up to that point, but this
> was probably the most complex one.
>
> I tore my hair out for a month or two, trying to get all of the different
> Drupal modules to talk to each other, and writing lots of glue code to go
> between the custom modules using the (sometimes undocumented) hooks for
> each module.
>
> One day I became so frustrated that I decided that I would give myself 24
> hours to re-do the site in Django. If I could get the Django site up to par
> with the Drupal site in that amount of time, I would move forward with
> Django. Otherwise, I would keep going with Drupal. Up to that point, I had
> done the Django tutorial a couple times, and implemented a few test sites,
> but not much else.
>
> Within 24 hours I had re-implemented the content type models, hooked up
> the Solr search, worked out a few of the templates, and was well on my way
> to actually making progress with the site. More than that, I was enjoying
> the coding rather than staring in frustration at hooks and wondering why
> something wasn't getting called when it should be.
>
> Since then I haven't touched Drupal.
>
> Cheers,
> -Andrew
>
> On Feb 13, 2014, at 9:59 PM, Riley Childs 
> wrote:
>
> > WordPress is easy for content creators, but don't let the blog part fool
> you, it is a fully developed framework that is easy to develop for, it is
> intended to make it easy to get started, but from base upward it is 100%
> custom. I don't know what your particular needs are, but I would give WP a
> serious look! Plus WP integrates well with any web app you could shake a
> stick at. In summary chose a CMS that fits YOUR needs, my rants are what
> made WP a good fit for me, yours are different so make a decision based on
> what YOU need, not my needs!
> >
> > Riley Childs
> > Student
> > Asst. Head of IT Services
> > Charlotte United Christian Academy
> > (704) 497-2086
> > RileyChilds.net
> > Sent from my Windows Phone, please excuse mistakes
> > 
> > From: Daron Dierkes
> > Sent: 2/13/2014 9:52 PM
> > To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> > Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs
> >
> > If you're new to python and django there will be a steep learning curve
> for
> > you, but probably a much steeper one for people after you who may not do
> > python at all.  Drupal and Wordpress are limited, but non-technical
> > librarians can still get in pretty easy to fix typos and add links at
> > least..  Codecademy has a decent intro python course:
> > http://www.codecademy.com/tracks/python
> > Udemy has a few python courses with some django as well.
> >
> > A big reason why I've been learning django is to try to understand how
> our
> > library can work with the various DH projects that use our collections.
> If
> > we need to at some point take on permanent ownership of these projects or
> > if we want to develop them further, a basic familiarity on the part of
> our
> > library staff seems like a good idea.
>

Re: [CODE4LIB] Python CMSs

[Erik Hetzner]

At Thu, 13 Feb 2014 15:13:58 -0900,
Coral Sheldon-Hess wrote:
> 
> Hi, everyone!
> 
> I've gotten clearance to totally rewrite my library's website in the
> framework/CMS of my choice (pretty much :)). As I have said on numerous
> occasions, "If I can get paid to write Python, I want to do that!" So,
> after some discussion with my department head/sysadmin, we're leaning
> toward Django.

Hi Coral,

My two cents:

I think of Django as a CMS construction kit. (Keep in mind that it was
originally developed for the newspaper business.) It’s probably more
complicated to set up than drupal, or a CMS built with Django, but I
would guess that the time you save with the CMS will be more than made
up for later on, when you want to make it do something it wasn’t
intended to.

With its out of the box admin interface and an HTML editor, you have
something that admins can use to generate content with hardly any work
on your part.

Basically - and this is my personal opinion, with only somewhat
limited CMS experience - the CMS experiment has failed. The dream of
something that is “customized”, not programmed, has never succeeded
and never will.

Django allow you to put together a “CMS” that fits your *exact* needs,
with a little more up-front work, rather than something that requires
less up-front work, but a lot more down the road.

best, Erik

-- 
Sent from my free software system .

[CODE4LIB] Primo API access

[Marwah Khaled H Alaofi]

Hi everyone,

I'm studying at the Faculty of IT at Monash University in Melbourne,
Australia, currently for a masters degree in IT.
My research interest is in the applications of data mining and information
retrieval in education and for my masters
thesis I chose to investigate ways to personalise library search results
for coursework students.
My procedure is based on getting query-dependent results from Monash
Library Exlibris Primo as complete records (i.e
with metadata) and work from there to enhance the degree of relevance.

