Omeka: Serious Web Publishing

Omeka is a free, flexible, and open source web-publishing platform for the display of library, museum, archives, and scholarly collections and exhibitions. Its “five-minute setup” makes launching an online exhibition as easy as launching a blog.

Omeka falls at a crossroads of Web Content Management, Collections Management, and Archival Digital Collections Systems:

Omeka is designed with non-IT specialists in mind, allowing users to focus on content and interpretation rather than programming. It brings Web 2.0 technologies and approaches to academic and cultural websites to foster user interaction and participation. It makes top-shelf design easy with a simple and flexible templating system. Its robust open-source developer and user communities underwrite Omeka’s stability and sustainability.

Until now, scholars and cultural heritage professionals looking to publish collections-based research and online exhibitions required either extensive technical skills or considerable funding for outside vendors. By making standards based, serious online publishing easy, Omeka puts the power and reach of the web in the hands of academics and cultural professionals themselves.

How Might You Use Omeka?

Scholars:

  • Use Omeka to publish an essay or digital dissertation, share primary source collections, and collaborate with others in the creation of digital scholarship.

Museum Professionals:

  • Use Omeka to share collections and build online exhibits with objects you cannot display in the museum. Invite your visitors to tag and mark items as favorites, or to contribute content. Start a blog to publish museum news and podcasts.

Librarians:

  • Use Omeka as the publishing tool to complement your online catalog or launch a digital exhibit.

Archivists:

  • Use Omeka to share your collections, display documents and oral histories, or create digital archives with user-generated content.

Educators:

  • Use Omeka to build inquiry-based tasks for students, to create lesson plans with accompanying primary sources, or build learning modules with your team.

Enthusiasts:

  • Use Omeka to share you personal research or collections with the world, build exhibits and write essays that showcase your expertise.