Resources - Clearer picture for arts site. Redesigned arts website Artifact reflects the browsing nature of art lovers and researchers. Mark Chillingworth looks for inspiration among its revamped pages.(www.artifact.ac.uk)

Resource Discovery Network (RDN) - the JISC-funded web information service for academia - has redesigned Artifact, its portal for information on the arts, architecture, fashion, design and the media. The front page now reflects the usage of the site, which tends to be browsed rather than searched, said service manager Jayne Everard.

Artifact sits alongside the Humbul humanities hub. Following the re-design, Artifact added new content providers - including Stagelink theatrical information, the Society of Building Science Educators and Scotland's Artery Gallery.

The site is managed by the University of the Arts London, the Consortium of Academic Libraries in Manchester (CALIM), South Cheshire College and Manchester Computing. As you'd expect of a site dedicated to creativity, Artifact links through to sites that are highly creative.

As with most RDN sites, the portal bears a resemblance to consumer sites like Yahoo. Six main channels - architecture, art, communications and media, design, fashion and beauty, and performing arts - are grouped on the home page, with sub-headings below and a keyword search engine window above. Each subject category is constructed as an alphabetical listing with an A-Z for speeding through to specific areas.

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