The Challenge
In 2021, DSFederal was tasked with managing and modernizing fourteen Drupal websites for the National Agricultural Library (NAL). NAL is the world’s largest collection of agricultural information, offering the public access to scholarly literature and data funded by the Department, as well as digitized access to special collections.
The scope of work included:
- Site migration from Drupal 7 to Drupal 9
- The development of new sites & maintenance of existing sites
- Ensuring compliance with USDA IT modernization mandates, Section 508 accessibility standards, and USWDS guidelines
Background
NAL’s web environment included a mix of Drupal 7, 8, and 9 sites, Blacklight applications, and multiple library systems such as the Unified Repository (UR), Voyager, AGRICOLA, and Cogito Auto Indexing. Each of these systems had its own distinct architecture and user requirements, making their integration complex. Several of the platforms were outdated, with security vulnerabilities which required immediate mitigation while maintaining adherence to strict Federal compliance standards. At the same time, the sites needed to maintain their high performance throughout the Drupal migrations. Given the large volumes of data, this would require careful planning and execution to ensure there would be no gaps in service.
Our Approach
To meet NAL’s objectives, DSFederal took a strategic approach, utilizing Agile methodology and PMBOK® guidelines and establishing a culture of proactive communication with stakeholders for efficient decision-making throughout the project. This included the establishment of daily stakeholder meetings and bi-weekly training sessions for NAL staff.
Design and Migration
DSFederal’s team of Drupal experts successfully migrated four distinct, critical NAL websites (I5K, LCA Commons, Ag Data Commons, GeoData) from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8 and 9. The team simplified the overall website design and migration process, delivering an improved and refreshed look with consistent branding across all NAL sites 15 days ahead of schedule. From there, we streamlined data transfers across multiple NAL Drupal 9 websites by performing ETL services, enhancing functionality through custom modules, and ensuring seamless upgrades from Drupal 8 to 9, once again meeting objectives ahead of schedule. To improve usability and accessibility, we rearchitected the Drupal WCMS using Agile principles. We also developed and implemented the NAL Base Theme. This effort standardized design across platforms and websites, ensured compliance with USWDS standards, and introduced user-friendly features like a custom dropdown menu for improved navigation.
O&M and Security
DSFederal provided O&M support across the fourteen NAL Drupal websites. We conducted two- or four-week sprints and followed a DevOps model for code management and deployment. Our team added features to the websites, fixed issues, applied module and Drupal core updates, and retired outdated and unnecessary sites. As part of the O&M for NAL applications (NALDC, PubAg, and OpenAgricola), we performed bug fixes, remedied Section 508 compliance issues, and regularly updated Solr configurations. Additionally, we updated these applications to new versions of Ruby and Blacklight as needed while supporting the modernization and cloud migration to Azure cloud.
To address security concerns, DSFederal identified and mitigated vulnerabilities, applying regular updates, security patches and bug fixes. We also kept NAL applications operating effectively and maintained them at proper service, security levels and software versions.
The Outcome
At project conclusion, DSFederal delivered significant improvements for NAL’s overall web environment. Thanks to the team’s proactive approach, the website refresh was completed ahead of schedule, making it one of the few USDA agencies to meet the USDA IT modernization effort deadline.
Specific accomplishments included:
- Development and implementation of the NAL Drupal Base Theme ensuring seamless branding, improved searchability, and optimized content management
- Streamlined operations and improved security
- Seamless data migration of websites to Drupal 9
- Full Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 compliance
- Enhanced end user experience
- Implementation of ETL services, data pipelines, and machine-learning-based document clustering for improved data organization and accessibility
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