CollectionBuilder-GH

a template for creating simple digital exhibits

Contents: About CollectionBuilder-GH | About the About Page | Tech

About CollectionBuilder-GH

This demo site features objects from the University of Idaho Library’s Digital Collections and is generated using CollectionBuilder-GH, a project to create a free and simple digital collection hosted on GitHub Pages from:

collectionbuilder-gh is intended as a simple template for hands-on teaching about digital libraries.

Create Your Collection!

For detailed instructions on how to use CollectionBuilder-GH, check our CB Docs site and CollectionBuilder-GH Walkthrough.

For those who really can’t wait, below are six quick steps to get you started:

  • Create a new project by clicking the green “Use This Template” button on the CollectionBuilder GitHub repository.
  • Make a copy of the Metadata Template.
  • Follow the formatting of the example record in the template to fill in metadata about your own objects.
  • Upload your files into the “objects” folder in your repository.
  • Activate on GitHub Pages for the Repository.
  • Check out your site via the link provided on your repository’s setting’s page!

Find complete details in the CollectionBuilder Docs.

collectionbuilder-gh can be used in a workshop setting to take participants through digitization and metadata creation, to having a live collection site hosted on GitHub. Similar learning experiences use DAMS/CMS platforms that are often overkill for one-off projects. Although CMS feature familiar GUI administration interfaces, they are not necessarily simple to host, learn, and customize.

collectionbuilder-gh aims to be well documented and easy to configure by following the example. A project in “minimal computing,” it provides a depth of learning opportunities, allowing users to take complete ownership over the project and make their work open to the world.

Learn about:

About the About Page

We want to make engaging interpretive pages easier to create, so CollectionBuilder gives you tools to write with your collection content!

The template comes with a customizable “About” page layout designed for long form content with rich media embeds. Content is written in Markdown and enhanced using “includes” that pull in collection content, external media, and Bootstrap features like cards and modals. We hope this makes it easier for site builders to develop the collection AND add interesting and engaging contextual information.

Each “include” file has several options, which are documented in the files themselves–copy the examples to see how it works with your content! In the demo below, we’ve given display widths of 25% and 50% to save space, but you can feature the entire image or document.

You can also see a page featuring a bonanza of feature includes options on our CollectionBuilder-GH demo site.

Include Collection Items

The template provides includes to pull your collection objects and metadata into your interpretive page, allowing you to write with your materials directly embedded in the content.

Include an Image

Include a PDF

The PDF is not rendering in your browser. Please download the PDF to view.

Tacoma High School, Tacoma, Washington

Include a Video

Include an Audio File

Good News – Power (Radio Episode Excerpt)

Include Bootstrap Features

The template also provides includes to make it easier to add Bootstrap components to your Markdown writing. These features allow you to better organize and highlight your content.

Include a Card

Administration Building, University of Idaho, No. 30
This is a Card

The card features an image from the collection as a cap

Include a Button

Include an Alert

Include a Modal

Technical Credits - CollectionBuilder

This digital collection is built with CollectionBuilder, an open source framework for creating digital collection and exhibit websites that is developed by faculty librarians at the University of Idaho Library following the Lib-Static methodology.

The site started from the CollectionBuilder-GH template which utilizes the static website generator Jekyll and GitHub Pages to build and host digital collections and exhibits.

More Information Available

Technical Specifications
IMLS Support