Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The Final Blog

Well, I guess this is it. 672 and 675 went fast - but I learned a lot. I remember being concerned when 672 started that my computer skills weren't up to the challenge, and that I would fall behind and never catch up. Fortunately that didn't happen, and both courses exceeded my expectations (including those I had for myself).

My 675 take-aways can basically be summarized in two categories: familiarity with the process of installing and manipulating CMS', and knowledge gained on how to select an appropriate CMS for a given collection. Both of these are equally important, but the second one in particular has lasting ramifications. Choosing the wrong CMS for a project can lead to huge financial and labor expenses if the effort is made to switch platforms. Looking at various CMS' provided the opportunity to see how they work, how they differ, and examine strengths and weaknesses of each. Additionally, practice installing the software was vital, although I must admit that I still lack confidence that I could install a fully functioning production environment.

I don't pretend to be prepared to lead a full-scale collection development project. If that was the goal of 672/675, then I apologize for failing in this regard. However, I think I can contribute to researching CMS', assist with installation and administration, and help establish the beginnings of a digital collection. In other words, I consider myself entry-level in terms of creating an IR. I do, however, believe I have a solid foundation to expand on, and look forward to increasing my knowledge, contributing to a production IR, and achieving greater levels of responsibility in creating/administering/managing institutional digital collections.

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