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CTSDH Seeks Freelance Web Developer for New Project

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Gerard Manley Hopkins Official Website

August 2016

 

About:

Francis Fennell, Professor of English Emeritus, and the Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities (CTSDH) at Loyola University Chicago solicit proposals for the development of a website and accompanying social media feeds (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) dedicated to the life and work of the English poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J. (1844-1889). 

 

Goals:

The goals of this project are to create a site that:

  • facilitates discovery and conversation about the life and poetry of Hopkins;
  • provides a platform for hosting existing content and linking to external websites
  • creates and integrates a range of social media feeds (Facebook, Twitter) dedicated to disseminating information and fostering discussion about Hopkins;
  • is easily found via web search engines and is accessible to lay and specialist audiences;
  • and can be administered by CTSDH-affiliated faculty, staff and interns after the development phase comes to an end.

 

Specifications:

We are looking for someone with familiarity and experience with web design and development for this project.  The site should be developed in a LAMP stack content management system, such as Drupal or WordPress, which can be supported by one of Loyola University Chicago’s servers.

 

This position will develop a platform to support, ingest, and display:

  • Multi-media content:about the life and work of Gerard Manley Hopkins, such as .jpeg, html, pdf, including:
    • Image Gallery and metadata for photographs: of the poet, close friends, scenes related to his life and poetry.
    • Internal content (html/XML) as well as ability to link externally to other online versions and platforms of Hopkins’s
    • Audio Recordings: ability to support audio files
    • User Community: “Ask a Scholar”: a monitored chat room or forum designed for students to ask Hopkins scholars time-sensitive questions about the poet and his work.
    • Store: an e-commerce component that facilitates the purchase Hopkins books, CDs, t-shirts, sweatshirts, coffee mugs, etc.
    • Blog or Bulletin Board: with new book releases, calls for conference papers and special issues of journals, updates on scholarly projects, etc.
    • Development of and integration of external social media feeds, including Facebook and Twitter

 

Qualifications:

  • Ability to work with project team to review current content, develop workflow for future project interns, staff, and administrators
  • Excellent oral and written skills to communicate across technical and non-technical team members
  • Significant experience with front-end development and knowledge of web development standards
  • Ability to take initiative and work successfully in a collaborative environment

 

Submit:

Interested designers are requested to submit:

 

  • A detailed proposal for the design and implementation of the website with an estimated timeline for completion. The proposal should identify what needs to be created as part of the architecture of the website as well as the content generation and administrative needs of the site after the completion of the project. Plans for testing and evaluating the site should also be included.
  • A CV and a short statement of the designers’ experience with web and social media design, including examples of sites designed; aptitude with social media; and proficiency in different web platforms.  If the designer is not Chicago-based, a statement of any perceived challenges in working from a distance is appreciated. 

 

Budget:  $12,000 

 

Timeline: Proposals requested by 31 August 2016. Work ideally to begin by early September 2016. Work ideally completed by January 2017 so that the site can be tested over the spring semester.

 

Questions: Please direct any questions about content of the site to Prof. Francis Fennell (ffennel@luc.edu) and about technical concerns and requirement to Prof. Kyle Roberts (kroberts2@luc.edu). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities

Loyola Hall ▪ Loyola University Chicago ▪ Chicago, IL 60660

luctsdh@luc.edu