PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the creation of a content management system (CMS) for the Kent State University Libraries & Media Services web site. It describes the requirements for the site and for the CMS, the CMS architecture and components.Design/methodology/approachThis paper describes the genesis and architecture of a locally‐written CMS that is strongly focused on metadata.FindingsA review of local, library‐specific needs combined with a review of the product universe resulted in the decision to write a local CMS.Practical implicationsIncludes enumerated goals and requirements for a database‐driven and metadata‐focused web site.Originality/valueDescribes the creation of tools for data management in a locally‐written CMS.