Omeka

Omeka: A Platform for Digital Collections and Online Exhibitions

TL;DR Omeka is an open-source web platform designed for cultural heritage institutions such as libraries, museums, and universities. It specializes in managing digital collections and building online exhibitions, with two versions available: Omeka S (the latest version with Linked Data support) and Omeka Classic (the simpler legacy version). It is released under the GPL license. What is Omeka? Omeka is a web publishing platform developed by the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (RRCHNM) at George Mason University. Its name derives from a Swahili word meaning “to display” — fitting for a platform optimized for publishing and exhibiting digital materials. ...

March 15, 2026 · 3 min · Nakamura

Investigating PLY Files Not Being Output in IIIF Manifest Items with Omeka S IIIF Server Module

Overview I investigated an issue where PLY files were not being output as items in IIIF manifests by the Omeka S IIIF Server module, while GLB files were output correctly. Prerequisites: Omeka S Configuration By default, PLY files cannot be uploaded to Omeka S. The following configuration is required. Error When Uploading PLY Files With default settings, upload errors occur because the PLY file’s media type (application/octet-stream) and extension (.ply) are not permitted. ...

February 6, 2026 · Updated: February 6, 2026 · 3 min · Nakamura

How to Build an Independent Author Database in Omeka S

Introduction A common challenge in digital archives for museums and libraries is the need to “properly manage the relationship between works and their creators.” Especially when a single author has created multiple works, or when multiple authors have collaborated on a single work, it is important to clearly express these relationships and make them searchable. This article explains how to build an independent author database in Omeka S and link it with works. ...

October 20, 2025 · Updated: October 20, 2025 · 4 min · Nakamura

Complete Guide to Migrating an Omeka-S Docker Environment to Another Server

Introduction This article explains the procedure for migrating an Omeka-S environment set up with Docker Compose, including volume data, to a different server. You can proceed with the migration safely while maintaining data integrity. Environment Source server: Ubuntu 22.04 Target server: Ubuntu 22.04 (fresh setup) Stack: Omeka-S + MariaDB + phpMyAdmin + Traefik + Mailpit Migration Flow Backup on the source server Download to local machine Set up Docker environment on the target server Restore data and start up Step 1: Backup on the Source Server 1.1 Check Current Environment # Check running containers docker ps # Check Docker volumes docker volume ls Example output: ...

October 16, 2025 · Updated: October 16, 2025 · 6 min · Nakamura

Achieving Japanese Full-Text Search with the MroongaSearch Module for Omeka-S

Overview Omeka-S is a powerful digital archive system, but Japanese full-text search barely works by default. This article explains how to achieve Japanese full-text search by installing the MroongaSearch module. Background: Why the MroongaSearch Module is Needed Problems with Omeka-S Standard Search Omeka-S’s standard full-text search (FullTextSearch module) uses the InnoDB engine, which has the following critical issues: Example of Japanese word search: Data: "Studying artificial intelligence at the University of Tokyo" (東京大学で人工知能を研究する) Search term: "artificial intelligence" (人工知能) Result: No hits Since InnoDB’s full-text search assumes space-delimited languages like English, the following problems occur with Japanese: ...

October 2, 2025 · Updated: October 2, 2025 · 6 min · Nakamura

Omeka S Theme Updates and Module Modifications

Overview I had the opportunity to work with Omeka S at the following workshop. This time, I introduce the modifications made to themes and modules based on feedback received from participants during the exercise. https://dh.nihu.jp/news/post/dihuco_20250724 Universal Viewer Module The Universal Viewer module introduces Universal Viewer into Omeka S. https://gitlab.com/Daniel-KM/Omeka-S-module-UniversalViewer One of the features provided by this module is the ability to display Universal Viewer on the item list page as shown below. ...

August 30, 2025 · Updated: August 30, 2025 · 2 min · Nakamura

How to Register the PROV-O Ontology in Omeka S

Introduction When building digital archives with Omeka S, using standard vocabularies for metadata description improves data interoperability. This article explains the steps to register PROV-O (PROV Ontology), developed by W3C, in Omeka S. PROV-O is an ontology for describing provenance information about data and digital objects, allowing structured recording of “who,” “when,” and “how” data was created or modified. Prerequisites Omeka S (version 3.0 or later) installed Logged in with administrator privileges Internet connection environment (required for importing from external URLs) Registration Steps 1. Accessing the Vocabulary Management Screen Log in to the Omeka S admin panel Click “Vocabularies” from the left menu Click the “Import new vocabulary” button in the upper right 2. Entering Basic Information Enter the vocabulary basic information as follows: ...

August 27, 2025 · Updated: August 27, 2025 · 3 min · Nakamura

Multilingual Support for Omeka S Themes

Introduction When developing Omeka S themes, information about implementing multilingual support is limited. This article explains the specific steps for making an Omeka S custom theme multilingual, along with important notes for implementation. Table of Contents How the Omeka S Translation System Works Files Needed for Theme Multilingual Support Step-by-Step Guide Common Mistakes and Solutions Implementation Examples Troubleshooting 1. How the Omeka S Translation System Works Omeka S uses the gettext standard translation system. In this system: ...

