Tyndale Toolbar: Bible Tools on Hand at All Times!

I have been wondering for some time whether there is a toolbar specifically designed for biblical scholars that is easy to navigate, and yet contain all the useful information that I need to do my research with a few clicks. I need not look very far now. David Instone-Brewer, Senior Research Fellow in Rabbinics and the New Testament at Tyndale House, has come up with this toolbar that I have been dreaming of.

Reading his latest Tyndale Tech Email leaves me with amazement and excitement. David has this gifted capability and creativity to continue to surprise the readers of his occasional updates. This time, David has gone the extra mile, not only in designing a very useful Tyndale Toolbar for biblical scholars, researchers, students and anyone interested in biblical studies, but also in including some very interesting features in this toolbar.

So, don't waste anymore time. Make sure you check out the features of the highly useful Tyndale Toolbar, and perhaps respond to David's call for Tyndale's Webpage design competition.

I have taken the liberty to reproduce David's latest Tyndale Tech Email below:

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Time is too short to keep opening programs or hunting for web pages for simple things like looking up a Bible text or finding bibliography. So I wrote the Tyndale Toolbar to save time. Pick up your own free copy from www.tyndalehouse.com/toolbar. It isn't the prettiest toolbar on the planet, but for Biblical scholars it is the most useful.

Speaking of pretty things, are you artistic? I'm announcing a webpage design competition. Technical expertise is NOT needed. You need an eye for what looks good (see below).

1) Tyndale Toolbar: Translation tools

2) Tyndale Toolbar: Bibliography tools

3) Tyndale Toolbar: Bible lookup tools

4) Tyndale Toolbar: Links to the best of the web

5) Tyndale Notices: News, Opportunities, Questions, Events

6) Tyndale Toolbar: Gadgets

7) Webpage Design competition

1) Tyndale Toolbar: Translation tools

A set of tools to translate Greek, Hebrew and other ancient languages, plus some modern ones.

Type in plain ascii or Unicode (download Unicode for your computer here) or just copy & paste. The 2LetterLookup links just need the first 2 letters, then you can pick from a list. The Perseus lookups automatically trawl round the mirror sites till it finds one which is awake.

2) Tyndale Toolbar: Bibliography tools

Find books and articles on subjects you are researching.

Online copies are often available through TynCat which links straight to Amazon online books, or GoogleBooks (which are now surprisingly good).

Articles are found through Tubingen's fantastic IxTheo, which is almost as good as ATLA, and better, for some things.

3) Tyndale Toolbar: Bible lookup tools

Quick lookup for passages in the top English translations or original languages.

The Hebrew is the Westminster Leningrad (ie a BHS without the typos) and the Greek is the same as NA27 & UBS4, with Rahlf's LXX.

If the translation you want isn't here, look in the next tool.

4) Tyndale Toolbar: Links and News

Links to the best on the web, including 70+ English translations online!

Lots of other resources for scholars, teachers and preachers.

Some of the links go to pages of selected links to even more wonderful sites.

5) Tyndale Toolbar: Links and News

This notice board is where we can share news with other scholars. If you hear about or organise an interesting conference or event, tell others here. Do you know about a bursary or scholarship or Sabbatical or research opportunity? Have you heard about a worthwhile opening, or are you looking for good staff? Share what you know here, with fellow Biblical Studies and Theology scholars.

Just send an email to TyndaleNotices@Gmail.com

6) Tyndale Toolbar: Gadgets

I've included one gadget for you - an email checker. It keeps an eye on several accounts and clicking on one logs you straight into the web account without needing a password.

There are lots more gadgets here for you to play with. Some are fun. Some are useful.

Don't worry about running out of room - the gadgets drop off the end and show up when you click on the double-arrows.

Like the idea? Pick up your own free copy from www.tyndalehouse.com/toolbar.

7) Webpage Design competition

You are probably familiar with Tyndale's webpages. Informative but not inspiring. At least, that's what I'm told. I'm not good at this visual stuff. So I need your help. If you produce an inspired design, you could be on every page ("page design by....).It might be the start of a new career!

Simply copy the page at http://www.tyndalehouse.co.uk/library.htm and redesign it. So get out your Photoshop or whatever program makes you feel the most creative, or even Word or Publisher if you wish, and send me a mock up of the web page. You don't need to produce any code or stylesheets or working menus. I'll do that. Your contribution is the design - the colors, layout, font, graphics, menu position etc Please include colours for Hover over and Visited links (if these are different). Send your entry to me, attached to a reply email. Closing date: May 1st. The best will go on show and the winner will be famous.

I will be one of the judges, so let me tell you what I like and don't like:

I like usability

e.g. having a full menu always available so you can go anywhere from anywhere (many websites send you to the home page or obscure part of the page to find the full menu)

I like clarity

e.g. using a plain background which doesn't interfere with reading the text, and using fonts which can be rescaled by the user (using the menu View: Text size) (many sites use CSS with fixed font sizes so you have to zoom the whole page)

I like easily updated pages

Personally, I hand-craft html, php & MySQL, but most people prefer WYSIWYG. Unfortunately CMS (Content Management Systems) are often too limiting, so if you propose one, make sure it is very flexible - ie you can add code easily and put anything anywhere. GooglePages are a good compromise, so I integrate these into the site for pages which other people need to update - e.g. staff pages. See mine at http://www.tyndaleHouse.com/Staff/Instone-Brewer/ So the design has to allow for this kind of integration of pages within a frame.

Actually, most of this doesn't apply to your design. I'm just getting it off my chest. So let your imagination go! And show me what you've come up with. Don't worry about the technical side of things. If it looks good, we can probably find a way to make it work.