What Is CONTENTdm?
New York Heritage is powered by CONTENTdm, a digital collection management system provided by OCLC. Empire State Library Network licenses CONTENTdm and makes it available to member organizations that contribute to New York Heritage.
The system consists of:
- A server for storing digital files and metadata. OCLC hosts and maintains the NY Heritage CONTENTdm server.
- A web-based public interface for searching, browsing and viewing the digital files and metadata.
- Tools for creating and maintaining digital collections:
- CONTENTdm Administration is a web-based admin module. Login required.
- CONTENTdm Project Client is a Windows-based application used to add items and metadata to digital collections.
First Steps to using CONTENTdm in New York Heritage:
- Register for a free account here: https://ldap-accounts.oclc.org/create. After creating your account, email your username to Jen Palmentiero at Southeastern. She will add you as a user to the New York Heritage CONTENTdm server. Jen doesn't need your password, but you will, so write it down!
- Download the CONTENTdm Project Client from the OCLC website.
Quick Start Guide
- CONTENTdm Cheat Sheet
A guide from Southeastern that breaks down certain CONTENTdm workflows step-by-step. The guide focuses on: creating a project, setting up a metadata template, adding single items to the client, uploading records and approving them.
CONTENTdm Tutorials
- Work with Projects
Tutorials covering various topics relating to project management. These include: creating, opening, deleting, exporting, and sharing projects.
- Add items & objects
Tutorials on adding items to projects. Topics include (among others): adding single items, adding compound items, generating thumbnails, and working with pdf files.
- Entering Metadata
Tutorials relating to metadata. Topics include using controlled vocabularies, using find & replace, using the item editing tab, and creating metadata templates.
- Compound Objects
In-depth tutorials relating to adding, editing, and managing compound objects.
- FAQ & Troubleshooting
A collection of frequently asked questions related to the system, as well as troubleshooting documentation for common issues.