Issue #13

8/23/2024

Forms & Functions

Hello, librarians!

Have you ever visited a website and simply wanted to ask a question, but found no way to do so? If you’re like me, you might leave the site feeling annoyed and excluded.

You can easily avoid that situation with your library website!

Online forms are a convenient way to allow for directed input by site users, and adding a contact form as outlined in the previous WP Express Tips newsletter is the easiest way to open that line of communication for your patrons.

Now, let’s take a look at some other options.

Sharon Barnes, SCKLS Technology Consultant

What do you need?

Customized forms with different fields may require the installation of a plugin; your choice will depend on your needs. There are many form plugins to choose from; while each one is a little different, they all provide for the creation of custom forms for various uses.

(If you'd like a quick reminder about plugins, see the recent newsletter on that topic!)

Some of those uses include:

ILL requests or purchase suggestion forms

Simple event registration, such as for Summer Reading activities

When a library offers a series of events for which they need individual signups, a registration-specific plugin might be a better fit.

Voting or poll responses
Custom data gathering, such as this simple StoryWalk® form, which users access at one of the stations along the walking path by scanning a QR code with a phone

What happens next?

When a site user fills out and submits a form, it can trigger an email with the form contents sent to the specified library email address, and/or generate an acknowledgement message to the submitter.

The same 'Submit' button also sends that data to the website, where it is stored in a list of form entries or submissions; these can usually be exported as a spreadsheet.

Both formats are helpful! The librarian sees right away in their email inbox that there is a new submission, and can respond as needed.

And having the list available in the back end of the website allows for collecting and sorting responses that were submitted over a period of time.

Plugins

After deciding what kind of forms you will use, select a form plugin that is a good fit for your needs. Consider the following:

Setup options
Types of fields available
Number of fields available in a free version
Any other restrictions or limits in a free version

But don't slog through a long list trying to pick one! Instead, contact Sharon to discuss which plugin might best fit your needs.

Security

As mentioned in the previous issue, spam is always a consideration.

One way to help prevent spam submissions is to insert a reCaptcha or other human-verification tool if one is available through your plugin.

Disclaimer

WordPress is a versatile platform, but was never primarily intended as a mail server. So there can sometimes be hiccups in the process of sending email messages such as those generated by form submissions. There is a solution, though!

Adding and configuring an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) plugin is a one-time task that will fix that problem. The setup is not particularly straightforward, so please contact SCKLS staff for plugin suggestions and assistance.

Once you have your service configured, you won’t have to think about it again – and you won’t miss important form submissions!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about your website,

please reach out to me at sharon@sckls.info.

If you have missed any previous issues, you can now read them online.

Sharon Barnes, SCKLS Technology Consultant

sharon@sckls.info

1-800-234-0529 x135