1. Planning and Developing Online Exhibits
Katiana M. Bagué
George A. Smathers Libraries
University of Florida
April 5, 2018

2. Steps
Explore University of Florida (UF)’s collection and select a series of items
Are the items digitized? If not, go through the digitization process
Figure out the topic/thesis for your exhibit (What is significant about the items you have chosen? What story do you want to tell?)
Research the items/topic
Create an outline/plan for you exhibit (Set up a draft using PowerPoint, a word document, excel sheet, etc.)
Write up labels (introduction, ID labels, content labels, closing statement)
Select an online tool to showcase your exhibit (Omeka, Abobe Muse, Timeline JS, etc.)
Begin constructing the exhibit using the online tool
Publish

3. Exploring UF’s Collection
There are several points of access for UF’s collection and select items of interest. Examples below:
University of Florida’s Digital Collection (
Digital Library of the Caribbean (
University of Florida’s Library Catalog (
University of Florida’s Finding Aids (

4. Selecting Items of Interest
After exploring UF’s collection, select items you find of interest and discern whether there is a specific pattern or theme. This pattern or theme could be a potential exhibit topic.
While selecting the items for your exhibit, take note of each item’s descriptive features or metadata (Title, Date, Creator, Location/ Source Institution, Medium, Call Number, Name of Collection, etc.)
Are the items digitized? If not, go through the digitization process. Scan items and convert them to the appropriate media files. (Note: consult the librarian in charge to seek assistance and permission to digitize UF items and to create metadata )

5. Develop an Exhibit Topic or Thesis
What is significant about the items you have chosen? What story do you want to tell?
Make your topic/thesis innovative and engaging. Have audiences visualize or think about something from a different perspective. Don’t be afraid of addressing an issue or challenging your audiences.
Write it out ( words)
Consult topic/thesis with the librarian in charge, colleagues and exhibits coordinator. Be open to suggestions.

6. Research Selected Items and Topic
Utilize the library and its resources:
University of Florida’s Library Catalog (
UF OneSearch
Online databases and journals available through UF (example: JSTOR)

7. Create a Plan or Outline for your Exhibit
Create a rough draft for your exhibit using Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Excel, etc. (Suggested: PowerPoint)
Your draft should have item images and the labels accompanying them. This will help to better visualize your exhibit and provide an easy transfer to when your are ready to construct using an online tool or software.

8. Samples of Online Exhibit Drafts
Children Book
Description
Themes
UF Digital Items
Context
Daniel José Older's 'Shadowshaper
Afro-Boricua mural artist Sierra Santiago discovers she has the ability to infuse art with ancestral spirits, an ability called shadowshaping. In the midst of her gentrifying community in Brooklyn, Sierra has to master shadowshaping and defeat an enigmatic being using powers similar to hers to hunt other shadowshapers. This book has teen romance, mysterious poems, and salsa-infused death metal.
Urban art, Puerto Rican Culture in the United States
Puerto Ricans in New York City, April 1, 1953
Come Home: Selections from the Art Collection of Hector G. Puig
The document Puerto Ricans in New York City from 1953 gives a population estimate of individuals of Puerto Rican descent living in New York City. It also gives a brief statement about the living conditions of Puerto Ricans during this time. Puerto Rican immigration to New York has been very strong since 1898, when the island became of US territory.
Hector G. Puig is a Puerto Rican art collector living in Gainesville. He has moreover collected a multitude of Latin American artworks, including a vast collection of Puerto Rican Santos.

9. Label Writing
Introduction Label/ Curator Statement: Explain the exhibit’s purpose. What is the topic and theme? What is the tone? ( words)
ID Label: Provides the bibliographic information about the item (Artist/Author, Title of the item, Year, Call number is applicable, Source Institution)
Content Label: Information about the item + your interpretation of it ( words)
Group Label: Used if you want to discuss more than one item together ( words)
Closing statement: Conclusion of the exhibit. What should the viewer take away? ( words)
Link: George A. Smathers Libraries Style Guide

10. Label Examples ID LABEL GROUP LABEL CONTENT LABEL
Tony Mendoza (Cuban-American, )
Cuba-Going Back
1999
University of Texas Press
F M
Latin American and Caribbean Collection,
Special & Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries,
University of Florida
GROUP LABEL
CONTENT LABEL
Shadowshaper is a young adult novel that follows the adventures of Sierra Santigo, an Afro-Boricua mural artist that discovers that she has the power of shadowshaping or the ability to infuse art with ancestral spirits. The book gives readers a glimpse into art and Nuyorican culture, given that the plot takes place in Brooklyn, New York. Paired with this novel is an art catalog titled Come Home: Selections from the Art Collection of Hector G. Puig that features a multitude of Latin American artworks, including a vast collection of Puerto Rican Santos.
Tony Mendoza, a well-known Cuban-American photographer, decided after thirty-seven years of exile to visit his home country of Cuba in This book documents that trip in a journal like manner, with the photographer’s own photos and writing. Memory and nostalgia collide with Cuba’s present situation, as Mendoza revisits the places of his childhood and records the encounters he has with the locals.

11. Selecting an Online Tool/ Software for your Exhibit
Explore your options and find a tool that would work well with your specific project.
Examples of Online Tools (frequently used at UF):
Adobe Muse :
Omeka:
Knight Lab (Timeline JS):
After selecting the software, read about it, take tutorials, and begin constructing your exhibit.

12. Online Tools and Examples
Timeline JS:
Omeka:
enging-under-representati
Adobe Muse:

13. Published Online Exhibit Examples
Explore these sites and look at exhibit examples for inspiration.

14. Other Useful Resources
digital-exhibitions/