Last year, I wrote a DHTML app (in 30 minutes) for searching the directory of my college.
I parsed all of the data and wrote a Python script to turn it into a JavaScript array. With all of the student data in one JavaScript file, looking up information is extremely quick because everything is on the client and there is no server round-trip. So, I didn't even make a "Search" button - the results are returned as you type.
You can search by dorm and by floor, and send e-mails.
This year, fellow students built upon this idea and created a Directory with even more features.
