The term Content Management System (hereafter referred to as a CMS in an effort to conserve virtual trees and the author's fingers) refers to a broad category of tools which help organizations manage their digital content. In our (less tautological and more specific) case we're referring to tools that let folks create and manage websites in an integrated fashion from the comfort of their web browsers.
Website creation traditionally followed a process that went something like this. Create html document in a text editor (or a program that provides helpful props like Dreamweaver or FrontPage) on your desktop computer. Move said document onto the 'server' via cryptic techniques like 'ftp'. Make corrections as needed with your desktop computer, shuffling the updated files onto the server--replacing the old ones in the process.
This process can work quite well for small websites with a single author. But as sites grow and multiple authors are involved it becomes cumbersome. From the simple mechanics of "who's got the current copy of file x", to more difficult problems like how to ensure a consistent navigation scheme (not to mention 'look-and-feel') across the site, the traditional approach offers no solutions.
CMS's provide environments where these sorts of problems have been explicitly addressed in a manner that allows folks with information to get it up on the web with minimal worry about mechanics. CMS's can help authors follow current best practices in website design (information architecture, use of web standards, accessibility, etc...) without requiring them to know the gory technical details (or even to know that they are following best practices). Authors can focus on putting good information up and leave the technical details to the CMS (or the CMS's administrators).
These pages outline how to use Serckit, the SERC CMS to create web pages for projects whose websites reside on SERC's servers. Both Serckit and this documentation are evolving continuously. Check back often. If you have questions about the documentation or Serckit itself don't hesitate to get in touch (sfox@carleton.edu). Without further ado...how to actually use Serckit.
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