Rosenwald Fund Collection Theme

A custom Omeka S theme developed for the Fisk University Rosenwald Project. This theme is designed to provide a visually accessible, archivist-friendly interface for exploring digitized materials related to Julius Rosenwald’s philanthropic impact on African-American education.

Project Repo: https://github.com/Fisk-University/Rosenwald-Fund-Collection

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Project Overview

The Rosenwald Fund Collection theme was created as part of a Mellon Foundation-funded digital humanities initiative. It provides a tailored, elegant frontend for institutions using Omeka S to display archival content, particularly HBCUs and similar cultural heritage organizations seeking to replicate Fisk University's digital infrastructure.

This theme emphasizes:

• Readable, modern design principles
• Support for dual-filter metadata search (e.g., State and County)
• Lightweight performance
• Seamless integration with selected modules

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Installation

To install this theme:

1. Download the theme ZIP or clone it directly:

   git clone https://github.com/Fisk-University/Rosenwald-Fund-Collection.git
   

2. Move the folder into your Omeka S themes directory:

   mv Rosenwald-Fund-Collection /path/to/omeka-s/themes/
   

3. Log in to the Omeka S admin panel

4. Go to Appearance > Theme and activate "Rosenwald Fund Collection"

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Features

• Metadata-first layout optimized for archival clarity
• Dynamic page header and item display blocks
• Support for dual-property dropdown filters when paired with the appropriate search module
• Customized block layouts including featured item carousels, image/text blocks, and full-width media display
• Accessibility and responsive design principles throughout

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Configuration Options

From the Omeka S admin panel:

• Choose custom logos and background images
• Toggle item metadata display fields
• Set homepage blocks using drag-and-drop site builder

No command-line configuration is required. Advanced users can modify CSS or template logic by editing:

• asset/css/style.css
• view/omeka/site/*
• theme.ini

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Search Architecture

This theme uses a standardized approach to search parameters for consistency across all search mechanisms:

Search Parameters

• fulltext_search – Primary keyword/fulltext search parameter used throughout the theme

  • Used by: Global search form (header), Keyword search form, Browse templates
  • Example: ?fulltext_search=georgia
  • Detected in: view/omeka/site/item/browse.phtml and view/omeka/site/item-set/browse.phtml

• q – Fallback/simple query parameter

  • Supported for backward compatibility
  • Example: ?q=georgia

• property[n][text] – Property-based search (advanced search)

  • Used in conjunction with property[n][property] to filter by metadata fields
  • Example: ?property[0][property]=rfc:state&property[0][text]=Georgia

Search Form Locations

• Global Search – /view/common/search-form.phtml (displayed in site header)
• Keyword Search – /view/common/search/search-form-keyword.phtml (main search results page)
• Location-based Search – /view/common/search/search-form-location.phtml (State/County filters)

All forms preserve search parameters when navigating through pagination and sorting controls.

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Recommended Modules

For full functionality, install the following modules alongside this theme:

• UnitedSearch – for dual-property search functionality (e.g., State/County)
• ZipImport – for batch CSV+ZIP archival ingestion
• Mapping – for geolocation display
• ItemCarouselBlock – for featured exhibits and scrolling highlights
• AnyCloud – for connecting S3 cloud media storage

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Folder Structure

Rosenwald-Fund-Collection/
├── asset/
│   ├── css/
│   ├── fonts/
│   └── img/
├── view/
│   └── omeka/
│       └── site/
│           ├── item/
│           ├── page/
│           └── browse/
├── theme.ini
└── README.md

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License

This module is published under the Server Side Public License (SSPL-1.0).

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Built with ❤️ by LaTaevia Berry & Sai Kiran Boppana for Fisk University and HBCUs nationwide

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Future Improvements

• Add color scheme configuration via admin UI
• Improve mobile responsiveness for tablets
• Expand layout templates for exhibits and tours
• Localize text for multilingual accessibility

We welcome community feedback and contributions.