Scalar
Scalar is a free, open source platform for creating and publishing digital books. It allows users to assemble media from multiple sources and juxtapose them with their own writing in a variety of ways, with minimal technical skills required.
- Pros – can be hosted on Trinity’s Domains platform; makes it easy to incorporate media from online library, museum, and archival collections and repositories; the annotation feature allows authors to easily mark up media and text
- Cons – requires more of a learning curve than other platforms; cannot be embedded in a website or blog
Example Project
http://peterkyle.domains.trincoll.edu/interarts-showcase/interarts/index
This Scalar book, Unveiling the Inner Artist, was created by the first-year students in Peter Kyle’s Spring 2021 InterArts class.
Get Started
- Scalar User’s Guide – A Scalar book that provides extensive documentation of how to use the Scalar platform, including a series of quick-start guides
- Scalar Tutorials – Series of YouTube videos from Digital Humanities at the Claremont Colleges
Omeka
Omeka is a free, open source web publishing system for online digital archives. Its main focus/strength is producing websites and online exhibitions.
- Pros – can be hosted on Trinity’s Domains platform; allows fast and easy creation of online exhibits with a low learning curve; plugins are available to provide added functionality
- Cons – does not provide as many metadata fields as some other digital exhibit platforms
Example Project
https://watkinsonlibrary.omeka.net/collections/show/1
This Omeka exhibit, Trinity College and the Influenza Pandemic of 1918, was created by Trinity College student Brendan W. Clark ’21 in collaboration with the Watkinson Library.
Get Started
- Omeka Classic User Manual – Comprehensive text documentation of the Omeka platform
- Getting Started with Omeka – YouTube tutorial from the Digital Art History and Visual Culture Research Lab
Knight Lab Tools:
The Knight Lab at Northwestern University created a suite of digital tools useful in telling stories digitally. You can explore the full suite of tools on their site. Below are two tools that are particularly useful.
StoryMap JS
StoryMap JS creates maps that tell stories. StoryMap JS allows for two different kinds of exhibits or stories: one that maps space and one that maps an image. You will find examples of both below.
Example Projects:
A story told across geographic space:
StoryMap from Trinity’s Primus Project
Mapping an image to tell a story:
StoryMap from the “Fake News: Disinformation, Deception, and Magical Thinking Over Time” exhibit.
Get Started:
- How to make a StoryMap – Knight Lab
- How to make a gigapixel StoryMap – Knight Lab
Timeline JS
Timeline JS is a Knight Lab tool that creates dynamic timelines.
Example Project:
“Coltsville National Historic Park” by previous PHC team
Get Started:
- How to make a Timeline with Timeline JS – Trinity Ed Tech Blog
- Getting started with Timeline JS – Knight Lab