Building Thematic Research Collections with Drupal

The course provides an introduction to Drupal 7 as a platform for creating thematic research collections. Week 1 begins with an overview of Drupal's essential archictural components (such as nodes, blocks, menus, views, etc.) and proceeds to the development of a simple content model designed to support the organization, classification, annotation, and visualization of source materials (texts and images). A key element of the approach taken will be the use of a topic network to do the work of classification, as opposed to the use of tags or categories.

Week 2 will cover more advanced topics, such as the use of Panels and Books to build sequential displays (exhibits) of material, as well as the visualization of content using maps and timelines. Those with some experience using Drupal may take Week 2 independently of Week 1. Each day will consist of an overview followed by hands-on activities oriented toward building a working site. No knowledge of programming is required, although a basic knowledge of HTML is useful. Access to a collection of primary source materials is helpful but not necessary. The course will be delivered in English.