Review of CMS article

The article I read from the special issue dedicated to content management systems in Library Hi Tech issue 1 2006 was Leveraging resources in a library gateway by Jerry V. Caswell. I selected this article because there is an invariable displeasure with the static webpage at my organization. The author described the use of guided search forms to aid users with access and advanced searching of resources. The argument he made was that our systems are too complicated for users and required a lengthy study for their effective use. Caswell advocated for simplification and mediation by libraries of these information systems.

He shared his organizations' strategic placement of guided search forms on subject guides. The forms, running JavaScript code, were preset to run a qualified search for the user. That is, advanced selections were preprogrammed so the user would directly enter a keyword and retrieve all relevant items (i.e., maps) for a specific task or assignment. Ironically, today my supervisor mentioned the availability of a new gadget which we intend to place in a course management system and preset appropriate qualified search parameters.

Another way the organization instituted guided search forms was by providing only two maximum search parameters: dropdown box at top and radio button selections on the bottom. The selections on the bottom were simply a teasing apart of some of the advanced features. Said search form allowed users to see all allowable limits in advance and run a more effective search.

The author also talked about a successful collaboration with the cataloguing department. Cataloguers added fields to bibliographic records to aid in the set-up of qualified searches.

I still had some lingering questions about the creation of the form, issues faced, decisions made, etc. Caswell shared a few web pages as examples that contained the guided search forms. However, when I accessed the sites I did not find any of these forms.