FINOkoye

Yet another question... what's the Squarespace/WordPress of databases?

Been bumping into all these cool new museums/independent research orgs people are starting up and I really feel they deserve better than the bloated crap sold at museum expos that the big institutions are currently saddled with...

#MuseumTech #OpenAccess #Databases

Jul 15, 2023 at 3:28pmWeb
Show threadTim GasperakJul 15, 2023
@FINOkoye There aren't great options, sadly. The best open access/open source option could be https://omeka.org but I find it to be difficult and not straightforward – certainly not straightforward on the level of a Squarespace.
Omeka

Omeka is a free, flexible, and open source web-publishing platform for the display of library, museum, archives, and scholarly collections and exhibitions. Its five-minute setup makes launching an online archive or exhibition as easy as launching a blog.

Show threadFINOkoyeJul 16, 2023

@gasperak Yeah, I have yet to try Airtable at scale but overall I think you're right.

I'll put some time in over the summer to hack about with Omeka and see what I can do, though.

Show threadTim GasperakJul 16, 2023
@FINOkoye Omeka is primarily a CMS & database for building institutional collections and exhibitions. Airtable is definitely easy to use, but proprietary and only a database.
Show threadFINOkoyeJul 20, 2023
@gasperak Yup - for sure part of the experimentation will be seeing how far I can go with something like Airtable (and a layer or two of automation tools e.g. Zapier and CMS'/front end packages) vs the ones with more/additional CMS capability
Show threadcoldclimateJul 15, 2023
@FINOkoye does Airtable fit the bill? It's one of those products I've never got round to using but sounds like it might
Show threadFINOkoyeJul 16, 2023
@coldclimate Yes Airtable would definitely fit the bill, especially with the API generator functionality. I don't know why that slipped my mind (I think it initially crossed my radar looking for something that could integrate with Adobe Experience Manager, but I ended up going down an MS Power App route instead and Airtable was put aside) 🤦🏾‍♀️ so thank you for raising it!
Show threadDawn AhukannaJul 15, 2023
@FINOkoye if it’s for building stuff, look into SQLite and datasettes.io by @simon
Show threadFINOkoyeJul 16, 2023

@dahukanna @simon Will do, thank you so much!

Lots to experiment with, I think I'm definitely going to have to take next quarter as full on experimentation time... 🤓

Show threadFrederik ElwertJul 15, 2023
@FINOkoye People who know better than me have strongly recommended #CollectiveAccess to me. https://collectiveaccess.org/
Home | CollectiveAccess

Show threadFINOkoyeJul 16, 2023

@felwert Oh wow OK this is veeeery interesting, and with some really interesting (encouragingly so) clients too!

I can think of a few colleagues tackling 'disjointed collections' drama who'd be into this as well...!

Show threadwillismonroeJul 15, 2023
@FINOkoye I've heard good things about huerist and played around with grist, but there's definitely a need for an easy solution.
Show threadFINOkoyeJul 16, 2023
@willismonroe I hadn't heard of either, so much appreciation for the recommendations! Added to the list as of now 😃
Show threadJohn LaytJul 15, 2023
@FINOkoye Do you mean something for collections like Omeka S (https://omeka.org/s/), or lower-level like a low-code / no-code database system like Budibase etc?
Omeka S

Omeka is a free, flexible, and open source web-publishing platform for the display of library, museum, archives, and scholarly collections and exhibitions. Its five-minute setup makes launching an online archive or exhibition as easy as launching a blog.

Show threadFINOkoyeJul 16, 2023

@jlayt Oh thanks for these!

I was indeed initially thinking of something like Omeka S (which I hadn't heard about and will play around with!) but the next step is connectors and APIs which are in the realm of functionality (from quick scan) that Budibase provides.

Show threadMiaJul 16, 2023
@FINOkoye it's probably also a great question for the MCG list. There are a few open source and/or cloud-based collections management systems if that's what they're after. Or you could ask people for real world examples of sites in Omeka S or whatever
Show threadFINOkoyeJul 20, 2023
@mia Good point!
Show threadNicola CarboniJul 17, 2023
@FINOkoye aside from omeka, heurist, and collective access I would also take a look at nodegoat (https://nodegoat.net/) as a paid alternative. Wikibase is also a nice, well documented, alternative!
nodegoat

nodegoat is a web-based data management, network analysis & visualisation environment. Using nodegoat, you can create and manage any number of datasets by use of a graphic user interface. Your own data model autoconfigures the backbone of nodegoat's core functionalities. Within nodegoat you are able to instantly analyse and visualise datasets. nodegoat allows you to enrich data with relational, geographical and temporal attributes. Therefore, the modes of analysis are inherently diachronic and ready-to-use for interactive maps and extensive trailblazing.

nodegoat