prepared by Peter Keller-Transburg - June 2004

Introduction
This short write-up presents an accounting of CIC electronic resources, an overview of the current systems used to manage these resources and a brief description of how a web content management system (CMS) would enhance the organization and dissemination of these resources. It is suggested that an effective CMS would be relative cheap and easy to deploy and maintain, and that the right system would facilitate the maintenance of internal CIC resources while providing a robust yet simple mechanism for maintaining the CIC website. Finally, employing an open source CMS will help reduce deployment and enhancement costs, provide a technical support community and allow for inexpensive scalability.

CIC Resources
The resources that CIC currently manages, and intends to manage, are roughly classified by the following types:
•Program documents (CIC Description, Canon doc, Operations Manual, etc.)
•Funding proposals and reports
•Group email lists
•CIC Evaluations and Assessments
•Brochures, Logos and other publicity materials
•Student Project documents
•Lists of web-based resources CIC would like to share with the CIC community, and to a lesser extent, the general public: CIC Projects, Courses, Journals, Books, Blogs, Websites, Multimedia, Articles, Newsletters, Academic Institutions, Organizations/Networks, News, Conferences/Events, Email Lists/Forums, Job Opportunities, Employment Listings

Current Resource Management Systems
CIC’s electronic resources have been managed in a variety of ways since the program’s beginning. The new Program Manager has begun to collect many of the key program management documents in the shared (Selma) G:\CIC folders, but many documents are still spread around on the computers of the various creators and users of the resources.

Some electronic record management has been done in the past few years on at least one CourseTools site (Fall 02 seminar) and one WorkTools site (Winter 03 seminar), but these tools were underutilized and have been abandoned since the semester in which they were created.

The CIC website (www.si.umich.edu/cic) has struggled over the years for constant attention, relevant content and timely updates. In its latest incarnation (Fall 03), the site is developed as several pages within the main SI site. Some pages are static, listing basic information about CIC. Other pages were built to be dynamically generated from several SI databases (MSI students, faculty, etc.), but the database information, where available, is severely outdated and often inaccurate.

In 2000 or 2001, Paul Resnick commissioned Frank DeSanto to build a web interface to a “Job Resource” database in which Paul encouraged his class at the time to put relevant CIC job postings and resources related to finding CIC jobs. The database (Access) and interface (Cold Fusion) have not been updated since that first class and it is currently non-functional. Frank was and is, given enough time, willing to update the interface, but he is awaiting further instruction from CIC.

Due to the fact that the CIC site is built by Frank within the SI site, the content (static and the interface to the dynamic content) is controlled exclusively by Frank. He is willing to make necessary changes to the content without hesitation, but this two-step process is cumbersome, making even a small spelling change an ordeal that involves several email exchanges and duplication of effort.

Finally, in the fall 2003, there was an effort to build, with student involvement, a CIC database of resources (jobs, events, conferences, articles, etc.), but the effort fell through and the CIC website remains outdated since prior to November 2003.

The failed attempts to build and maintain coherent and useful electronic resource systems for CIC are the result of many things, not leastly the lack of continuous and focused attention by the CIC Program Manager (note that there was no such person prior to May 2004). With the hiring of the new Program Manager, it is now possible to build resource management responsibilities into the PM position. It is hoped that the continuity brought about by having one person’s undivided attention on CIC will increase the ability of the program to develop and update a useful website and mechanism for managing its electronic resources.

Furthermore, a CMS, as described below, will aid the Program Manager and the whole CIC community to more simply and consistently collect, label, organize, publish and disseminate relevant resources.

Developing the Corps
CIC is by definition a corps of individuals. The deployment of a CMS that necessarily involves these individuals for the production, collection and publication of CIC resources will go a long way to instilling a stronger sense of commitment and community among CIC members. The CMS will allow individual CIC users to generate the information content that shapes the CIC website, both internally (in the SI students/seminar area) and externally (resources posted for public viewing).

This active input by CMS users will be even more pronounced in a variety of modules that can be added to the system, such as discussion forums and blogs.

What is a CMS?
A CMS is a set of processes, applications, and databases that help an organization create, store, coordinate, and publish information in a useful format, a timely fashion, and with a consistent method.

Identifying the right CMS for CIC
The process of identifying the right CMS for CIC is composed of many parts. Some of these parts are listed below and expanded in accompanying documents.

-identify why CIC wants a new website and what it will be used for
-determine which features we want in a CMS
-prelim review of 75+ open source CMSs
-review in depth 40 CMSs
-narrow potential systems down to 9-15
-make a shortlist of 3-5 CMSs
-install all CMSs and work with them, fill content
-user test CMSs with CIC members
-identify which CMS best fits needs and is top choice of testers
-fill relevant content and set up structure of site
-launch new site!