Maintaining Web Content
Our users expect our website to show accurate, up-to-date information. They rely on this information to do research, complete assignments, and plan visits to our buildings.
At best, stale content is an annoyance (like a broken link); at worst, stale content is a day-ruiner (like coming to campus only to find the library is closed). In both cases, stale content makes the library website unreliable.
Who makes sure the content on our website is up to date?
You do! All Libraries staff members do.
If you (or an incumbent in your role) created web content, you are responsible for maintaining it. And for website content that is related to your area of work (like guides or a /do/ page), you are the best person to maintain those pages, too.
You have edit access to most pages on our website and can update content as needed. You can also email Web Team (group-lib-webteam@ncsu.edu) for help with updating content — we’re happy to help!
What content needs to be maintained?
We divide the content on our website into two broad categories: "evergreen" content and moments-in-time.
Most of the content on the Libraries' website is "evergreen": this is content with ongoing relevance to the Libraries and our users, which we know helps to solve the problems that our users come to the Libraries to address. As such, we strive to keep it accurate and reflective of current policies and practices, keep language and links up-to-date, and ensure that the content is still broadly relevant. The home page, User Activities, Guides, and staff pages are all evergreen, and we expect that they will evolve with the Libraries' suite of spaces, services, and collections.
Some content, such as events, exhibits, blog posts, and news articles, we consider to be "moments-in-time". These reflect a slice of life in the Libraries at a particular point in the past, and (broadly speaking) are reduced in relevance to most of our users as they recede into the past.
The Web Team's focus on maintaining content is restricted to "evergreen" items. We have the expectation that the language in these documents describes current organizational practices, that they reflect naming and branding in use today, and that both internal and external links are up-to-date. Staff members associated with evergreen pages should be the most correct referral for the content in question. On the other hand, because moment-in-time content tends to have reduced relevance as it ages, we don't take particular efforts to ensure that these pages are updated regularly, and they may include broken links, outdated branding, and references to former staff or staff whose responsibilities have changed since the content was created.
How can I tell whether content is evergreen or moment-in-time?
As a general rule, content is evergreen unless it is anchored to a specific time or era. If content has the potential to solve a typical user problem today, tomorrow, in a week, in a year, it's evergreen. On the other hand, if the content addresses a specific point in the life of the Libraries, it's a moment-in-time. If you're not sure, ask the Web Team for input!
What maintaining content includes
- Fixing broken links or space names that have changed
- Replacing outdated resources in a list with more up-to-date ones
- Updating references to Libraries units, services, and employees to reflect changes to our organization and our portfolio
- Contacting other stakeholders to ask if the content is accurate
- Making it more readable with headings and plain language (tips)
- Unpublishing or deleting a page that is no longer useful (whether this is a result of the information becoming obsolete, or the page simply not getting enough visits to justify the work of maintaining it)
How content maintenance happens
The Web Team regularly revisits content on the website in the course of our work. As we encounter content that's out of date, we'll work to resolve it. In addition, we make a practice of periodically reviewing certain content areas that are prone to growing outdated (FAQs, Course Guides, Research Guides, User Activities…). We generally avoid reviewing or making changes to moment-in-time content (news articles, press releases, past events, etc.) except on request.
Regular maintenance and updates
When possible, the Web Team will make changes to content without stakeholder involvement. This includes things like building and space name changes, broken links, and staff assignments.
We may reach out to you for your input (or to request updates on your part) if we can't make the changes ourselves. For instance, if a subscription resource is canceled and a link to it in a guide now gives a 404, we rely on the subject-matter expert to identify a replacement link or to rework the content.
Content creators are also expected to regularly review and maintain their own content. You should set aside time at least once a year to go over your content, checking to make sure the information contained is accurate and relevant. If you need input or guidance, or if you decide that the content no longer needs to be included on the website, contact the Web Team and we'll be happy to help.
More substantial changes
When content hasn't been reviewed in a while, it tends to accumulate errors like broken links, outdated references, and incorrect information. In addition, a piece of content may have been written to address a user need that no longer exists, or has been addressed through other means.
When the Web Team finds content that has not received regular updates (within ~2 years) and has accumulated errors beyond what we can fix without subject specialist intervention, we may reach out to the content owner to discuss revisions. Depending on the relevance of the content and its frequency of use, the Web Team may unpublish the out-of-date content until the content owner has had a chance to update it.
Next: Content Organization