Chickens, aprons, markets, and cans

Purpose This paper describes how the content management system (CMS) Omeka supports the representation and presentation of the National Agricultural Library’s (NAL’s) digital exhibits, including some observations on its strengths and weaknesses. It also looks at Omeka’s major features through a theoretical lens of exhibit orientation that provides another way to assess it as a digital content tool. Design/methodology/approach The case study method was selected to review four comparable exhibits from the same institution. The Omeka software was evaluated through a lens of exhibit design that includes two orientations (object vs information) and multiple goals (object identification and display, engagement, interpretation and education). Findings Omeka is a valuable tool for digital exhibits because of its strength in knowledge representation through a standard metadata scheme, the ability to group items that have some aspect in common such as author or topic, and its support of narrative exhibits incorporating text and images. Omeka needs some additional support, however, to fulfill more complex goals such as user engagement, object interpretation and user education. Originality/value The paper grounds the examination of Omeka within a theoretical framework of exhibit orientation that enriches its observations and conclusions.