www.eiu.edu


Challenge

Prior to adopting the Acalog ACMS as delivery platform and management solution for its academic catalogs, EIU was publishing its catalogs as PDF files on the Internet. While recognizing that PDF documents can be a useful way to provide printed materials over the Internet, the university also acknowledged that its students and other campus communities wanted an online catalog with more flexibility – a truly searchable catalog that did not have to be downloaded to be viewed.

Catalog managers were pleasantly surprised to find that the Acalog ACMS would not only provide the Internet experience they knew their constituent communities expected, but that the ACMS also includes a full-featured back end management system in which to build, organize, edit, and archive academic catalog content for both print and the Internet in a single location.


Solution

After winning in a comprehensive RFP bidding process mandated by the State of Illinois, Digital Architecture consultants were engaged to transition the PDF versions of EIU's undergraduate and graduate catalogs, a task which was accomplished in less than six weeks.

The new catalog "Gateway" provides exactly the advanced features students and others were looking for: advanced search; a portfolio to save favorite courses and programs for later reference or to share with family; a highly standardized and intuitive navigation; and a flexible interface that seamlessly integrates with the University website.

EIU went online with the Acalog ACMS in June of 2004.