KORA is the open-source content management system created by MATRIX for use in our work within the digital humanities. KORA is currently being utilized in projects such as The Quilt Index, the African Online Digital Library, and Slave Biographies (among many others).
KORA has two main features that separate it from other content management systems. First, all of KORA’s functionality can be accessed from a web browser. This allows anyone with access to a computer and the Internet to enter data into the content management system. Having a browser-based CMS allows collaborators from different locations to all work on one project simultaneously without the need for installing specific software. This gives projects the ability to scale quickly and to be adopted by individuals who may not have access to large amounts of high-tech computing equipment or expertise.
Second, KORA’s design is grounded in best practice for metadata creation and management. KORA was specifically designed to balance both flexibility and adherence to industry best practices. KORA gives users an unprecedented amount of flexibility in the style, order, and type of metadata they collect about an object. This allows clients to customize KORA to meet the unique needs of their particular project or dataset. In this move to flexibility, however, KORA has also worked to maintain compliance with international metadata standards, namely Dublin Core. KORA helps users map the connections between their unique metadata schemes and the more standardized categories of Dublin Core. This affords projects the opportunity to be both uniquely designed and have its data be usable in other search engines and databases.
Currently in its third round of development, KORA is constantly being improved by MATRIX as we mold the system to meet our needs— as well as the needs of our project partners. If you are interested in using KORA for your own content management needs, we would encourage you to contact us for more information and for assistance in making KORA your own.
