Database‐driven Web Sites

Citation

Fourie, I. (2003), "Database‐driven Web Sites", Online Information Review, Vol. 27 No. 6, pp. 453-454. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520310511919

Creating database‐driven Web pages is a widespread practice in libraries, with a growing interest in the possibilities it can offer for expanding library services and reaching larger audiences. There should, therefore, be a need to learn from the experiences of others (trails, errors, failures and successes), as well as finding answers to questions arising from the daily running of such databases. It is claimed in the publisher's marketing pamphletthat Database‐driven Web Sites is “a reference you turn to when ever you need a practical solution to your online content delivery problems!”. Although a useful publication, as I will point out, this work unfortunately does not live up to such high expectations. The two‐page index for one certainly does not support a ready reference work. Unfortunately, it closely repeats the table of contents (e.g. the entry for “Web site redesign, University of California [San Diego]”, followed by sub entries representing the various subheadings). References to the subject literature are also very basic. Only the very short chapter by Underhill and Palmer on making archival content available and the chapter by Westra on HealthLinks (a ColdFusion Web application) have extensive lists of references. There are also contributions with no references.

The aim of the book is to empower librarians to create new services that would be impossible with strictly HTML‐based Web sites. It succeeds in this by offering the stimulation to experiment with new services, and by focussing on a variety of complexities that can be addressed through a do‐it‐yourself solution or by a team approach. The book is not about technology per se, but about technology as a utility that can help in offering solutions. Commercial as well as open source software tools are described. Database‐driven Web Sites' practical nature is further strengthened by the numerous practical tips as well as links to online resources and software.

Database‐driven Web Sites consists of a collection of essays by a variety of contributors. It covers topics such as staff skill building, the building of a frequently asked questions (FAQ) database, the management of bibliographic citation software, online reference collections in collegiate libraries and the development of portal Web sites for state governments, patron services, and user‐centred databases. Interfaces to databases are very important, and are covered by several contributions, for example the contribution by Hein and Davis on the Research Wizard. The Research Wizard is a database‐driven Web application developed at the University of Nebraska at Omaha's University Library. It provides opportunities to offer patron services by running an open source PHP/MySQL framework known as iDriver, and it can deliver customized content via topical keyword access. The changing role of the OPAC also features in the contributions, for example the single Web‐based list of journals described by Platt. Currently the fragmented and duplicative presentation of library collections is creating major frustrations for users.

Database‐driven Web Sites is a well‐bounded, soft‐cover publication in A5 format. Although an interesting and useful publication, I would not recommend it as the ultimate guide with solutions to Web‐driven databases. Practising librarians could, however, find some of the developments interesting, or might be stimulated to experiment with their own projects, such as personalized portals, or the organization and description of online reference tools for a broad‐based collegiate audience.