A. General Policies

1. You will be contacted when your request for a new instance of Omeka, OJS, or WordPress has been accepted by the DSG. After your request has been accepted, we ask that you please allow at least two weeks for the installation of the service.
2. The DSG will provide all standard installations of Omeka, OJS, and WordPress free of charge. More advanced installations of these services may not be covered by the budget of the DSG, but can be provided on a cost-recovery basis whenever possible.
3. All instances of Omeka, OJS, and WordPress provided by the DSG will come with a pre-installed set of plugins (TBD). If you anticipate needing additional plugins to support the goals of your project, please inform the DSG in order to access training and support. Based on the current expertise within the DSG, support for additional plugins may not be available immediately. The DSG will work closely with projects to make sure that their unique needs are supported whenever possible.
4. All data and content related to the project and the service being provided will be stored on remote disk.
5. The DSG will facilitate the backup of all data and content whenever it is requested at no additional cost to your project.
6. You will be provided with a separate, self-contained instance of the service you are requesting. Projects will never be required to share their instances of Omeka, OJS, or WordPress with any other projects supported by the DSG.
7. The designated service administrator for any Omeka or WordPress instance is not required to have a sponsored account with Northeastern University unless the administrator needs direct server access.
8. Development servers for Omeka, OJS, and WordPress will not be provided for DSG-supported instances. All development work for installations can be performed in Vagrant or xAMP.
 

B. For Omeka

1. A designated site administrator is required for all DSG Omeka instances. Site administrators will have access to the following features:

  • Adding new users
  • Changing permissions for users
  • Changing privacy settings
  • Activating themes

2. Site administrators are encouraged to either attend a tutorial session or complete a self-guided tutorial for Omeka. The DSG can provide supplementary guidance and support but does not offer Omeka specific tutorials.
3. The URL for your Omeka instance must be chosen carefully, as it cannot be changed later. (Example: http://omekasites.neu.edu/projectname/)
4. Special arrangements will be made if your project requires Neatline support.
 

C. For Open Journal Systems

1. Potential OJS users are required to agree to the University Libraries’ Memorandum of Understanding for OJS, in addition to the general policies outlined above, prior to receiving their instance of OJS.
2. The URL for your OJS instance must be chosen carefully, as it cannot be changed later. (Example: http://openjournals.neu.edu/journalname)
 

D. For WordPress

1. WordPress instances supported by the DSG will only be available to projects currently affiliated with the DSG. Projects not affiliated with the DSG can access WordPress installations and support through other departments on campus, such as Information Technology Services.
2. The intended use of a DSG-supported WordPress instance must be consistent with the DSG’s mission.
3. A designated site administrator is required for all DSG WordPress instances. Site administrators will have access to the following features:

  • Adding new users
  • Changing permissions for users
  • Changing privacy settings
  • Activating themes

4. WordPress site administrators are encouraged to either attend a tutorial for WordPress or complete a self-guided tutorial for WordPress. The DSG can provide supplementary guidance and support but does not offer WordPress specific tutorials.
5. The URL for your WordPress instance must be chosen carefully, as it cannot be changed later. (Example: http://dsgsites.neu.edu/projectname/)
 

E. Policy Changes

The policies stated above are subject to change as the DSG continues to develop. Project directors, project managers, and designated site administrators for projects receiving any of the above services will be notified in the event of any policy changes that will affect their projects.