Omeka Goes Public with release 0.9.0
This morning we released the first public version of Omeka, the web publishing system for digital collections that I’ve been lucky to be a developer of at the Center for History and New Media since last May. And we’ve come a long way. I’ve seen the code change dramatically, increase significantly in speed, and mature as a tool. This public release follows an internal-beta testing period where a limited number of testers gave Omeka a whirl.
The public release is an important one. We’ve reached a point where we feel comfortable enough with the code that it can run seamlessly for the largest number of users possible. A huge addition, we’ve created what is the start of a plugins directory, allowing Omeka’s core to be augmented in a WordPress-like fashion. Users are encouraged to contribute plugins, as well as themes. And with that openness, we are beginning the development of a community that is centered not only around publishing objects, but also creating open source software that can make history and information accessible to people.
So far Omeka’s 0.9.0 release has been mentioned in several notable places, including the Official Omeka Blog, Inside Higher Ed, Found History, Steve Lawson, and Dan Cohen’s blog. Tom gives a great overview of the project, and how it fits into our former director Roy Rosenzweig’s belief in the practice of public history. Dan Cohen provides some beautiful screen captures of Omeka, and came up with what’s got to be my favorite description of Omeka so far: “For Zotero, it’s ‘like iTunes for your references and research’; for Omeka, think ‘WordPress for your exhibits and collections.’” Wordpress for your exhibits and collections it is! And the bundled COinS plugin for Omeka makes your site Zotero compatible, too!
I expect to see you all on the forums! If you have questions or comments about Omeka, please address them there.
I'm a digital humanist and graduate of American Studies, currently working as a web developer and