Open-source software to power PLUME
CC-BY-NC-SA EPFL Library
Following a major modernization project, PLUME, the EPFL Library’s platform for digitized heritage collections, is once again fully operational. It now runs on free and open-source software, in line with the Library’s commitment to Open Science.
PLUME provides free access to nearly 300 digitized rare and valuable books, together with their metadata. These heritage collections document, among other things, the history of science and technology, offering a way to explore historical documents held by the Library. Since 2019, these documents have been made accessible to a wide audience thanks to meticulous digitization work.
The books can be explored using a search engine, a viewer based on Mirador, and curated collections. They can also be downloaded in PDF format, either in part or in full. PLUME offers advanced search features, including full-text search, as well as bulk import capabilities and tools based on the IIIF and OAI-PMH standards, which facilitate access to and interoperability between collections.
A dedicated section for virtual exhibitions also offers thematic journeys through remarkable items from the collections.
An open-source platform
Previously hosted on Library Genesis (LibGen), a proprietary platform, PLUME now runs on Omeka S, free and open-source software developed by the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (RRCHNM) at George Mason University in Virginia, USA, which also developed the open-source reference management software Zotero.
Supported by the non-profit technology organization Digital Scholar, Omeka S is specifically designed to manage and publish digital collections for libraries, archives, museums and research institutions. Its modular architecture makes it possible to add features as needed and adapt the platform over time.
PLUME’s entire architecture has been redesigned around the Omekalia theme and nearly 25 modules, listed online, improving the platform’s stability, performance and maintainability.
Rediscover the EPFL Library’s digitized heritage collections at plume.epfl.ch.