CURIOSity

CURIOSity enables the Harvard community to build digital exhibits using Harvard Library’s digital collections infrastructure. CURIOSity sites are dedicated websites designed to showcase digitized materials and support searching and browsing across curated sets of items, while also allowing curators to add narrative and interpretive content.

CURIOSity sites include publicly accessible digitized resources in a wide range of formats, such as books, manuscripts, photographs, letters, and audiovisual materials, drawn from across Harvard’s libraries, archives, and museums.

CURIOSity is Harvard Library’s implementation of Spotlight, a plugin for Blacklight, an open-source discovery platform used by institutions worldwide. Spotlight’s content management features allow curators to define collections, organize materials into meaningful groupings, and create interpretive content to enhance discovery and use.

CURIOSity supports exhibits both with and without item-level searching and browsing, allowing curators to tailor sites to their collections and audiences.

Item-level metadata for digitized materials is pulled from systems such as Alma, JSTOR Forum, and ArchivesSpace via LibraryCloud, Harvard Library’s metadata hub.

The CURIOSity service is provided by Harvard Library UX & Discovery and supported by Library Technology Services (LTS).

To learn more about the service, visit the CURIOSity Service wiki.

Support

Support for CURIOSity is shared between technical platform support and service and curatorial support, depending on the nature of the request.

• Contact Library Technology Services (LTS) for platform issues, access problems, or unexpected behavior.

• Contact CURIOSity Services for help with planning and building exhibits, coordinating metadata, copyright review, training, and ongoing support.

Useful Links

• CURIOSity - Browse all published CURIOSity sites.

• CURIOSity demo site - See an example site that demonstrates common features, layouts, and functionality.

• CURIOSity Service Wiki - Find curator documentation, training materials, and step-by-step guidance for creating, managing, and maintaining CURIOSity sites.