Decision
Why we chose one way over another: options and trade-offs.
- DE001Decision2 min read
Filters that don’t lie
The number next to a filter is a promise: this is how many records you will see if you select it. Why that promise is easy to break, and how we keep it.
- DE002Decision2 min read
Why every library gets its own copy of the system
One big platform for everyone, or a separate copy for each library? We chose the second. What it cost us and what we got in return.
- DE003Decision2 min read
Security for a small system
A small library doesn’t need bank-grade security. But it does need to keep strangers out of the librarian workspace and reader data from leaking. The decisions we made to achieve that.
- DE004Decision2 min read
Delete with care: double confirmation and a trash bin
Deleting a record is the one action in the catalogue that can destroy years of work with a single click. So we made it slow. On purpose.
- DE005Decision2 min read
Custom fields: flexibility without breakage
The set of record fields mirrored our Aleph export. But times change: tomorrow you’ll need a DOI, a link to an e-version, provenance. How to let the librarian create fields and not let them accidentally break everything.
- DE006Decision2 min read
A private project under German rules
A blog about a library system seems harmless. But in Germany even a private website has mandatory pages, and a single line of font code has a court history. What we did and why.