Migration of Extension Publications
Action Items for Fall 2021
As distributed via Extension Leadership & Digital Education 10/6/2021
We have heard the feedback that there have been multiple requests related to publications and the migration to AgriLife Learn and that sometimes this communication has been confusing. To help alleviate that challenge and to provide more transparency about the process for the ongoing migration and updating of publications, we are writing to share (1) an overview of what will be happening with publications over the next several months and (2) a preview of the actions AgriLife Digital Education (ADE) will be requesting from your department or unit in the coming months.
Please read, internalize, and share this information with your faculty and staff as you see fit. There are some frequently asked questions at the end of this document to address questions we anticipate you may have. If you have additional questions that you feel pertain to you and others, please email Caitlyn Calvert and Stephanie Burns directly. If you have questions specific to your department or unit, please reach out to your Educational Product Specialist (EPS) for clarity.
Quarter 4 (October-December) Key Projects Overview
Now that courses and paid publications have been fully migrated to AgriLife Learn, there are two key projects related to publications happening from October to December.
- ADE will be migrating FREE publications to AgriLife Learn. This migration will begin during the month of November with a target completion data of February 28, 2022.
- ADE and Extension Leadership will identify a new physical location for the Warehouse (formerly, “bookstore”). The target timeline for this move is spring of 2022, but two things will need to happen as we end 2021 to prepare for this move.
a. ADE will begin updating any out-of-date publications (free and for fee) to ensure all inventory is up to date
b. ADE will work with departments to further identify any Warehouse inventory that will be recycled and no longer distributed at the new location
Quarter 4 Actions by Departments and Units
ADE is committed to providing a complete inventory of all current AgriLife products (courses, merchandise, and publications) for each department on or before January 31, 2022. Doing this will ensure that all departments and units will have an accurate picture of the resources they have to support programming and education, and it will align with the work of the seven pilot CPAs in building resource inventories. To do this, ADE will engage Departments and Units in a phased review of publications. This review will involve categorizing publications as keep / update / recycle based on the definitions below.
- Keep: content is accurate and up-to-date, ADA compliant, logo is current, publication was
- created or updated in the last 5 years (since 2016)
- Update: content is still relevant but needs to be updated (ex. charts/graphs/data are out-ofdate), logo needs to be updated, and/or publication is not ADA compliant
- Recycle: content is no longer relevant, industry standards have changed, or a newer publication
- has been created to replace this one.
October: Phase 1 – Review of Free Publications
By October 8th, EPS will reach out to each ADH or PL to share a spreadsheet listing all known free publications associated with their department or unit. By November 1, the ADH or PL will return the spreadsheet with each free publication listed as keep / update / recycle based on the criteria above. The ADH or PL will also identify any additional free publications from department, unit, or other sites that are not accounted for on the original spreadsheet. Questions that arise during this review process should be directed to the EPS for the department or unit.
Beginning in November, ADE will use each department/unit list to begin migrating free publications listed as “keep” or “update” to AgriLife Learn.
- Free publications listed as “keep” or “update” will be migrated to AgriLife Learn with a target completion date of February 28, 2022.
- Free publications listed as “update” will be updated and the new version will replace the previous one on AgriLife Learn by October 1, 2022.
November: Phase 2 – Review of Paid Publications
First, we want to acknowledge that we have asked departments and units to review these publications previously. Unfortunately, in that review many publications were tagged for “recycle” but were still being regularly requested from the bookstore by the public. To ensure a better process and provide departments and units with better information to make informed decisions, in early November EPS will reach out to each department or unit leader to share a spreadsheet listing all paid publications associated with that department or unit including sales data from September and October. By December 1, the department or unit leader will return the spreadsheet with each paid publication listed as keep / update / recycle based on the criteria above. Questions that arise during this review process should be directed to the EPS for the department or unit.
In December and January, ADE will use each department/unit list to remove paid publications listed as “recycle” and initiate updating of paid publications listed as “update.”
FAQs:
How can I access a free publication that used to be on the “bookstore” and is no longer there?
If you or anyone in your department/unit needs access to a free publication that was listed on the bookstore, you can contact your EPS to have a PDF copy sent to you. Once these free publications are reviewed in the month of October, ADE will begin moving free publications listed as “keep” or “update” to the AgriLife Learn website where they will once again be accessible electronically. We know this is inconvenient, but it is a necessary step for us to review these publications to ensure that AgriLife Learn represents only content that is accurate and relevant from each department.
What will happen to publications we decide to recycle or need to update?
Hard copies of publications listed as “recycle” will be destroyed and the publication will no longer be listed on AgriLife Learn. If the author or department would like to maintain a PDF copy of the publication for their records, they may request it from their EPS.
Publications listed as “update” will be maintained on AgriLife Learn until the updated version is available. As these publications are updated, the new version will be uploaded to replace the previous version.