CONTENTdm Digital Collection Management Software is a computer 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 Collection of Collections to see how libraries, archives and museums nationwide are using CONTENTdm to share their digital collections.
• "Metadata Guidelines for Collections Using CONTENTdm," from the University of Washington Metadata Implementation Group, is a useful overview of how to catalog collections in CONTENTdm.
• 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.

• Template Creator. This feature can simplify and streamline your data entry. If you add text to the fields in the Template Creator, the text for that field will be the same for all items in that project. For instance, if you are working on a project where all the images where created by the same photographer, use the Template Creator to add the photographer's name just once, and then import all the images. 
• Using the Template Creator
• Full Resolution Manager. For preservation and duplication purposes, your original images should always be scanned as high-resolution 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. CONTENTdm's Full Resolution Manager can automate the process and help organize multiple versions of an image (see Section III-Working with the Acquisition Station in the linked document). 
• Full Resolution Manager Tips
• Compound Object Wizard. A compound object is two or more files bound together by the CONTENTdm 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 . . .  

• Mary S. Woodley, "The San Fernando Valley Digital History Project: A Collaborative Digital Project Between Local Historical Societies and a University Library," 2001 
• Presentations from CONTENTdm sessions at the annual conference of the American Library Association, 2008
• Presentations from the Upper Midwest CONTENTdm User Group Meeting, 2010