August 14, 2025 · Updated: August 14, 2025 · 4 min · Nakamura

Describing Hierarchical Table of Contents with Omeka S IIIF Server Module

Overview This article introduces how to describe a hierarchical table of contents using the Omeka S IIIF Server module. Documentation The documentation is somewhat complex, but explanations are available at: https://github.com/Daniel-KM/Omeka-S-module-IiifServer?tab=readme-ov-file#input-format-of-the-property-for-structures-table-of-contents Simple Table of Contents The following example from “Toyo Bunko Media Repository” is used: https://app.toyobunko-lab.jp/s/main/document/9f9d95c2-d33d-7402-742b-47db12748688 Specify {Range ID},{Range name},{Canvas index} as follows: r1,延享、寛延、宝暦,1 r2,明和,25 r3,安永一,55 r4,安永二,79 r5,天明一,110 r6,天明二,142 r7,寛政一,177 r8,寛政二,218 r9,享和,255 r10,文化一,279 r11,文化、文政、二,313 This results in the following table of contents display: ...

June 5, 2025 · Updated: June 5, 2025 · 3 min · Nakamura

Registering Resources (Items and Images) in Omeka S Using an MCP Server

Overview As part of learning about MCP servers, I created an MCP server that registers resources (items and images) in Omeka S. https://github.com/nakamura196/omeka-s-mcp-sample Related Articles I referenced the following articles. https://zenn.dev/himara2/articles/14eb2260c4f0e4 https://zenn.dev/meson_tech_blog/articles/simple-mcp-server Setup I will leave the details of how to use the MCP server with Claude Desktop to other articles. Add configuration like the following. { "mcpServers": { ... "omeka": { "command": "python", "args": [ "<absolute_path>/omeka_s_mcp_sample/server/omeka_server.py" ], "env": { "OMEKA_API_URL": "<Omeka S URL>/api", "OMEKA_KEY_IDENTITY": "<OMEKA_KEY_IDENTITY>", "OMEKA_KEY_CREDENTIAL": "<OMEKA_KEY_CREDENTIAL>" } }, ... } } As a result, the tools are registered as shown below. ...

June 5, 2025 · Updated: June 5, 2025 · 3 min · Nakamura

How to Implement IP Address Restrictions for MDX.jp Object Storage

Overview I investigated how to implement IP address restrictions for MDX.jp’s object storage. The following article was written by AI after verifying the implementation. Introduction This article explains how to configure access restrictions by specific IP addresses for the DDN EXAScaler S3-compatible object storage service provided by MDX.jp. Object Storage Security Layers DDN EXAScaler S3-compatible storage has three main security layers: Access Key and Secret Key: Basic authentication credentials Bucket Policy: Bucket-level access control Access Control List (ACL): Object-level access control To implement IP address restrictions, “Bucket Policy” is used. ...

April 24, 2025 · Updated: April 24, 2025 · 2 min · Nakamura

Omeka S Module Update Information (2025-03-27)

Overview This article introduces modules that required updates during the operation of Omeka S. IIIF Server https://omeka.org/s/modules/IiifServer/ I had been using version 3.6.18, released in February 2024, but a bug was found where thumbnail images were rendered incorrectly during IIIF manifest file generation. After updating to the latest version 3.6.24 as of March 2025, this bug was resolved. Note that this update also required updating the Common module, so I hope this information is helpful. ...

March 27, 2025 · Updated: March 27, 2025 · 1 min · Nakamura

Sharing Private Sites in Omeka S

Overview I had the opportunity to share a private site in Omeka S, so this is a personal note for future reference. Related Modules First, I checked the following module. https://omeka.org/s/modules/Guest/ The above also introduces the Guest Private module, and I asked ChatGPT about how to differentiate between them. Here is an explanation of the differences between the Guest module and the Guest Private module in Omeka S. 1. Guest Module Adds the guest role, allowing users to register as guest users. No access to the admin panel. Login, logout, registration, password update, etc. are possible via API. Only public sites are viewable (private sites and private pages cannot be seen). Use case: Register general users on a public site and provide login functionality. 2. Guest Private Module Adding this module provides two additional roles: ...

March 13, 2025 · Updated: March 13, 2025 · 2 min · Nakamura

Storing Omeka S Files in mdx.jp Object Storage

Overview This is a memo on how to store Omeka S files in mdx.jp object storage. Base Module We use the following module as a base, which enables integration with Amazon S3. https://omeka.org/s/modules/AmazonS3/ This module provides an extension for storing media files such as images and videos handled by Omeka S in Amazon S3. However, since it did not support specifying an endpoint, it was not possible to target object storage services like mdx.jp. ...

