IIIF Content Discoverability and the Keyword “iiif”

Nikitas Tampakis - Princeton University Library (United States)

Presentation type: Presentation

Abstract:

IIIF enables the creation of rich digital collections that bring together content distributed among cultural heritage institutions. With image viewers such as Mirador, one is able to analyze works held in physically different locations side-by-side or overlayed within a web browser. However, in order to take advantage of the research tools afforded by IIIF, a user must be able to find IIIF resources.

This talk will discuss how IIIF content is discoverable throughout the web. Users typically find IIIF content by getting a match on the item’s metadata, full-text from OCR, or the item may be featured in an online exhibit or news item. Initiatives which involve indexing data from collaborating institutions such as OpenGeoMetadata and the Digital Cicognara Library will also be presented.

While IIIF is the gateway to access precious image data, the keyword “iiif” is often hidden from the user. Searches for “iiif” on the websites for institutions with extensive IIIF resources usually turn up empty. Is it important for users to know about IIIF explicitly, and if so how can we better present information about the specification so more people can take advantage of its potential?

Topics:

  • Discovering IIIF resources,
  • IIIF Implementation Spectrum: large-scale or small-scale projects

Keywords:

  • Content sharing,
  • web search interfaces,
  • IIIF Search API,
  • full-text search