Are you thinking of upgrading your library's website?

Why would your library want an OPLIN Dynamic Website Kit?

• The kit includes a full content management system (CMS).  This means that library staff can control the entire content of the site without needing anyone to change back end code.  It's as simple as writing an email or filling out an online form!  Create new pages with a few clicks.  Post news stories to your front page with no technical knowledge required. The Dynamic Website Kit makes managing your library's web site simple...finally!
• It's Web 2.0 ready.  Want an RSS feed?  Discussion forums?  Polls?  Blogs?  Comments?  The ability to share content out easily with Facebook and Twitter?  All of these are featured in the basic, fixed-cost package and many social media add-ons are also available for a small cost.
• More advanced features.  The kit also provides:
  • Built-in site search AND the ability to search your library's catalog AND the Ohio Web Library;
  • Ability to moderate comments (if your library chooses to have comments);
  • Ability to categorize your content easily by keywords;
  • An online contact form that can send to different email addresses, depending on the subject matter;
  • A Word-like WYSIWYG editor for entering your content, so you don't have to know any code to put your items online;
  • Function to upload and attach documents like PDFs to specific web pages;
  • Automatically generated printer-friendly pages;
  • A version of the site that is mobile-device friendly;
  • A calendar and event listing system;
  • Online photo albums, with easy uploading capability;
  • A basic web analytics package to help your library see how your site is being used by its visitors.
• We do the upgrades for you. Don't have a tech?  No worries!  OPLIN not only hosts your site, but we do all of the required upgrades as needed to the site's systems.
• We do the graphics work for you.  Each basic kit includes: (Additional custom work can be arranged for an additional cost. Please contact OPLIN for details.)
  • Custom design of the header banner, including your logo if desired
  • Customizing of colors of text, footer, side blocks and calendar
  • Inclusion of the KnowItNow logo and rotating database ad banner at footer of homepage
  • Side block graphics as needed (e.g., Bookletters, OverDrive)
  • Custom favicon
• It's standards-compliant. Unknown to many, other than professional IT staff or web developers, specific standards exist for the code that runs a website.  When sites lack standard-compliant code, it can result in poor display in multiple browsers or total inaccessibility to the handicapped or to mobile devices.  With the increasing use of web-enabled cell phones, being compliant is fast becoming a critical issue for many sites.  Learn more here.
• Free training.  We provide up to 3 hours of free, hands-on training for at least one staff person at the OPLIN office.  We also provide some documentation and additional phone support.  Additional training for up to 20 people on-site at your library is also available; please inquire for pricing.
• Free guidance during the design process.  Our professionally-certified web designer staff will help you with incorporating basic usability and good design principles.
• No tech required.  OPLIN does the installation, the design, the configuration and the hosting.  All your library has to do is plug in its content.
• Lots of options.  For a small fee, many useful add-ons are available for your Kit.  You can see some samples here...but be careful, it's like being a kid in a candy shop!

PRICING

OPLIN's pricing is modest.  Our goal is to provide Ohio's public libraries with websites that can better meet the needs of both patrons and staff and be competitive in the rapidly-evolving environment of the World Wide Web.  The cost of your Dynamic Website Kit will be $300 for initial setup (original design and up to two revisions) plus $180 per year for maintenance and hosting. (Please note:  Due to the extensive extra time it takes to create designs that render legibly in the Internet Explorer 6 and 7 browsers, design support for Internet Explorer 6 or 7 will be an additional $300 flat charge for each version requested. Additionally, we will not do any IE6 or IE7 compatibility work on a site after any design work has been performed. Versions 8 and 9 are not affected by this.) Please see the list, above, for a description of all the features included in a standard Website Kit. Limited customization and graphic design service is also available; please call toll-free 1-888-96-OPLIN (1-888-966-7546) for pricing. For information about more extensive customization, see the "Custom Websites for Libraries" link,  below.

TIMELINE

As you might suspect, completion time varies depending on the specifications laid out during the planning stage. Don't hesitate to call us for further discussion of what a timeline for your library's site might be. But we're ready to get rolling with your library's site!

Who hosts the website?

We host your website on the OPLIN web servers. That allows us to keep all the software that runs the site up-to-date and secure. Our hosting service includes:

• Firewall to protect the site against intrusion
• Regular upgrades to software used to maintain and publish the site
• Upgrades to server hardware when advantageous
• Retaining current web site domain name
• Pro-active fixes for network, system and software vulnerabilities
• Mirroring of server hard drives to allow quick recovery from hardware failures
• Problem resolution through the OPLIN Support Center

Will the web address of my website change?

No. When your site is ready, we will replace your current site at the same address. So if your current site address is mylibrary.org, your new site address will also be mylibrary.org.

How will I know how to use the website?

We ask each library that uses one of our websites to send some selected staff to our office in Columbus for two or three hours of training. The next step is for you to begin adding content to your site before it goes "live" on the Internet. Throughout this process we are available to assist you. Finally, when you are confident that your site is ready and you know how to keep it current, we launch it.

What if I have problems later?

Contact us (http://support.oplin.org) and we will work with you to resolve the problem.

What is usability and why does it matter?

The most basic definition of web site usability is whether or not users can quickly accomplish a given task on a website without obstacles.  Obstacles can be long download times, scattered navigation, poor design, dated styles and many more issues, all of which can affect how users access your site and/or perceive your library.

Many of the web sites developed by public libraries do not adhere to web design standards or best practices. When Laura Solomon did a study (PDF) of Ohio public library websites in 2004, she found that only 17% of Ohio libraries met more than 80% of accepted criteria for usability. As new devices for accessing the Internet, such as the iPhone and other such smartphones, become more prevalent, it will become ever more critical for public libraries to have well-designed, standards-compliant web sites. OPLIN can help by fulfilling an original purpose – enabling libraries to compete with other Internet information providers – in a new way, focusing on building good library web sites as well as building good library Internet connections.