Omeka and Digital Archives
Title
Omeka and Digital Archives
Subject
Digital humanities
Description
Webinars have a unique advantage over books or journal articles in that they are interactive and allow viewers to direct questions to the host. Although no longer an interactive webinar, in this one-hour video Jim McGrath gives an overview of Omeka, the open-source content management system developed by the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. McGrath explains the installation process, identifies user options (institutional vs. private server/FTP) and discusses customization options. Installing free plug-ins, such as the mapping tool Neatline, and using cloud-based applications, such as Dropbox, to migrate photographs and documents into the archive give the user flexibility in designing their archive.
McGrath also addresses topics including how to use Omeka as a teaching tool in the classroom and opening the archive to accept crowd-sourced material. In this case, their Boston Marathon archive allowed visitors to the website the opportunity to upload their own pictures and share memories of the 2013 bombing. The video stresses that the ability to provide this sort of collaboration is one of Omeka’s strong points, as well as its ease of use. Once the information is archived, McGrath explains, a standard vocabulary—in this case Dublin Core—is necessary to navigate the exhibits and allow Omeka to interact with other archives.
McGrath also addresses topics including how to use Omeka as a teaching tool in the classroom and opening the archive to accept crowd-sourced material. In this case, their Boston Marathon archive allowed visitors to the website the opportunity to upload their own pictures and share memories of the 2013 bombing. The video stresses that the ability to provide this sort of collaboration is one of Omeka’s strong points, as well as its ease of use. Once the information is archived, McGrath explains, a standard vocabulary—in this case Dublin Core—is necessary to navigate the exhibits and allow Omeka to interact with other archives.
Creator
HASTAC Team
Publisher
HASTAC Scholars Digital Collections Webinar with Jim McGrath
Date
2015
Contributor
Robert Clarke
Type
Webinar
Bibliographic Citation
HASTAC Team. Omeka and Digital Archives (HASTAC Scholars Digital Collections Webinar with Jim McGrath), 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV9xcJMiZ8Y.
Files
Collection
Citation
HASTAC Team, “Omeka and Digital Archives,” Digital Archiving Resources, accessed April 18, 2024, https://dar.cah.ucf.edu/items/show/282.