Building Your DPH Project Infrastructure

As I went along in this assignment, I learned that it is not only important to have sources to make your exhibit, but also the way you will present them. I was able to find some sources of newspaper articles from Irish and British newspapers which is great, but I also have to make sure that I am using them in a way that is inviting for my users to want to learn more.

As I am in the process of building my exhibits, one of the first items that we as a class had to do for this module was create a storyboard. This is important because it let’s you map out how you want to display your information and decide if that is the most appropriate way. It also let’s you keep your audience, personas, and project purpose in mind as you do so. It’s making building these exhibits easier because I already know how I want my website to look and flow.

As I find sources I will add them to the exhibit as one part of my project. I’m projecting to do three exhibits. One for Irish newspapers, another one for British newspapers, and the third one for American newspapers. This will give the perspective of the public reaction of those affected by the Great Irish Potato Famine from three countries.

The other part is building a exhibit where my users can contribute and add their photos or other digital artifacts to my website. I found a Omeka plugin that will let users submit a form and add their artifacts and then as an admin I would approve them and it will be added to my website. This controls what users are able to login and add content but also I can make sure that the content provided are legitimate before posting to my website. The users that wish to contribute will have to create an account and sign in but then they can contribute as much as they wish.