Getting Started on Omeka.net
1) Go to Omeka.net
2) Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Get Started with Omeka.net”
3) Click on “Start Your Free Omeka Trial”
4) Fill out form; wait for email; follow instructions from email for adding a site. You can change any of this information later, so don’t worry about getting these details perfect during the setup process. RECORD YOUR LOGIN DETAILS (passcode, username) IN A SAFE PLACE.
When you want to return to Omeka on another occasion, simply go to Omeka.net, click on “My Account” (top right tab) and login
5) View site/manage site: Two headed platform. “View” is what users see on stage. “Manage” is your dashboard page; it’s what you see behind the curtain.
6) Pick a theme; configure your theme. This is something you can continue to fiddle with until the end of time. There’s no limit to the number of ways you can (re)configure your theme.
7) Add plugins. For starters add “exhibit builder” and “simple pages”
8) Refresh your page to be sure the changes you’ve made have taken effect.
Adding Items
Items are the basic building block in the Omeka ecosystem. First you create items, which means you upload digital objects and create metadata for those objects.
1) Go to Dashboard page
2) Click on the “Item” tab on the left-hand menu
3) Create a new item using the Dublin Core metadata fields
DON’T FORGET TO HIT SAVE EACH TIME YOU CREATE A NEW ITEM. You can always edit items and metadata. But if you don’t save each item then they vanish.
Building Exhibits
Once you have items you can use them to create an exhibit. You might have 50 items in your Omeka account, but wish to use just 7 in your exhibit. Or if using this platform for a course, you can have 100 items (students can each create a few as they learn how to work with digital objects and how to think about metadata) which students draw from in their individual exhibits.
“Exhibit” is a word that comes from museum culture, obviously, but it can also have related meanings: exhibit essay, archive, scrapbook, multimedia essay, portfolio, etc. I ask students to write an “Exhibit Essay” which signals to them that I expect an argument and supporting evidence (which is how we think about “essays” in English departments). You can appropriate the exhibit space for your course/research needs.
1) Go to “My Dashboard”
2) Click on Exhibits
3) Click on “Add an Exhibit”
4) Each time you make a change remember to click on “save changes.” Keep your exhibit private while you build; but once you’re done don’t forget to check the “public button.” And then look at “view site” to see how it appears to the public.
5) Under “Cover Image” hit “change” if you want to add an image
6) Click “Add a Page” and you’ll see layout options, opportunities to embed i-frames, etc. Remember, you can only add objects to your exhibit that have been created as “items.” So, you’ll want to build your archive of items first; and then begin building the exhibit. If you need new material as you develop your exhibit, you can always add new items.
HELPFUL OMEKA RESOURCES
Omeka.net’s WONDERFUL Help Site: http://info.omeka.net/
Duke University Guide to using Omeka.net: http://exhibits.library.duke.edu/exhibits/show/trainingexhibit/gettingstarted
Dublin Core Metadata guide by North Carolina Digital Heritage Center: http://www.digitalnc.org/about/participate/describe/#sample