RDW’s iFactory Puts Oxford Resource Online

BOSTON RDW Group’s iFactory unit has completed the design and development of the new online edition of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, produced by the Oxford University Press.

Researchers can use the Web site to find an illustrated collection of more than 50,000 biographies detailing the lives of individuals who have shaped all facets of Great Britain’s history, including artists, scientists, explorers, performers, religious leaders and doctors.

“The challenge of presenting an online edition with so many search entry possibilities is like building a museum with a million doors,” said Alen Yen, president and creative director of iFactory.

The goal was to translate the print product into a readily searchable online tool through more than 95 million words spanning more than 2,400 years of British history.

The resulting site, www.oxforddnb.com, allows users to search biographies by name, date of birth, date of death, historic impact, political office, occupation and other categories.

Boston-based iFactory, which also works for Boston’s Museum of Science, Harvard University, Reuters Media and Yale Law School, is a division of RDW in Providence, R.I., an independent ad agency.

—Adweek staff report