March 7, 2025 · Updated: March 7, 2025 · 2 min · Nakamura

Uploading Large Files to Omeka S

Overview I had the opportunity to upload relatively large files (over 200MB) to Omeka S, so this is a memo of the process. Specifically, I uploaded .glb files, a 3D file format used for storing 3D models. Issue Typically, when attempting to upload a relatively large file through the GUI, you may encounter a “POST request exceeded maximum size” error as shown below. Here are some examples of how to address this. ...

February 5, 2025 · Updated: February 5, 2025 · 2 min · Nakamura

CORS Configuration for Omeka S Image Server

Overview This is a note on handling CORS configuration for the Omeka S Image Server. Background In the following article, I introduced how to address CORS errors with the Omeka S IIIF Server module. While the above configuration resolved the issue of downloading IIIF manifest files, there were cases where images could not be downloaded, as shown below. Access to image at 'https://xxx/iiif/2/8455/full/86,/0/default.jpg' from origin 'https://uv-v4.netlify.app' has been blocked by CORS policy: The 'Access-Control-Allow-Origin' header contains multiple values '*, *', but only one is allowed. This article describes how to address this issue. ...

January 27, 2025 · Updated: January 27, 2025 · 2 min · Nakamura

Omeka S: Finding Themes Compatible with the Advanced Search Module

Overview This article introduces one approach for finding themes compatible with the Advanced Search module in Omeka S. Background By using the Advanced Search module for Omeka S, you can customize the search interface as introduced in the following article: In particular, the ability to add facets is a notable advantage. However, if the theme you are using does not support the Advanced Search module, the display may break in some cases. One way to check whether a theme supports the Advanced Search module is to look for an “advanced-search” directory under the theme’s “view/common” folder, as shown below: ...

January 11, 2025 · Updated: January 11, 2025 · 2 min · Nakamura

How to Upload Media to Omeka S Using Python

Overview This is a personal note on how to upload media to Omeka S using Python. Preparation Prepare environment variables. OMEKA_S_BASE_URL=https://dev.omeka.org/omeka-s-sandbox # Example OMEKA_S_KEY_IDENTITY= OMEKA_S_KEY_CREDENTIAL= Initialize. import requests from dotenv import load_dotenv import os def __init__(self): load_dotenv(verbose=True, override=True) OMEKA_S_BASE_URL = os.environ.get("OMEKA_S_BASE_URL") self.omeka_s_base_url = OMEKA_S_BASE_URL self.items_url = f"{OMEKA_S_BASE_URL}/api/items" self.media_url = f"{OMEKA_S_BASE_URL}/api/media" self.params = { "key_identity": os.environ.get("OMEKA_S_KEY_IDENTITY"), "key_credential": os.environ.get("OMEKA_S_KEY_CREDENTIAL") } Uploading a Local File def upload_media(self, path, item_id): files = {} payload = {} file_data = { 'o:ingester': 'upload', 'file_index': '0', 'o:source': path.name, 'o:item': {'o:id': item_id} } payload.update(file_data) params = self.params files = [ ('data', (None, json.dumps(payload), 'application/json')), ('file[0]', (path.name, open(path, 'rb'), 'image')) ] media_response = requests.post( self.media_url, params=params, files=files ) # Check the response if media_response.status_code == 200: return media_response.json()["o:id"] else: return None Uploading a IIIF Image Specify a IIIF image URL like the following to register it. ...

January 3, 2025 · Updated: January 3, 2025 · 1 min · Nakamura

Specifying Viewing Direction in the Omeka S IIIF Server Module

Overview Here is how to specify the viewing direction in the IIIF Server module for Omeka S. In IIIF, you can use the viewingDirection property to specify the viewing direction of manifests and canvases. Module Configuration /admin/module/configure?id=IiifServer In the IIIF Server module settings page, find the “viewing direction” section. You can specify a property with Property to use for viewing direction, and you can also set a default viewing direction. ...

December 3, 2024 · Updated: December 3, 2024 · 1 min · Nakamura

Getting a List of Properties for a Specific Vocabulary in Omeka S

Overview Here is how to get a list of properties for a specific vocabulary in Omeka S. Method We will target the following. https://uta.u-tokyo.ac.jp/uta/api/properties?vocabulary_id=5 The following program writes the property list to MS Excel. import pandas as pd import requests url = "https://uta.u-tokyo.ac.jp/uta/api/properties?vocabulary_id=5" page = 1 data_list = [] while 1: response = requests.get(url + "&page=" + str(page)) data = response.json() if len(data) == 0: break data_list.extend(data) page += 1 remove_keys = ["@context", "@id", "@type", "o:vocabulary", "o:id", "o:local_name"] for data in data_list: for key in remove_keys: if key in data: del data[key] # DataFrameに変換 df = pd.DataFrame(data_list) df.to_excel("archiveshub.xlsx", index=False) Result The following MS Excel file is obtained. ...

November 5, 2024 · Updated: November 5, 2024 · 4 min · Nakamura