Scholarly Communication and Publishing
Contributors
This LibGuide was revised in May 2025 by Cadence Cordell, with content contributed by Cadence Cordell and Marley Santora. An earlier version of this LibGuide was created by Kaylen Dwyer.
About Omeka
Omeka is an online content management system that enables you to create dynamic online exhibits that showcase collections of digital images, text, and other multi-media formats in one seamless site.
There are three versions of Omeka, each slightly differing in functionality and purpose. This guide is focused on getting started with Omeka S, which is the only version of Omeka supported by UIUC. All three versions are compared below.
| Platform | Platform Description | Benefits | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omeka.net |
Omeka.net allows new users to build an Omeka Classic site on Omeka.net servers. You can try out Omeka for free on Omeka.net before subscribing to a paid hosting plan. |
Free option that does not require web hosting or coding experience. |
Limited functionality in the free trial - can only create 1 site and access limited themes and plugins. |
| Omeka Classic |
Omeka Classic offers a full installation of Omeka on your own website with software available online for free. Recommended for users managing an independent website on their own servers. |
Open source publishing platform. Simple user interface that does not require coding experience to begin using. |
Requires the user to set up their own web hosting, which is not currently supported by UIUC. |
| Omeka S |
Omeka S is a next-generation version of Omeka Classic designed for universities, galleries, libraries, archives and museums. Users can collaborate and create exhibits from a shared pool of items, media, and metadata. |
The University of Illinois Library currently provides support for Omeka S through the Illinois Open Publishing Network (IOPN) for more formal publishing projects. University affiliates can also host Omeka S sites on the campus cPanel service. |
More complex user interface compared to Omeka.net and Omeka Classic. |
Example Omeka Exhibits
- Suffragette StoriesSuffragette Stories is an Omeka.net site featuring over 100 items related to women’s suffrage. The site uses Omeka’s exhibits to combine these items with narrative—both creative and non-fiction.
- EMDRIA Francine Shapiro LibraryThe Francine Shapiro Library uses Omeka.net to build a vast collection of scholarly resources on the Adaptive Information Processing Model (AIP) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy. Its effective use of collections and tag sets make the library easy to navigate.
- Champaign County History Museum Digital ExhibitsChampaign County History Museum's Digital Exhibits, hosted on Omeka.net, provides users access to artifacts, photos, and archival materials representing Champaign County history.
- Queer Nightlife in Champaign-Urbana, IL: 1973-2000Queer Nightlife in Champaign-Urbana, IL is a digital exhibit from the Urbana Free Library hosted on Omeka.net. The exhibit holds a wide variety of digitized archival materials, including photographs, papers, and physical objects, and seeks to present a snapshot of LGBTQ+ social and cultural life in Central Illinois in the 1970s and 1980s.
- Wearing Gay HistoryWearing Gay History is home to a digitized collection of t-shirts from several LGBTQ archives across the United States, built in Omeka Classic. The t-shirts span several decades and can be explored thematically and by archival collection.
- Shining Stars: African American Women Authors of the Civil War EraShining Stars is an IOPN publication built in Omeka S that collects lesser-known works written by African American women of the US Civil War era (1861-1865). The project uses links between items to represent complex relationships between authors, their writings, and digital sources.