I’ve been playing around on a limited basis (limited because I know zero about altering code) with Omeka as a tool to perform the basic data archiving. What I really envision, however, is something that would also allow collaborative interactions. I’ve found Omeka, which I first used on a version installed at school, to be very easy and intuitive to use. I could only get part way toward my goals, however, using the software as is. Because the university install was a shared resource I wasn’t allowed to make changes (i.e., get things to look and act like the great example sites to which you linked), so I switched to an Omeka.net site. My site is just bare bones at the moment but I find I’m able to do less than I remember being able to do with the university-hosted one. So, I’m thinking about a self-hosted site.

One important issue (of the many) that you raised is that of copyright not only for an anthology but also for a shared research database. How do we collect, store and share the sorts of born-digital materials that I mentioned above when we’re not the creators? Where is the line between fair use and infringement?

I could see Omeka being used to create a a series of modestly-sized, high-quality collections of primary sources based around undergraduate majors. The idea would be show students who have a primary interest in other academic areas the relevance of history to their fields of interest (founding principles, important developments, key figures, etc.).

By having all these sources in one place and housed in Omeka, one can avoid the pitfalls of the colossal lists of links which are often out-of-date or simply overwhelming to beginning undergrads. It could hopefully serve as a tool to give faculty a better way to connect history and the practice of history to students who often can’t or won’t see why they should care.

I teach graduate high school teachers who want to know more about digital tools and resources. I would like to know if Omeka can be a solution for them if they want to show their own collection of primary sources. If Omeka is easy to use for people with little knowledge in computing I might add it to my syllabus and propose it to other colleagues.