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Background
ELA Area Public Library is a located in Lake Zurich and has a fascinating ascension from a literature rental hub based out of a church basement into one of the area's most well-known libraries. Their involvement in the community as well as events put on inside the library to encourage participation in literature and the areas and people surrounding it have had a noticeable impact on child and adult reading. A website would allow for advertisement of local and library events as well as library hours. The card catalogue can also be accessed from the website, and hold can be processed.
Objectives
With Ten 26 design taking care of all visual design elements of the website, SYDCON was brought in to program all dynamic functionality a library website would need:
- A database that would contain all rentable items held within the library's stock
- A Content Management System developed specifically for the library which would provide the ability to update item stock and service information
- A Contact Us form
Methodology
Upon the completion of the visual design, SYDCON uses PHP whenever possible to program the website's code. This scripting language allows for the items held within the database to be pulled from the database by a user and interacted with. The CMS we develop enables a site administrator to make any updates or changes to the website without needing intense technical knowledge. ELA Area Public Library understood the terms we proposed as part of the development process for the website and agreed to our quoted task list and accompanying price. Our development team of one expert programmer instated our developmental methodology:
- All features and functionalities to be contained within the website were re-iterated with the client to ensure accuracy
- Developed the database and populated it with all library items which could be controlled through the CMS
- Finished the frontend development and displayed all database content onto the website, showed the client how to use the CMS
- Tested the functioning beta website with the client
- Delivered on our agreed date and launched the website with the client
Technical Approach
A MySQL database was used after hosting the webpage with the LAMP software stack. PHP, CSS, and HTML scripting languages were used to enable dynamic user interaction with the website itself and the database content listed within. Our CMS was developed from scratch to provide the easiest product to use.
Results
The website for ELA Area Public Library provides functions the library did not have before the website.
- Users are able to access certain database and reference information in addition to browsing the card catalogue and placing product holds online
- Site users are able to navigate the different explanatory tabs with ease and any updates desired are quick and easy to make with our CMS
- The website saves time for library-goers and has made advertising local and library events easier and more effective
We are grateful for the following areas that contributed to the success of the project:
- ELA Area Public Library's knowledge of what functionality would help their website be effective
- Ten 26 design and their creative vision and design talent
- The ability of SYDCON's development team to execute our development methodology in a timely and effective manner