In order for me to test my hypothesis I need to be able to use the API and
fetch query-dependent results.
I've asked for access from Monash Library but it is somehow taking so long!
I was told that the API is
restricted by the IP and that it is not likely I will be granted access.
Well, I'm wondering if you could perhaps direct me to
any educational library where Primo is used, preferably university library,
and of which I can obtain an access to the API. If that is not likely to
happen (or not possible in a limited time frame) I'd alternatively change
my testing environment and look for another digital library system that can
be easily accessed through a flexible API. I'll be glad to hear from you!
It's a very important step in my research and any insights or
recommendation will be highly appreciated.

Thanks all,

Cheers,
Marwa

Re: [CODE4LIB] Primo API access

[jason bengtson]

Hi Marwa,

We’re in the process of adopting Primo on the Health Sciences Campus of the 
University of Oklahoma. I think you may want to use a mechanism other than 
Primo for something like this. The reason I say this is that Primo is, 
essentially, an aggregator from multiple sources. As part of this aggregation 
process it reduces (in a very literal sense) incoming data streams in various 
formats, such as MARC or Dublin Core, to “PNX” records . . . essentially a 
proprietary XML format designed around the display and delivery needs of the 
Primo tool. As such, the resultant data isn’t nearly as rich or useful for your 
personalization purposes (I suspect) as the source data would be. Now, 
depending on the way the PNX is normalized by the institution using the tool, 
the PNX record could contain more information, or different types of 
information, than it would out of the box, but other than customizing location 
information, or similar facets of a record, there really isn’t much reason for 
an institution to perform significant enrichment of the PNX data set. Primo is 
a pretty blunt instrument. If you really want to see the PNX for an individual 
record you don’t need any kind of api, just add &showPnx=true to the end of the 
url (although that’s not a full solution for you, in and of itself, since that 
won’t work on the list of returns, only on single records). Beyond that, I’m 
not sure there is an API to do what you want. Most of the Primo apis seem to 
exist to augment some lacking baked in functionality. There is a Primo Central 
api, though I haven’t really explored it much beyond using it in our system 
view. Remember, Primo is the bottom of the funnel . . . what’s left of the 
metadata at that point is largely lowest common denominator, IMHO.

If you want a richer data set to work with for purposes of experimental 
personalization (I’m guessing you’re building or preparing to build some kind 
of adaptive algorithm for this project) you would probably be better off 
grabbing query dependent records from research tools like the US National 
Library of Medicine’s PubMed (through the publicly available Entrez tool). 
PubMed is mainly used for medical research, and the metadata it employs is, in 
many areas, still kind of thin (the controlled vocabulary used, MeSH, is 
outstanding, but fields like author and affiliation are not well normalized), 
but it’s a much richer source than you’re likely to see from any PNX records. 
In addition, NLM offers some very robust apis that allow you to easily query 
and retrieve the records from a search in their full XML glory 
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK25501/). This is just an example of 
course; there are other publically usable apis and plenty of vendor apis that 
your library might allow you some provisional access to (although that can be a 
big pain in the neck for them, since access to the api usually means getting 
you a password other than the master account password issued by the vendor and 
then terminating at the end of your project, assuming there’s no licensing 
issue).

Of course, this is my opinion based on our experience to date and other folks 
may have a very different take on Primo. I hope this is helpful and good luck 
with your project.

Best regards,

Jason Bengtson, MLIS, MA
Head of Library Computing and Information Systems
Assistant Professor, Graduate College
Department of Health Sciences Library and Information Management
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
405-271-2285, opt. 5405-271-3297 (fax)
jason-bengt...@ouhsc.edu
http://library.ouhsc.edu
www.jasonbengtson.com

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On Feb 13, 2014, at 11:00 PM, Marwah Khaled H Alaofi 
 wrote:

> Hi everyone,
> 
> I'm studying at the Faculty of IT at Monash University in Melbourne,
> Australia, currently for a masters degree in IT.
> My research interest is in the applications of data mining and information
> retrieval in education and for my masters
> thesis I chose to investigate ways to personalise library search results
> for coursework students.
> My procedure is based on getting query-dependent results from Monash
> Library Exlibris Primo as complete records (i.e
> with metadata) and work from there to enhance the degree of relevance.
> 
> In order for me to test my hypothesis I need to be able to use the API and
> fetch query-dependent results.
> I've asked for