Introduction to Content Maintainer Training

Welcome to University Libraries content maintainer training! The OU Libraries' website provides critical information that needs to be accurate and up to date for users. While the web team keeps the system up to date and running, we require partnerships with subject experts to maintain the content so that it reflects the most accurate services, resources, and policies.

What is Drupal?

The OU Libraries' website is built using Drupal 9, an open content management system (CMS). This system allows employees outside of the web team to find and edit content that they are responsible for maintaining, as well as authoring new content on the site. The first thing to understand about creating content on the libraries' website is the capabilities and limitations of the system:

• The content management system, or CMS, is not intended to be a collaborative writing platform. Only the assigned content maintainer can edit the page.

  • For this type of content creation, we recommend starting your new content in a cloud document that can be shared out with multiple people and edited together with track changes and comments. 

• Each page has a single content maintainer as the point of contact. This helps clearly define whose responsibility it is to maintain the page.

• The system is designed to help users build a web page without having to know a single line of code. This includes bolding text, adding bullets, or inserting hyperlinks. The content authoring experience is very similar to using a word document.

• The system is designed to provide users with a content dashboard where they can manage their content in one easy location.

Content Dashboard

Accessing the Content Dashboard

The content dashboard is where content maintainers can add and manage content on the site.

To access the content dashboard, go to the libraries site and sign in using the OU single-sign-on (SSO). After logging in, you will see a link to your content dashboard:

You can also access the dashboard by going to libraries.ou.edu/mycontent.

If you do not see a link to your content dashboard, please contact web services at libwebhelp@ou.edu for access to the content dashboard.

Content Dashboard Overview

After logging in and accessing the Content Dashboard, users are able to view the following options:

• Add New Content

  • Add content such as basic pages, and research guides.

• Other Tools

  • The "Other Tools" section will provide various links that can be useful to content maintainers. The links available here can differ depending on what roles a user has. 

• New Content

  • After creating new content, it will appear under the "New Content" section. In this section, you can see content that has the “Publishing status” set to “draft”. These items are marked as "Drafts" in the content dashboard and only you can see them. Next to that section is the "Waiting on Approval" section. This contains content that has the “Publishing status” set to “Ready for Review.” These items have been sent to the content administrators for final approval and will automatically be removed from this list once approved. 

• Needs Annual Review

  • Published pages will need to be audited annually as a way to keep information on the page updated and correct every year.

• My Content

  • A full list of the published content you manage. 

Adding New Content

The system uses templates that provide various page layouts, such as section headers or two column text, to give the content variety. For most content maintainers, you will see the option to add two types of content: basic pages and research guides. You might see an additional type or two here depending on your department or role.

To add a new page, for example, click on the “Basic Page” link under the “Add New Content” section.

Fill out the following form fields:

1. Title

2. Publishing Status

   1. While you are still working on the draft, leave the “Publishing Status” on the “Draft” option.

   2. If the "Publishing Status" option on this screen is set to “Draft”, it can only be viewed by the person who owns it or site administrators.

      1. This means that you cannot send a page that has "Publishing Status" set to “Draft” to another person to review or edit. This is why we strongly encourage all collaborative content to be authored using a cloud document before being put into the library's main website.

3. One sentence teaser

4. Page sections needed

You do not need to worry about any other form items on the page. 

Build Your Page

You can create a combination of section types for your page layout.

Examples of all section types you can add while building your page are shown in the images below:

Section Type	Example
Section Header
Full Width Text
Featured List (Grey and White Background Options)
Image Left-Text Right
Image Right-Text Left
Two Column List
Two Column Text
Full Width Image

There is no limit to the number of sections that can be added, but it is recommended to keep them to a manageable list. Once created, the sections can be removed one by one or can be reordered by dragging the section to the desired location. While in "Draft" status, you can update the content as many times as you'd like; the content will not expire in that state.

