Picture Picks Are Now Quicker
By Fran Rensbarger
Finding photos of campus personalities and events just got easier thanks to
Electronic Publications' new Viewfinder, an interactive database of university
pictures that provides a convenient means to preview and download images. Photos
can be downloaded for free in a low-resolution format suitable for web use or
ordered through the user interface in a higher-resolution publication format.
A fee may be charged to obtain print-quality copies of pictures. In addition,
Viewfinder can be accessed from any web browser on or off campus.
"We now have a universal system for accessing photographs that eliminates
phone calls, having to reach a particular individual, and having to browse through
endless CDs. Viewfinder reduces the search time because of its efficient database
and interface design," says Paras Kaul, coordinator for Electronic Publications.
"It is consistent with our goal to provide one-stop shopping for all your
photography needs."
Viewfinder's keyword search is a timesaving feature of the new web application,
designed by Electronic Publications' Jason Royes. To find one of more than a thousand
photographs taken by University Relations photographers, users can browse or search
the entire selection, use keywords, go to a particular publication by name, or
select from a list of categories and subcategories. The site also incorporates
a shopping cart feature and an online form to facilitate ordering. Each photo
comes with a caption.
Because Viewfinder is such a universal timesaver for campus users, as well
as the outside community, Kaul thinks other universities may be interested in
this photographic web application. Though time-consuming in programming, the project
used tools that were relatively inexpensive. Viewfinder runs on a Linux server
and is written in PHP, an efficient, feature-rich, and free programming language.
"We're looking into possible ways to market Viewfinder to other universities,"
Kaul says.
Viewfinder can be found at viewfinder.gmu.edu.
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