CONTENTdm Digital Collection Management Software is a program that organizes digital collections and allows you to publish them on the Internet. WHO Content Providers who are using the hosting services provided by the Milwaukee Public Library will need to use a piece of CONTENTdm, a downloadable client program called the Project Client, to upload digital images into a database and add metadata.
Introductory Resources
- Explore the CONTENTdm Collection of Collections to see how libraries, archives and museums nationwide are using CONTENTdm to share their digital collections.
- View an online demo of CONTENTdm version 5 from OCLC
- Sign up for the Upper Midwest CONTENTdm email list to communicate with other CONTENTdm users in the region and find out about regional meetings and training opportunities.
Project Client
System Requirements
To run the CONTENTdm Project Client on your computer, you will need:
- Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5 (or Internet connection for downloading .NET 3.5).
- Microsoft® Windows XP with SP2 or SP3 32-bit, Windows Vista 32-bit or 64-bit, or Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit. For sites processing large volumes of files, 64-bit operating system is recommended.
- Intel® Pentium® 4 class compatible processor or higher.
- Minimum 512MB RAM on Windows XP. 1GB RAM recommended. Minimum 1GB RAM on Windows Vista and Windows 7, but 2GB RAM recommended. For sites processing large volumes of files, 4GB RAM is recommended.
- 2 GB of available hard-disk space for installation (a portion of this disk space will be freed after installation if the original download package is removed from the hard drive).
- Minimum display resolution of 1024 × 768.
- 256Kbps or faster connection.
- Adobe Reader 8.0 or later.
Useful Features
In addition to basic image uploading and metadata entry, CONTENTdm offers a number of features that may be useful for your project.
- Metadata Templates. The Metadata Templates page enables you to select and customize metadata templates to help create consistency and expedite your cataloging process. Templates are available for the general project (all item types), for specific item and object types, as well as for specific image file types. You can use the Metadata Templates to automatically add descriptive metadata (such as creator, source, date) and administrative metadata (such as file size, height, width) that you want to appear in specified fields for all items when they are added to a project. For example, if you are working on a project in which all the images were created by the same photographer, use the Metadata Templates to add the photographer's name once and then import all the images.
- Archival File Manager. For purposes of preservation and reproduction, your original materials should always be scanned at high resolution and saved as TIFFs. However, these files are too large to be displayed online, so you will need to create display files by converting the TIFFS to JPEGS. The Archival File Manager can automate the process and help organize multiple versions of an image.
- Compound Object Wizard. A compound object is two or more files bound together in an XML structure, such as pages in a book, the two sides of a postcard, or multiple views of a three-dimensional object. An excellent example is the Neville Public Museum's WWI Soldiers project, which uses the Compound Object structure to group images of individual soldiers with their induction paperwork and letters home.
- Short, persistent URLs. CONTENTdm generates a unique, persistent URL for each uploaded file. You can use this URL to link to digital items from your own website or within your collection. To find the short URL, click on "Reference URL" in the top menu bar of your collection.
- Controlled Vocabularies. Choosing metadata elements from a pre-selected list of terms simplifies the data entry process and makes your resources more easily findable. Click here to download WHO's recommended controlled vocabularies and import them into CONTENTdm.
Read more about CONTENTdm . . .
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