Once you have completed adding content to your page and are ready to submit it for review, change the “Publishing Status” option from “Draft” to “Ready for Review” and click “Save”. “Draft” pages will be located on the left of the “New Content” section, and “Ready for Review” pages will be located on the right side of the section.

Other Tools Section

Under the "Other Tools" section, there are resources you may frequently use such as the "E-resource problem report".

Some accounts might have more than one tool under this section, depending on their department or roles.

Database and E-Reference Dashboard

If you have the role to manage e-resources, you will see this link. It will take you to a separate page where you can search for, edit, and create e-resources.

To create a new e-resource click "Add new resource". In the list of e-resources, you can:

• Click the title to view the e-resource

• Click "Access eResources" to go to the external link for the e-resource

• Click "Edit Record" to edit information of a specific e-resource

E-Resource Problem Report

Content Maintainers will also have access to the E-Resource Problem Report page.

This page will provide you with the ability to submit a new resource problem as well as review and edit existing problems. 

Content Strategy Policy

All content authored on behalf of OU Libraries is subject to the content strategy policy. Every content maintainer should be aware of these policies to stay in compliance with the guidelines outlined there. The policy document can also be found here: content strategy policy.

Needs Annual Review Section and Content Audit Documentation

Each year, usually over the summer, the entire OU Libraries organization will review content on the website. Content maintainers can view their list of flagged items in this section of the dashboard.

Announcements

Prior to the Annual Content Audit, content maintainers and other stakeholders will be notified that the audit is happening. This will be done in the following ways:

• Announcements in Weekly Update

• Announcements at SMT and department meetings

• Audit Email to content maintainers

Initial Audit email

During this review, content maintainers will receive an email notifying them that it is time to audit their content. This email will provide a checklist of things to look over.

Expectations

The content audit is a great time to make sure all information in your content is correct! This is a very important step in the process of keeping the site up to date and the information correct. Keep in mind, the web team is not the expert on your content, you are!

• Check for accuracy of phone numbers, emails, and changes to titles, personnel, or positions.

• Check for common spelling, grammar, and format issues.

• Check any dates and data and verify they are correct.

• Check for ADA and 503 compliance.

  • All images need to have alt text

  • Any videos linked or embedded need captions

  • Any links need descriptive text that describes the link. Simply saying click “here” is not accessible.

• You need to verify that all links in your content are still active. Especially links that go to other sites outside of libraries.ou.edu. These external links tend to change a lot and a resource you are linking to might not be available anymore.

• Cross reference the OU Libraries lexicon document and verify that all defined language is correct in your content.

Completing the audit

Once each page has been reviewed and necessary edits have been made, content maintainers can clear the flag for the audit (uncheck the box) to signal that they have completed the task. Be sure to save!

All content that you need to review will be in the “Needs Annual Review” section. Please work through all content here and make sure the box has been unchecked and save all of these items.

My Content Section

Under “My Content”, you will find all of your approved and published pages, including information about the page title, content type, and date that it was last edited.

You can click the title to view the content, sort by various columns, and click "edit" to edit the specific content item. 

If you have a lot of pages to manage, you can use the “advanced search” link to easily locate the specific page you are looking for.

This page will provide a more robust search for content. You can filter by type or search by title. 

Edit Existing Pages

Edit existing pages by going to the “My Content” section and locating the page you would like to update.

Click on the “Edit” link of that item. You will be directed to new page to edit the content. The form will look the same as when you add content, except the content data will automatically be filled in.

After editing, adding, or updating content, scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Save”.

A quick reminder: when editing content, all changes and updates are live on the site once you save it since this page is already published. If you would like to put your page back to “Draft” status, contact web services at libwebhelp@ou.edu to un-publish a page. 

If needed, changing ownership is easy! Simply contact the web team through https://intranet.libraries.ou.edu/help and provide the contact information needed for the new content owner. 

Additional Help

If you have questions about being a content maintainer you can contact the web team for clarification through the #website-help Slack channel or https://intranet.libraries.ou.edu/help