The Walter P. Reuther Library of Labor and Urban Affairs is pleased to announce the launch of its new Web site at [url]http://www.reuther.wayne.edu[/url].
The new site offers a more modern design and improved navigation, as well as enhanced access to Reuther Library holdings through a comprehensive list of open collections with abstracts. Access to audiovisual collections has been significantly expanded with image galleries and streamed audio of select oral histories and speeches. In the near future, finding aids for all open collections as well as a complete list of periodical holdings will be available through the online collection list.
Built using Web 2.0 technology, the site focuses on the ability for people to collaborate and share information online with tools such as Delicious, Facebook, Digg, and Technorati. It also emulates many aspects of high-end integrated library systems without the recurring fees associated with licensing, technical support, and maintenance. The core component of the new site is Drupal, an open-source content management system that relies on a triad of established open-source software - Apache, MySQL, and PHP. Additional software such as JQuery, Swish-e, GD, and ID3 libraries integrate with Drupal to augment content delivery of image galleries, audio collections, and fully indexed (full-text searchable) files. In short, the site matches expensive "off-the-shelf" functionality without the need to make a single software purchase.
These exciting changes will continue to improve how the Reuther interacts with its patrons, donors, and the community. Please contact Paul Neirink, (313) 577-6865 or [mailto]ap0419@wayne.edu[/mailto], with any questions or comments regarding the new Web site.