Gutenberg Images—Mainz University Library’s convenient, flexible image database for Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU).
With Gutenberg Images, JGU can collect image material from the areas of administration, teaching, and research. It can index, organize, and manage this material using metadata and export it to other repositories. In addition, the system can easily be used for other data formats such as video or audio files. The content of Gutenberg Images is arranged in archive areas (pools) and can be viewed, shared, and downloaded by users according to their respective authorizations. Gutenberg Images has a flexible data model in order to adapt each archive area (pool) to the users’ needs.
Based on the EasyDB software, two different databases with different data structures were set up:
Gutenberg Images—each individual file is indexed by a set of metadata.
Gutenberg Objects—an object is made accessible through a set of metadata, to which several files can be assigned.
Who Can Use Gutenberg Images?
In principle, Gutenberg Images can be used by all institutions, working and project groups as well as all members of JGU. Our manual (PDF) will support you in doing so.
Gutenberg Images is currently used by more than twenty institutes in more than fourty archive areas with more than 800,000 data sets.
What Are the Features and Functions of Gutenberg Images?
- Browser-based, access with any device
- Linked to standardized lists (e.g., list of artists linked to GND, list of places linked to Geonames)
- Archiving system for managing any number of images, multimedia files, and documents
- Granular management of access permissions and rights
- Hierarchical structure with superior and subordinate archive areas (pools)
- Definable data fields and customizable masks
- Various convenient search tools
- Data protection through routine backup
- Import of data sets via Excel/CSV to import data sets from other database systems
- Data can be exported to Word and PowerPoint using drag & drop
What Came Before Gutenberg Images?
The Multimedia Database with the access software Imagic IMS (formerly ImageAccess) had been provided by the Data Center (Zentrum für Datenverarbeitung, ZDV) university-wide since 2004. It was used by institutes and projects to manage their image and multimedia data for research, teaching, and e-learning. In 2020, the changeover to the EasyDB system, provided by the company “Programmfabrik”, took place, combined with an extensive migration of data, which was only completed in 2022.
How Can I Use Gutenberg Images to Manage an Image Inventory?
If you would like to use Gutenberg Images for your image inventory, feel free to contact us.
In preparation, please fill out this questionnaire (PDF) and send it to gutenberg-images@ub.uni-mainz.de.
Contact
For general inquiries and the creation of an individual archive stock (pool), please get in touch: