SharePoint for Libraries: Streamlining Your Intranet Management

1. Sarah Houghton-Jan Digital Futures Manager, San Jose Public Library Shannon Staley Digital Technology Librarian, San Jose State University Library SharePoint for Libraries:Streamlining Your Intranet Management

2. What is SharePoint? A robust content management system from MicroSoft offering not only decentralized editing but: • shared workspaces and document versioning • wikis and blogs • calendaring • RSS & email updates • & lots more – all in one software package

3. SharePoint has Multiple Personalities • Windows SharePoint Services (WSS)‏ • free add-on to Windows Server. Offers most SP features with some workflow limitations. • Microsoft Office SharePoint Server [standard or enterprise] (MOSS)‏ • high-end portal, complete features.

4. What is the Market Reaction to It? SharePoint is “a Swiss Army knife – best of breed solutions are available but they have a more limited range.” - Bill Ives, FASTForward

7. Similar Products • Alfresco • Central Desktop • Clearspace • Invu • O3spaces • Oracle Collaboration Suite • Nuxeo

8. Key SharePoint Benefits for Libraries • Integrate Web 2.0 into your site with one software service (more consistency, less training)‏ • Facilitate collaboration • Increase communication • Integrate with Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)‏ • Reduce email attachment glut • Remove “webmaster” bottlenecks • Return power over content to content owners

9. Feature Comparison Chart http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointtechnology/FX101758691033.aspx

10. Why SharePoint for the joint San Jose Public and State University Library? • Because of the two organizations, communication was difficult • Management wanted to increase institutional communication and collaboration • Various web 2.0 services were everywhere (each with their own interface and support needs)‏ • Intranet updates took time and taxed the Web Team

11. Designing Our Library's SharePoint presence • Involving IT, Web Team and organizational input • Piloting several small sites • Evaluating the experience • Integrating pilot sites into “new” permanent sites referenced from the intranet to ensure one port of entry • Utilizing information architecture of the intranet to avoid disparate sites with no organization • Opening up site requests to the rest of the staff

12. Our Joint Library Intranet

13. By Clicking on an Intranet Link, Users Are Taken to the SharePoint Site

14. Not All Intranet Content Requires SharePoint for Content Management We developed criteria for utilizing SharePoint through the intranet: • Needs to be updated frequently • Requires group collaboration • Other specialized information sharing

15. Accessing SharePoint • Windows Account database • Users can access sites through their own Windows login information (seamless from their own computers, manual login elsewhere)‏ • No need to create a new database of users or new usernames and passwords! Home access requires different URLs

16. Key SharePoint Features

17. Managing Documents

18. Meeting Workspaces

19. Announcements

20. Calendars

21. Blogs

22. Wikis

23. Discussions

24. Notifications • Users can sign up for alerts via RSS or Email • Each section has to be separately signed up for If on an authenticated site (e.g. Intranet), RSS feeds do not work in web-based feed readers.

25. Other Features Available • Surveys • Task Lists • Document Versioning • Document Workflows • Links • Issue Tracking • Photo Libraries

26. How easy is it to post information?

27. How easy is it to manage?

29. Some of the Neat Uses of SharePoint at Our Library So Far

34. Committee Pages

35. Branch Pages

36. Dispersed Management • IT manages the server • Web Team can assist in site set-up and provides ongoing support • Each site needs a site owner (site owners are the first stop for support)‏ • Everyone else is a site contributor

37. Training Options • Video training modules • Cheat Sheets for site owners and contributors • A list of features • Point to the online resources from others • In-person classes on demand

39. Launching SharePoint • Address the institutional change of turning over content ownership/editing • Provide sample sites for viewing • Offer training materials well in advance • Ensure that there will be no access problems • Be available for questions • Try to keep the enthusiasm going

40. Some Compatability Problems • Requires IE use (problems occur in other browsers like Firefox or Safari)‏ • Requires IE settings updates on some PCs. • Not friendly for mobile-device access • For non-Outlook users, the integration features are useless

41. Our Favorite Things about SharePoint • Provides an all-in-one package of features • On-demand, instant editing • Cuts down on email attachments • Reduces multiple document version problems • Reduces Web Team workload in the long run • Content Editor web part saves the day

42. What We Don't Like About SharePoint • Very complicated on the back-end • Product navigation not intuitive for all levels of users • RSS problems with web-based readers • Alerts have to be done one-by-one • Alerts are non-specific • Very hard to move/transfer sites once created

43. Lessons Learned • Beta never ends • Integrate SharePoint into your existing Intranet • Budget plenty of time for IT & Web Team • Start with one site that all can relate to and champion the concept

44. Unsure if this is for you?

45. Recommended Resources • Microsoft SharePoint Team Blog • CodePlex Project Directory (includes many SharePoint resources including training)‏ • SharePoint Community Portal • SharePoint Services TechNet • WSS Demo Public SharePoint Websites • SharePointKB.org • SharePoint BUZZ

46. Sarah Houghton-Jan sarah.houghton-jan@sjlibrary.org Shannon Staley shannon.staley@sjsu.edu Questions?