On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, May 28, 2024, an inspiring meeting took place in the historic Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, organized by the Digital Heritage Network (NDE). The topic of the day was the International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF, pronounced 'triple-eye-eff'), a standard that helps heritage organizations present, bring together and enrich their digitized collections. As KLEKSI we were proud to participate in this meeting, which was not only fascinating and informative, but also provided a wonderful opportunity to network and learn from each other.
The meeting started with a walk-in at 1:00 PM, after which the official program started at 1:30 PM. The turnout was overwhelming; the event was fully booked before the location was announced, demonstrating the great interest and importance of IIIF within the heritage sector.
Inspiring Presentations and Demonstrations
The program included a series of fascinating presentations from various heritage colleagues, each sharing their unique experiences and projects with IIIF:
Allmaps – Enriching Map Collections
Jules Schoonman, Digital Curator at TU Delft Library, kicked off with a presentation about the Allmaps project. This open source project, supported by the Connected Digital Heritage program line, focuses on georeferencing digitized maps. By making these maps more comparable and findable, Allmaps opens up new possibilities for research and education. The event also featured an Allmaps Arcade video game cabinet developed by Jules and his team. This cabinet allows visitors to play a game with georeferenced maps, based on IIIF. Normally this arcade is located in the Delft library, but on the occasion of the meeting it could be admired in Amsterdam.
Introduction IIIF
Bob Coret, NDE advisor from the Royal Library, gave an extensive introduction to IIIF. He explained where 'triple-eye-eff' comes from, which organizations are behind it, and what problems it solves. He also discussed the various options that IIIF offers to heritage institutions, from better accessibility to increased interoperability.
IIIF in Heritage and Research
Leon van Wissen, data engineer at the University of Amsterdam, demonstrated how IIIF is used within the Amsterdam Time Machine and the GLOBALISE project. He showed how heritage and research can complement each other by using this standard.
Creative Reuse with IIIF material
Video artist Donna Verheijden inspired the audience with her presentation about creative reuse of IIIF material. Through a number of works she showed the artistic possibilities and value of IIIF for artists and designers.
Other Highlights
The afternoon included many other interesting contributions, including:
- Erik-Jan Dros from Leiden University Libraries about making collections available via platforms such as Biblissima and Europeana.
- Reem Weda from Tresoar on the use of IIIF in their function as a regional historical centre.
- Lotte Savelsberg from Athenaeum Library about sharing medieval manuscripts.
- Irene van Renswoude and Mariken Teeuwen from the Huygens Institute about the national portal eCodicesNL.
- Rein Debrulle from meemoo about storytelling with IIIF.
The meeting was closed by Marg van der Burgh, program manager Connected Digital Heritage, and Annette Gaalman, network coordinator Implementation at the NDE. They reflected on the inspiring presentations and emphasized the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing within the heritage sector.
View the Presentations Back
Film recordings have been made for those who missed the meeting or would like to watch the presentations again. These recordings will soon be made available on the NDE YouTube channel. The link to the videos will be shared via the NDE website, the NDE newsletter, and NDE social media channels.
We were pleased to participate in this meeting and were inspired by the many possibilities that IIIF offers. We look forward to applying these insights in KLEKSI.
