Solutions for Digital Encyclopedias and History Websites

R.Squared Communications provides consulting services to online digital encyclopedias, historical societies, humanities councils, and other organizations focused on the preservation of local, state, and national history.

Encyclopedia Content Management System (eCMS) is the only content management system and web development framework designed specifically for developing state and regional digital encyclopedias.

Since 2005, we have been heavily involved in the design, development, and implementation of online digital encyclopedias. No other organization has the experiencea and expertise that we bring to the table.  eCMS was initially developed as a fully featured application framework that allowed organizations to develop a dynamic digital encyclopedia that included articles, images, audio, video, and multimedia. Content could be organized in various ways, including:

  • Alphabet (A-Z)
  • Categories & Subcategories
  • Topics
  • Time Periods
  • Geographic Regions

The software was built specifically to create digital encyclopedias, but also offered some minimal options for managing an entire website. Over time, customers asked for more web design features. This created a problem because eCMS was so heavily focused on managing and presenting encyclopedia content. The idea of adding additional features outside of the scope of encyclopedia functionality did not fit with the mission of eCMS.

A New Solution

We began to explore our options. We wanted to continue to provide eCMS to museums, historical societies, and humanities councils, but we had to find a way to meet their web design requirements as well. This is where WordPress came into play. WordPress is, by far, the most widely used content management system (CMS) in the world. We had some experience with it on small projects and felt that it provided the most user-friendly approach to content management.

eCMS WP

Now, we have developed eCMS for WordPress (eCMS WP). eCMS WP is a WordPress plugin that provides all of the features and functionality of eCMS in a package that can be included in any WordPress installation. When you integrate eCMS WP hooks into your WordPress theme, then you are able to take advantage of everything that the WordPress platform offers — and still create a one-stop resource for information about your state, city or region.

Commitment to Continuous Improvement

We have always looked for new features and functionality to add to eCMS. Now that we have integrated with WordPress, we can leverage the full power of the platform through the massive network of plugins that are available. We are able to add features to your entire website, including the encyclopedia, without having to add to the eCMS WP core.

Unrivaled Experience in the Design & Development of Digital Encyclopedias

No one has more experience than we do in this field. The following organizations and websites have used eCMS:

  • Ohio Historical Society
  • Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities
  • University of Tennessee
  • University of Tennessee Press
  • New Whole Earth LLC
  • German Historical Institute in Washington, D.C.
  • University of South Carolina
  • Mississippi Humanities Council
  • Tennessee Historical Society
  • East Tennesee State Univerisity