New university web site launched Archived article from Sep 8, 2003 By Amy Vames   See also: Illustra site makes photos accessible to all The university's main Web site underwent a makeover during the summer in an effort to provide visitors with a site that is easier to navigate and more helpful. The university's main Web site underwent a makeover during the summer in an effort to provide visitors with a site that is easier to navigate and more helpful. As of Sept. 2, visitors to www.rutgers.edu see three distinct links to each of the Camden, Newark and New Brunswick/Piscataway campuses. Under each of those links are "quick links" to such frequently used sites as libraries, admissions, directions and news. "The new site serves as a gateway page for each campus' site," said Eve Burris, assistant director for Web communication in the Department of University Relations, who helped design the new site. The site also features a new search engine. "Search Rutgers" allows a user to search for people, events, buildings and departments or units all on one page, rather than having to go to separate pages, as they previously had to. Burris said research and redesign of the site began more than a year and a half ago. Through online surveys, focus groups and talks with students, faculty and staff members, creative services staff determined what Rutgers Web site users were frustrated with and what kind of information they most needed. "For example, many users said they had trouble finding maps, class schedules and the academic calendar," said Burris. As a result, that information has been made more prominent on the new site. The site also now highlights arts and culture on the campuses and how the university serves the state. University Relations also has developed templates for university departments that wish to create or redesign their own web sites. The templates provide a consistent look to university web sites. "Classes will be held this semester on how to use the templates," Burris said. — Amy Vames Illustra site makes photos accessible to all In 2001, Rutgers published the book "Illustra," a massive photographic tribute to the university, its people, its places and its history. In response to numerous requests by members of the university community for images from the book, many of "Illustra's" photos can now be downloaded from the new Illustra Online Web site, ur.rutgers.edu/illustra. "Illustra Online provides just a sampling of thousands of photos in the University Relations photo archives," said Allison Thomas, project manager with the Department of University Relations. "We wanted to make some of these beautiful images readily available to the Rutgers community," As in the book "Illustra," Illustra Online features four categories of photos. "Origins" includes photos from the Old Queen's campus; "Pathways," photos of students, faculty, alumni, research, classes, campus events and athletics; "Place," seasonal images of the Camden, Newark and New Brunswick campuses; and "Arrival," photos from commencement. Visitors to the site can now download such photos as the original Queen's College charter or the Institute of Jazz Studies in Newark or students on the Quad in Camden. The search function on the site allows users to browse photos by subject, campus or season. Low-resolution digital images, which can be used on other Web sites or in desktop-produced publications, can be downloaded immediately at no cost. For high-resolution images, such as for a print-quality reproduction, special orders can be placed. There is a fee for high-resolution images, prints and duplicate slides. --Amy Vames

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