Omeka has become a popular platform for publishing collections and exhibits of any size. Over the last few years, the platform has grown considerably, releasing several new versions and a plethora of new plug-ins to help extend the platform. Unfortunately, the community has had a general lack of developer and designer support.

Through this workshop, attendees will learn how to install and use the Omeka platform, as well as how to create custom themes for your project. We’ll also show how to use CSS3 media queries to build responsive Omeka sites that look great on any device (desktop, smartphones, and tablets), and integrate external libraries and frameworks to make our Omeka themes even more robust. By the end of this session, you’ll have a good foundation for the platform and the beginning of your own custom theme.

You should attend if

• You’re interested in using Omeka at your institution.

• You’re using Omeka, but want to get better or learn more.

• You’re a designer or developer who wants to start building for Omeka.

• You’re looking to teach about Omeka and want to expand your knowledge.

You’ll learn

• How to install and get an Omeka site up and running.

• How to navigate the backend, install plug-ins and themes, and create content.

• How a theme is structured and how to create your own.

• How to make your new theme customizable.

• How to add new features into the theme or expand the platform.

References

Documentation and training on Omeka are slim; the existing documentation is not maintained, and very few organizations have produced content related to building, using, and extending Omeka. We aim to help populate this list to help improve and expand the community around this platform in the digital humanities and museum circles.