Publishing Database

Hello,
I'm trying to figure out of Omeka is right for us. We want to publish the data from an archaeological dig (photos, maps, a couple of articles, etc.) and present it nicely. So far, Omeka looks like a great and easy to use option, especially given the exhibit features and Neatline.

But I'm wondering about our database: We have an Access 2007 database with the bulk of our artifact data in it, and I'd like to publish the entire thing here. I can't tell if that would be possible or not. The item, collection, and exhibit features look good, but I don't want to have to make an item entry for every pottery shard.

I see from another forum that there will eventually be a plug in for databases, but it isn't an option just yet.

Can you tell me if I'd be able to publish the database with Omeka? When is the plug in going to be ready (by summer? fall?)? Do you think Omeka is right for this project (or vice versa)?

Thanks for any help you might have for me,
Best,
Russ

It sounds like Omeka could work well. You can take "item" very loosely, and have it represent any kind of grouping of materials. So, if you have multiple shards that seem to be from the same object, the object could be the item with multiple files.

The database question is trickier. We plan to have much better mechanisms for getting data into Omeka from other sources by the fall. In the shorter term, it might be possible to use the CSV Import plugin, if you can export the data from your Access 2007 db as CSV.