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LMD Pushes the Envelope with Innovative New Website for UM Department of English

LAUREL, MD—September 9, 2010—Who says 18th century literature can’t be innovative and engaging? Take a look at the new, LMD-designed University of Maryland Department of English website (www.english.umd.edu), and you’ll immediately know: this isn’t your grandmother’s English program.

The redesigned website not only positions the Department of English as a world-class leader in English and literature studies with top-ranked faculty and a student-focused atmosphere—it also showcases the latest and greatest technology, providing a fun experience for visitors. LMD designed a clean, pragmatic, user-friendly website that enhances the visitor experience through intuitive, audience-based navigation, clearly organized content, and a consistent design treatment with a color palette that complements the University’s colors. The home page includes dynamic content featuring news and events as well the Department’s highly regarded faculty and their work.

“The new Department of English website serves as an easy-to-use resource for students, faculty, and the general public seeking information through its user-friendly navigation and organized content,” said Kent Cartwright, department chair.

Upping the “cool factor,” the website automatically filters site content and places it in relevant sections for cross-referencing. Users interested in a particular topic can access all of the relevant content on one page—including upcoming events and lectures, published work from students and faculty, and newsletter articles. Plus, each section of the site is managed by the appropriate people, not one general webmaster. This helps ensure that content stays accurate, relevant, and up-to-date. What’s even cooler? A unique implementation of Drupal’s Panels module allows those responsible for certain sections great flexibility in content placement, using a drag-and-drop interface.

Other unique features include:

• Area Groups—Students, faculty, and staff who are interested in a particular topic can connect with others interested in that topic, read related publications, and access relevant upcoming events.
  
  
• Interpolations online journal—Students submit essays (both written and multimedia presentations including audio, video, and slideshows) to a review board to be published in Interpolations. All essays can be submitted, published, and posted using the Department website. The index of publications allows readers to “turn” the pages and post comments on the published essays and presentations.
  
  
• Lecture Series—Lectures from various speakers are indexed and searchable—this section includes the same functionality as the Area Groups, but with a unique look-and-feel.
  
  
• Bywords Newsletter—Users can peruse a complete library of newsletters, and even search through the archive for items of interest.
  
  

The Department’s website is not only easy for visitors to navigate—it’s also easy for administrators and authors to maintain and update it. The site is built on the Drupal content management system (CMS), an open source, PHP-based CMS and web framework. The CMS implementation allows Department staff to delegate content updates while maintaining centralized control. The CMS enables authorized users to quickly and easily update content through a password-protected area.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
As one of the largest departments at the University of Maryland, the Department of English serves 800 English majors, 135 English minors, and 250 graduate students in three graduate programs. The Department also houses the University’s Academic Writing Program, Professional Writing Program, and the Writing Center.

ABOUT LMD
LMD is a results-driven branding, marketing, and design firm that has served local, regional, and national clients for more than 30 years. By delivering proven marketing strategies, innovative design solutions, and outstanding client service, LMD gives clients the tools to know their markets, sow the seeds of marketing success, and grow their businesses. Learn more about us at http://www.lmdagency.com.

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