Drupal: Library Web Sites Made Easy

Vincci Kwong & Kirby Cheng Schurz Library, IU South Bend K-12 Open Mind 2009 Michigan City, Indiana October 6, 2009

Background

What is Drupal?
Content management system
Open source
General Public License (GPL)

Why Drupal?
Easy to set up
Very flexible/customizable
Minimal to no learning curve
Highly stable
Good documentation
Good community

Libraries Using Drupal
Public libraries:
Ann Arbor District Library
Brawley Public Library
Camarena Memorial Library
Douglas County Libraries
ExploreOhio (sponsored by OPLIN )
Great River Regional Library (Central Minnesota)
Hoover Alabama Public Library
Jackson District Library
Kinderhook Memorial Library
London Public Library
Metropolitan Cooperative Library System (Los Angeles)
Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library
New York Public Library
Red Deer Public Library
San Anselmo Public Library
West Lake Porter Public Library
West Linn, Oregon Public Library
School (K-12) libraries:
Genesee Valley BOCES - School Library System
School Library System of Genesee Valley Boces
Special libraries:
Idaho Commission for Libraries
The Newberry Library - ChicagoAncestors.org
Southwest Ohio and Neighboring Libraries (SWON Libraries)
University libraries:
Alaska Pacific University
Cowles Library at Drake University
Florida Center for Library Automation (FCLA)
Florida State University Libraries
Hamline Law Library
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Rochester Institute of Technology Libraries
Simon Fraser University - Multicultural Canada
St. Lawrence University Library planning site
Original list by Ellyssa Kroski

System Requirements
Web server
Apache (recommended)
Microsoft IIS
Database server
MySQL (recommended)
PostgreSQL
PHP

Our Drupal Setup – not a smooth journey
First Try: Installed on Windows 2003 Server with IIS ( Interne Information Service 6.0 )
Reason:
Library Web server, We have the unlimited administration rights;
same physical server; can’t have two web servers on the save box.

Installation on Windows 2003 Server with IIS --- Major Installation Procedures
Install and configure IIS 6.0
Install MySQL
Install PHP
Download and install Drupal to a created directory under the root of IIS

Installation on Windows 2003 Server with IIS – a “tragic end”
Reason: There was no large enough user base of the Drupal customized for the Window IIS. As a results, there were too many unsolved bugs.
After a “courageous battle”, we gave up.

Installation on Linux Server with Apache --- end of the tunnel
Campus IT rendered help: offering to host our Drupal on their Linux; giving administrator rights

Installation on Linux Server Using Apache
Install Apache
Install MySQL
Install PHP
Download and install Drupal to a created directory under the root directory.

Alternative: Installation on a Windows Server without IIS .
XAMPP: XAMPP is a free and open source cross-platform web server package, consisting mainly of the Apache HTTP Server , MySQL database , and interpreters for scripts written in the PHP and Perl programming languages .
-----Wikipedia

Install Drupal on a Windows Server without IIS --- Major Installation Procedures
Download XAMPP Window version to a root director of a Drive ( example C:)
Secure the XAMPP
Configure MySQL
Configure Apache
Configure PHP

Build in Functions
Collaborative book
Role based permission system
Searching
User authentication
Polls
Templating
Blogging
Forum
Analysis, tracking and statistics

Add-in Modules
CCK
Views
Webforms
TinyMCE
Image
Web authentication
Album photos
Calendar

Administrator Interface

Administrative Menu
Content management
Site building
Site
configuration
User management
Report

Modules Menu

When Working with Modules
Modules can be found at http://drupal.org/node/206666
Download the module
Upload it to the server
Activate on the module on Module Menu page
Change settings of the module if needed
Note: Some modules are version dependent.

Content Types

User Roles

User Permissions

Themes

Looking for Themes
http://drupal.org/project/Themes
http://drupal2u.com/
http://www.freewebtemplates.com/templates/drupal-themes
http://themebot.com/free-website-templates/drupal-themes
Note: Just like modules, some themes are version dependent.

Content Contributor Interface

Intranet Homepage

Create Content

User Comment

Discussion Forum

Photo Album

Webform

Other Library Specific Modules
Bibliography
MARC
Book Post
Millennium
Z39.50 Search

Problems/Issues
Extra fixes needed for PHP and Drupal when using Microsoft IIS as web server
Some modules may conflict with Drupal core which leads to errors
Integrating Drupal authentication with IU authentication system

Learning Drupal
Drupal in Libraries ( Library Technology Reports 44:4, May/June 2008)
Drupal Dojo
An archives of live Web trainings
Lullabot
Free podcasts, tutorials, blogs, etc.

Drupal Web Resources
Drupal Official Website
http://drupal.org
Drupal and Libraries Listserv
http://drupal4lib.org
Drupal and Libraries Group
http://groups.drupal.org/libraries
Drupalib Library Drupallers Community
http://drupalib.interoperating.info

Questions?
Presentation slide available at:
http://www.slideshare.net/cutemiffy/presentations
Vincci Kwong
Head of Web Services
[email_address]
AIM: HiMffy
Kirby Cheng
Head of Library Information Technology
[email_address]

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Drupal: Library Web Sites Made Easy

by Vincci Kwong

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