27 Apr 15 Investigating a New ALA Connect

ALA has decided to move ALA Connect from its current Drupal environment to an externally-hosted community platform. We’ve fast-tracked this project in the hope we can launch the new version this fall.

Important things to know as we move forward:

• We are committed to maintaining the Connect service and importing all current Connect content into the new system.
• ADA-compliance will continue to be at the top of our list of requirements.
• We will replicate as much of the current functionality as makes sense and is possible, with the addition of new features such as member matching (find members who match my interests), group matching (find groups that match my interests), digital badges for member profiles, and more community-based features.
• Non-ALA members will still be able to participate on the site, albeit with less access than ALA members, just like in the current Connect.

As we write a RFP for the new system and select a vendor, we’re including feedback throughout the process from both ALA staff and the ALA Website Advisory Committee (WAC). We’ll be posting the RFP and updates about our progress, so keep an eye on the ITTS News blog and the ALAConnect Twitter account.