As library units become interested in becoming Information Providers with their own home pages, the WWW Implementation Committees will provide training and ongoing support, and provide a centrally-managed Cornell University Library homepage and links to common resources such as the online catalog, library hours, system-wide policies, etc. Information Providers are defined as Cornell University Library units, departments and other formal organizational entities. Department heads who receive an Cornell University Library WWW account accept responsibility for the creation and ongoing maintenance of the information contained in their Web pages, even if development is actually accomplished through the efforts of one or more individuals in the unit.

The following "Rights and Responsibilities" are intended to ensure a useful web environment for users across disciplines, and to support and encourage CUL units to become WWW Information Providers. Anyone having questions regarding the CUL Public WWW Site should contact Paul Constantine, Olin Kroch Uris Reference Services Division, at 255-3319 or pjc6@cornell.edu.

1. Information Providers will receive accounts, computer storage space, technical support and training, and design consultation as needed.

2. Information Providers will control the design, content and presentation of information contained in their Web site, within the constraints of the Cornell University Library WWW standards and guidelines. These standards and guidelines, which are still under development, can be found at http://www.library.cornell.edu/design/dsigndoc.html

1. Information Providers are responsible for seeing that the information in their pages is consistent with the goals of the Cornell University Library Public WWW Site: to provide information in support of research and instruction to faculty, staff and students of Cornell University and to scholars worldwide. Home pages describing personal interests of individuals should be developed elsewhere.

2. Information Providers are also responsible for understanding that the information they put in their pages will be read by many different constituencies and groups. Information that may be completely accurate, appropriate, and useful for a particular group of users may sometimes result in questions or unintentional controversy when viewed by users with different perspectives. The WWW Policy Committee will work with Information Providers to ensure that information that appears in Cornell University Library WWW is consistent with the general goals and statements of the Cornell University Library as an institution.

1. Upon application to the Library Technology Division {LTD}, Unit and Department Heads will be given accounts and space on the Library server. Heads who receive an account are responsible for the creation and ongoing maintenance of the information contained in their Web pages, even if development is actually accomplished through the efforts of one or more individuals in the unit.

   The application process (Thanks to Bill Turner of LTD):

   How to contact LTD

   Please send all communications to LTD-L@CORNELL.EDU. These requests will be handled by whoever is on call.

   What LTD needs from you

   We need to know the name and contact information of the department or unit head making the request, as well as the name of the department. Both e-mail address and telephone number are needed. If the department or unit head has designated another staff member to be the department's webmaster, we will need name and contact information for that person, too.

   It would be best if a directory name is included in the request. This is important because the directory name will be part of the URL, and (for example) "http://www.library.cornell.edu/music" is easier to remember and use than "http://www.library.cornell.edu/ml". The server (by default) looks for a file named "home.html" if no file name is specified in the URL, so if you follow that convention, the directory name is all you'll need in your URL. If you don't suggest a directory name, we'll make our best guess.

   What LTD provides

   Once we receive the request, we will create the account, allocate 20 MB of disk space (yes, you can have more if you need it), and notify the dept. head and any webmaster(s) that it is available. We will tell you the password over the phone rather than by e-mail. You can change the password as you wish.

   Data on the server is backed up nightly, and if you should need to restore lost or damaged files, contact us through ltd-l. We will also do things such as change your directory name, or assign a new password if you forget yours.

   We recommend creating your HTML files on your own workstation, then FTP'ing them to the WWW server. The server is a Unix machine, and the vi editor is available if anyone should prefer to log on using Telnet and edit a file directly on that machine. We don't offer consulting services on HTML - you'll have to get that from the Library's WWW Design and Developers teams.

2. Members of the Library's WWW Design and Developers teams will be available for training and support in the creation of Web pages and use of the server. For assistance with design-related issues, contact Patricia O'Neill (peo1@cornell.edu) and with technical issues, including those regarding the server itself, contact Tony Cosgrave (ajc5@cornell.edu); they will arrange training and/or consultation as needed.

3. When Web pages are ready for testing, they should be mounted on the server. Patricia O'Neill should be notified; she will distribute the URL to the Web Design Subcommittee's Listserv -- DESIGN-L. They will review and test the pages for a period of one week. Their feedback will be posted to the list and passed on to the pages' developer should s/he not be subscribed to the list. After evaluating the comments received and implementing any changes, the URLs may be released to the public. Public release of the URL constitutes the page's move from test to production.

Revised January 10, 1997
Web Implementation Committee, Cornell University Library
Michael Engle
URL: http://www.library.cornell.edu/design/policy.html