Omeka for Millenials

When I first began working with Omeka, I was pleased to find so many resources for getting started. However, it became apparent that many of these guides were written for people with a tenuous understanding of the Internet, which is great for bringing the technology to a maximum number of people, but terrible for us impatient Millennials who don’t need basics like “how to create a login” explained to us. And so, I present to you this guide to getting started with Omeka for people with a basic grasp of the Internet.  The caveat being that I am extremely far from expert, and so even this masterful guide will remain on a very superficial plane.

“Kitten’s Game” by Dutch painter Henriette Ronner-Knip. Victorian Cats will return again soon.  Prepare yourself.

Digitizing the Ancient: Marsh’s Library, Dublin

A running theme for my blog posts this semester seems to be my newbie status. This term, I and my cohort are taking the concepts we have learned during our course and converting them into action. And in attempting to take action, I am discovering how little I really know.

Sorta like if you took Jon Snow out of Westeros and asked him to set up an online banking account. (Images from Wikimedia Commons courtesy Wons Noj, Greg Henshall.)

My internship at Marsh’s Library is no exception. If you have not yet visited, I strongly urge you to go.[1] Marsh’s is a beautifully preserved 18^th century library and was the first public library in Ireland. It was founded by Archbishop Narcissus Marsh,[2] and was opened to the public in 1707. Entrance costs three whole euros, and entitles you to see the exhibits, sit at a table where James Joyce sat, walk where Jonathan Swift would have walked, try your hand at writing with a quill pen, and savor the magical dusty-book atmosphere. If that’s not enough, during a recent viewing, I realized the library makes an appearance in the 1996 film Michael Collins, so your three euros lets you walk the hallowed halls where Liam Neeson also tread.