Create, Copy, Rename, and Delete Projects

Project Templates

Forum offers project templates as a way to start your project with a guideline. Project templates consist of pre-built metadata schemata, meaning the field labels are created, the field types designated, description text added, and the position number of the fields in the item panel defined. For pre-built linked fields, suggested resources are already linked to use at your preference. Templates also come with a pre-built full cataloging form, representing every field in the metadata schema. Project templates are entirely editable to create your custom fields and cataloging forms, so you can always use a template to define your own metadata fields if you’re unsure where to begin.

Project templates include:

• Visual Resources Template
  • Based on VRA Core 4.0, these fields are often intended for visual resources collections, but can be modified to fit other cultural heritage object collections.
• Dublin Core Template
  • Based on Dublin Core fields, this template is useful for describing archival and print materials.
• Archivision Template
  • Based on Archivision fields, this template is recommended for institutions subscribed to Archivision and interested in hosting the content in Forum. Visit Archivision.com to learn more about the base and modular collections or to obtain a copy of the data and images for uploading if your institution is subscribed.
• JSTOR Template
  • Recommended for Publishing to JSTOR. Read more on our Community Collections Metadata page.

For a list of all fields, field types, and descriptions in each template, download Project Templates. You can configure template fields, field types and descriptions by following the instructions in Manage Project Fields.

Create New Project

1. Log into Forum and from the Project Dashboard, select "Add a Project"
2. Input a project title and provide an optional project description, which can be re-purposed for your collection description when you set up a destination for publishing. 
3. Select Next to choose from one of the available metadata templates. Select Preview the schema fields to view field titles, types and descriptions for the selected metadata schema.  
4. Select Create, and then choose to set up a target to your chosen publishing destination OR continue to manage user access to the project OR start to upload media and catalog content.

Copy Existing Project

To facilitate the process of creating projects, administrators can copy a completed project. This will automatically establish the fields, including the types, descriptions, and positions, as well as cataloging forms, publishing targets and field mappings. This is an especially useful activity if the project configurations are similar, but the content must be kept separate.

Though you can copy the built structures of a project, field values are not copied. Also, fields which link to an integrated or external source in the project from which you copied will not retain their sources in the new project. Administrators will need to add the appropriate sources to the specific linked fields from the Fields tab.

While it is useful in some instances to copy a project and re-use the publishing target, other projects may need to be established with a new target. Before you begin adding any content, go to the Targets tab and verify that this copied target is the intended publishing environment for your new, copied project. If it is not, select the target and remove it, then create your new target from any of the available target types. Remember to map your new project’s fields to the target fields, as well as add a collection description and representative image.

To copy an existing project:

1. Select Add Project from the dashboard
2. Next select the project you want to copy
3. Input a project title and provide an optional project description, which can be re-purposed for your collection description when you set up a destination for publishing.  Select Finish. Your new project will appear
4. Navigate through Project Settings to edit any details for your new project.

Rename Project

1. Select the project you want to rename and select Project Settings
2. From the Overview tab, select Edit to change the project name and/or description.
3. Select Save

Delete Project

1. First, suppress all items published to targets. If you want to delete a project that has been published to Omeka, exposed as OAI, or harvested for DPLA, additional steps are required. Please contact Forum Support to learn more.
2. Select the project you want to delete in the project panel.
3. Select the Actions menu at the top of the project panel and then Delete.
4. A confirmation window will appear that reads: “All items in the project will be deleted." Check the box to confirm and then select Delete.