The article discusses the layout and organization of the new website for the Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine (BYGL) Newsletter. The new site [ bygl.osu.edu ] was designed by the OSU inVirtual Perspective Team. Weekly content is provided by members of the Ohio State University Extension Nursery Landscape Turf team, assisted by Cheryl Fischnich who handles the posting of all content into the BYGL’s new content management system.

The new site, was developed using the content management system, JOOMLA!. This system has been used by the inVP team to design new online homes for OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program, OSU Buckeye Turf Program, Ohio Bioproducts Innovation Center, Center for Multifunctional Polmer Nanomaterials and Devices, and the American Society for Horticultural Science. The new site complements the timely news stories being written by the authors through the use of attractive photos, RSS news feeds, and direct links to various bookmarking and news story tagging services.

Link: Educational Update for May, 2008

As a prolific web design innovator, the inVirtual Perspective (inVP) Technology Team designs, develops and implements systems for authoring, publishing and archiving digital content. Tim Rhodus and his team primarily develop system tools in two areas: information management and communication. These robust systems help Ohio State faculty and staff author, publish, distribute and archive educational content and information, including news, technical tips, notes, career profiles and courses. The online systems provide 24/7 access to pertinent information while saving money though the elimination of printing and mailing costs. The team’s work adds value to the department through is ability to manage, publish, and distribute content efficiently and effectively.

Communication Systems

The Horticulture & Crop Science (H&CS) Department currently benefits from the use of two communications systems for increasing outreach while lowering costs. A number of H&CS research and outreach programs also benefit from communications systems designed by the team.

The inVP Team developed an online communication system for authoring and publishing illustrated news stories about people, places and programs across the department. The “From The Chair” News system has replaced the traditional printed and mailed industry newsletters. H&CS is now able to maintain communications with over 6,000 stakeholders, alumni and friends across numerous commodity groups for a fraction of the cost of designing, printing, and mailing a comprehensive monthly newsletter. In addition to lowering the costs of staying in touch with our clients, the fully illustrated “From The Chair” News (now called Ohio State HCS News) is accessible to everyone on the Internet.

The News communication system replaces the production of an 8-page monthly newsletter that would cost $6,000 to design, print and mail to the current 6,000 stakeholders. The shift of News from print to online production and delivery thus saves the department over $70,000 per year and has saved H&CS over $350,000 in the past five years.

A second communication system developed by the inVP team publishes H&CS recruitment materials for prospective students. The enPlant – Awesome Plant Science Careers website introduces prospective students to the careers opportunities afforded to graduates of plant science programs. This online communication system delivers over 100 career profiles of Ohio State alumni and friends in ten different career categories. The equivalent of creating ten different 8-page glossy brochures featuring OSU alumni profiles, the enPlant website is a dynamic, multimedia resource that Outreach Specialist Mary Rose Molinaro uses to attract students to H&CS. Instead of packaging costly mailers, Molinaro directs over 1,000 prospective students per year to the website. This communication system has saved the department $20,000 of design, print and mailing costs in five years time.

The inVP team also developed an online timely technical tips system for use by various members of the H&CS Turfgrass Science program. This Internet-based communication system is an educational platform that provides the equivalent information of a 4-page monthly newsletter. Karl Danneberger has been using the system since March 2001 to distribute over 350 illustrated TurfNotes articles to a list of 800 subscribers who are turfgrass professionals on golf courses throughout Ohio and around the globe. To communicate with this audience via a newsletter would cost Dr. Danneberger over $7,200 per year in printing and mailing costs. As such, the TurfNotes communication system has saved him over $35,000 during the past five years. Because this communication system is public and available via the Internet many other turgrass professionals access these educational postings throughout the year.

Another outreach program that benefits from a similar communication system is SportsNotes, an Sports Turf Extension effort led by Pam Sherratt. Since August 2001, Sherratt has published over 250 illustrated SportsNotes articles via the communication system built by the inVP team. By using the online system instead of a printed newsletter, Sherratt has reached a wider audience that spans the globe. She currently saves $6,000 per year by authoring content on through the online communication system. Her total savings over five years equals $30,000.

Information Management Systems

In addition to communication systems, the inVP Team also designs information management systems that help clients organize, catalog and archive records, documents, and collections.

A significant number of information management systems have been implemented by the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS). As Editor of Digital Information Resources for ASHS, Dr. Rhodus has guided the society toward better management of information. Along with a system wide upgrade to the Macintosh platform, Rhodus has transitioned ASHS away from paper-based systems to online elections, membership renewals, conference management, and member services. In addition to saving on the costs of printing and mailing numerous communication pieces throughout the year, ASHS saves money in personnel costs by using the tools Rhodus developed. ASHS Executive Director Mike Neff estimates the savings to be more than $100,000 per year. ASHS has saved in excess of $300,000 in the three years since Rhodus was tapped to help streamline the information management of the society.

In 2002, the inVP Team developed an online record keeping system for Master Gardener Volunteers (MGV) in Ohio to report their activities involving volunteer and continuing education service. To date, approximately 30,000 activities have been entered in the system by roughly one third of the volunteers. If all 3,576 active members throughout Ohio were utilizing the system to report their volunteer and continuing education activities, Extension would save the equivalent of a full-time staff person, estimated value of $40,000 per year and possess a fully-documented Master Gardener Volunteer program. Over the past five years, an estimated savings of $200,000 would have been realized.

Cumulative impacts of the inVP Technology Team for the past year include savings of $74,000 (HCS Department), $13,000 (Turf Program), $100,000 (ASHS) and $40,000 (Master Gardener Volunteers) for a total savings of $227,000. Over the past five years, these savings multiply to $935,000.

Allen Reichert – “Twentieth Century Literature”

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Linka McMaken – “Mary L. Cook Public Library Veterans History Project”

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Ann Hutchison – “Digital Scrapbooking”

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More tutorials will be developed following the same approach.

One of the goals of this project is to assist OHIONET-member libraries and librarians develop community building programs using a variety of resources, many of which are tagged or authored by patrons.

See: OSU Virtual Branch Wiki