News

New content management for U.S. Constitution kiosk

June 29, 2003

PHILADELPHIA -- This Independence Day, citizens will be able to interact with the charter that gave our nation its foundation through the National Constitution Center (NCC) Web portal. CrownPeak Technology will provide a content-management system for the public portal.

The NCC has deployed CrownPeak's Advantage CMS content management system to enable online visitors to learn about the U.S. Constitution in an exciting, interactive environment, according to a new release on Business Wire.

Established by the Constitution Heritage Act of 1988 and opening on July 4, the National Constitution Center is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of and appreciation for the Constitution.

With a state-of-the-art facility within Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park and an aggressive program of national outreach, the Center will tell the story of the U.S. Constitution through more than 100 interactive and multimedia exhibits, photographs, sculptures, texts, films and artifacts.

CrownPeak's Advantage CMS is powering the content behind the "Interactive Constitution," a combination kiosk-driven application within the physical museum and a key component of the NCC web site. Museum visitors will be able to sit at the kiosk and search on virtually any term, comparing the text of the constitution to an analysis from the book "The Words We Live By" by noted constitutional scholar Linda Monk.

Conveying information that will be viewed by millions across the country and around the world, NCC website content will require continuous updating. Advantage CMS enables non-technical personnel from different departments to manage the entire site. Additionally, both the web site and Interactive Constitution will always reflect the most current news about issues relating to the Constitution.

A news syndication feed from Pinnacor goes directly into the content management system, enabling NCC editors to publish Constitution-related news as it comes across the wire. Then, the CMS takes care of all the archiving and storage of the news items. For example, news about the Supreme Court's recent affirmative action decisions is already a part of the Interactive Constitution.

"Bringing the U.S. Constitution to life via the Internet is an awesome challenge," said Beth Twiss-Garrity, NCC's vice president of interpretation.

"The NCC engagement is exciting and important in ways that go well beyond the technical challenges," said Jim Howard, chief executive officer of CrownPeak Technology. "The presentation and preservation of the ideals on which our country is built are crucial to preserving our national heritage. The NCC's mission is to tell the story of the U.S. Constitution using various tools, including those available through information technology, and that makes it an ideal candidate for hosted content management.

He said a flexible user interface will allow different types of users: the novice user, the 'power user' and the developer will let NCC meet its commitments to the public, to scholars and to its own administrative team.