Simple IIIF Discovery

Background

The Simple IIIF [1] Discovery system was originally developed to provide a way to access the images that are stored within multiple, distinct databases within the National Gallery, as well as provide a way to check new scientific and photographic images before they are formally accessioned.

The system works by preforming a simple keyword search across an institutional endpoint, and returning the results in a IIIF compatible viewer. As many institutions provide public access to their endpoints, the system is easily adapted to perform keyword searches across collections outside of those belonging to the National Gallery. Currently the collections of The Art Institute of Chicago, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, The National Gallery of Art, Statens Museum for Kunst, The Victoria & Albert Museum and Wellcome Collection. are all searchable via this demonstration site for the Simple IIIF Discovery system.

Quick Start Guide

Begin by selecting the institution whose collection you would like to search from the drop-down menu under 'Search in the uppermost menu bar; if you would like to search multiple collections, select Cross-Collection Search.

  • Enter your search term in the Yellow box in the left hand column of the page.[2]
  • Underneath the search box, you have the option to specify how many results you would like returned per page. The search will be performed over the entire collection or collections, regardless of the number you select in this field. The choice here only influences how the results will be displayed.
  • Finally in the Yellow box, you have the choice of which viewer you would like the results displayed in. In OpenSeadragon you'll be able to see the results as thumbnail images. In Mirador, they will be displayed as a list.
  • Click on 'Search' in the upper left corner of the Yellow Box to perform your search and have the results displayed in the viewer of your choice.

For help navigating the results page see here, and for more help with viewers see here.

  • [1] The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) establishes a set of basic structures that facilitate work with images from different collections in a digital workspace. These basic structures allow for the development of a wide variety of tools, services, and viewers, all of which can work with content from any institution that presents its images and data in a IIIF compliant manner. For further information, see https://iiif.io.
  • [2] Multiple words are generally processed using an 'AND' search function, while quotes can be used to help search for phrases. For both of these options exact functionality can vary between collections.
Example images from the collections included in this Simple IIIF Discovery demonstrator.