Omeka Repository Profile: Buena Vista University Archives

Question responses were provided via the Repository Profile Form by Joan Curbow, Reference Librarian and Archivist at Buena Vista University on February 25, 2021.

Questions

Tool and version, if applicable

Omeka (the Omeka.net version, which is hosted)

Type of archives or special collection library?

Academic

How did your institution select this archival collection management tool?

It was affordable and fairly intuitive.

When and why did you adopt this tool? What system did it replace (if any)?

2017, maybe? Affordable. We are a new archives, so we have been starting everything from scratch.

Briefly explain how this tool functions at your institution (e.g. do you only use it for accessioning, or does it fill all the functions from accessioning to public access?)

It's a digital asset management system - for our digitized content - I can make exhibits from items within "collections."

What pre-installation/migration preparations were taken to facilitate implementation of this tool?

None.

What degree of IT support was needed to implement and migrate into this tool?

None, it's hosted.

Is your collection management tool hosted on-site and in-house or off-site by a vendor?

Off-site by a vendor.

Please describe significant post-implementation challenges using the administrative and/or public interfaces.

Nothing - the company does it all. I rarely even know when they do updates.

Is your institution integrating this tool with other automated request, preservation, or digital asset management systems?

No.

In what ways has using this tool been an improvement over your previous tool or finding aid access strategy?

We had nothing before, and even though I don't have time to make it display better (the out-of-the-box templates don't always look as good as I'd like them to), it's still better than nothing.

What is your most favorite feature of this tool?

A way to share our digitized content.

What is your least favorite feature of this tool?

It's more the lack of time to learn CSS so I could customize templates for better display.

Lessons Learned, or tip for prospective users? What is your least favorite feature of this tool?

If you don't have much in the way of resources, this is a decent product.

What features would you want to see added to this tool in the future?

Better displaying (less wasted space) and easier to customize.