Global library cooperative Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (OCLC), US, has released CONTENTdm 6, a new version of its CONTENTdm Digital Collection Management software. The latest version offers a complete redesign for the end-user experience along with new website configuration tools that enable digital collection administrators to easily customise their collections websites without programming expertise. CONTENTdm now offers new customisation options, new architecture and improvements for search engine optimisation.
Created with a user-centered design approach, the new CONTENTdm is the result of extensive usability testing. OCLC incorporated the feedback from these usability studies -along with CONTENTdm user community input, security and performance considerations, and a secondary design goal of ease of customisation - to create a more intuitive experience for end users and tools that enable digital collection administrators to quickly customise their collections websites.
The new CONTENTdm website has consistently passed usability tests with 97 percent of end users able to accomplish their tasks. Improved usability leads to greater use and participation in libraries' digital collections. The new end-user interface offers simpler access to digital items, easier navigation paths, dynamic interaction with digital items, and multiple avenues for discovery. It also offers end users more functionality, including the ability to share digital items (via e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and many more), an enhanced image viewer for zooming and panning, and viewing images in full screen, as well as features that support discoverability such as QuickView, Advanced Search, Suggested Topics, Facets, breadcrumbs and RSS feeds.
The new Website Configuration Tool enables CONTENTdm digital collection administrators to tailor the appearance and behaviour of their collections. With the new tool, administrators have the ability to create a branded look and feel for their websites, without programming skills or Web developer resources. Administrators can customise colours and styles or upload logos, as well as preview their website before publishing any changes, using the toolset. Additionally, all customisations persist through future software updates.
Optimised for customisation, the new CONTENTdm also accommodates those institutions that have available technical staff to make more advanced and extensive customisations using custom pages, custom scripts, custom Cascading Style Sheets and more. Other CONTENTdm enhancements include improved Search Engine Optimization, updated Controlled Vocabularies and many more. It also includes a new feature that makes metadata creation more efficient by automatically extracting embedded image metadata. Now, EXIF and IPTC metadata embedded in JPEG and TIFF images can be automatically extracted and then mapped to Dublin Core or Qualified Dublin Core fields.
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