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

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

Installation

To install this theme:

Download the theme ZIP or clone it directly: bash git clone https://github.com/Fisk-University/Rosenwald-Fund-Collection.git
Move the folder into your Omeka S themes directory: bash mv Rosenwald-Fund-Collection /path/to/omeka-s/themes/
Log in to the Omeka S admin panel
Go to Appearance > Theme and activate "Rosenwald Fund Collection"

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

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

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.

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

Folder Structure

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

License

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

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

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.