eMuseum 6.5 Highlights

📊 Redesigned Admin and Configuration Section

The administration entry point has been streamlined and is now accessible via a single link at the bottom of the page. This update focuses on reducing distractions, consolidating similar configuration options, and prioritizing key information for administrators. Application and health information remains available, but it is less prominent unless there is a critical notice, making the dashboard cleaner and more focused on the tasks administrators typically log in to manage. All configuration options from the previous version have been condensed into a more efficient, centralized menu.

On the right side of the dashboard, a notifications and details section provides real-time information about site health, data, and indexing processes. If any issues arise, such as indexing errors or offline dependencies like Solr, notifications will appear prominently, eliminating the need for administrators to search for critical updates. These changes ensure that administrators can quickly access the most relevant information and address any potential issues without unnecessary complications.

🌍 Multilingual Content

In eMuseum, there are several types of translatable content, including the user interface (UI), field labels, and field values. The UI encompasses elements like the menu (collections, objects, people, exhibitions) and labels such as "of" in result counts or placeholder text in search fields. Field labels refer to terms like dimensions, medium, and credit. Both the UI and field labels can be translated directly within the eMuseum configuration section. However, field value translations are created and managed in TMS alongside the collection metadata. With the language switcher now integrated into the General Settings page of the eMuseum admin UI, administrators can easily enable or disable supported languages. This replaces the old process, which required XML file modifications on the server. Now, adding a new language, such as French, is as simple as selecting it from a dropdown, making the entire system much more accessible.

The translation of UI labels is managed through the eMuseum admin interface, allowing administrators to change labels, such as renaming "objects" to "artworks" and translating them to other languages like German. For field labels such as Dimensions or Medium, the translations are managed on the field configuration page, where administrators can define how labels appear in different languages. For field values, TMS offers several translation methods. Titles can be translated using language-specific entries, while other fields like descriptions and mediums can be handled through text entries, which allow for specific language assignments. Administrators can choose between standard or single-value text entries for more organized translation management. Once translations are completed in TMS, eMuseum can be configured to display them globally, with a multilingual column controlling which fields show translated values. If a translation isn’t available, eMuseum will default to the original language, ensuring a seamless user experience across multiple languages.

▶️ Common Video Platform Support

📦 3D Images

🔍 Did You Mean Search

This new option automatically triggers when a user's search returns no results. This feature analyzes the search input and suggests alternative searches based on closely matching terms or available values within the collection. It's particularly useful for handling common typos or misspellings, offering suggestions that align with actual data in the system. By providing relevant alternatives, the "Did You Mean" feature enhances the search experience, ensuring that users are guided toward successful results even if their initial query is inaccurate.

🛠️ Menu Enhancements

Before version 6.5, eMuseum had numerous separate configuration pages for settings that have now been consolidated into a more streamlined interface. While some pages contained more settings than others, each served as an entry point to different sections of your online collection, all with their own menu items. Consolidating these pages and modules allowed us to introduce additional features without sacrificing functionality. Administrators can still view which modules and pages are enabled for the site and directly edit those pages, such as modifying the collections page banner or adjusting display options.

One significant enhancement is the ability to designate the homepage directly within the UI. Previously, setting the homepage required server access and manual file modification, which not all users had. Now, administrators can assign the homepage within this consolidated configuration table. Additionally, an "Order" column has been added, allowing for easy reordering of menu items using drag and drop. This feature enables changes to the order of key sections like Collections, Objects, People, and Exhibitions, which will automatically adjust their corresponding menu items, eliminating the need for customizations required in earlier versions.

🌐 External Media Servers Support

eMuseum 6.1 Highlights

🔍 Fielded Quick Search

Create complex searches straight from the Keyword Search bar without needing the Advanced Search or Filters. Search on specific fields using the field:value format (e.g. classification:"furniture").

🛡️ Dependency, Library, and Security Updates

eMuseum 6.0

🎨 Style and Configuration

eMuseum 6 puts you in control, allowing administrators to change the look and feel of your site with a set of easily useable controls—no coding required. Quickly manage fonts, colors, and spacing on your eMuseum site, from large elements such as the header, footer, and menu to complex elements such as the filter panel, result grid items, and detail page layout. Customizing your eMuseum site has never been easier.

📚 Groups

eMuseum 6 expands on the Categories page with the addition of Search Groups. Now, admins can create groups of pre-defined queries in eMuseum, which can be nested and given their representative name, notes, and image, adding a new dimension to your online collection.

🖼️ Media Downloads, Permissions, and Custom Sizes

In the new version of eMuseum, administrators can easily control the availability of media types and derivatives for specific user roles. Additionally, admins can grant download permissions and create custom image derivatives for downloading or other purposes from the configuration interface.

🗓️ Loans and Events Modules

eMuseum 6 includes new Loans and Events modules, so you can easily search, filter, and relate Loans and Events to your other eMuseum content.

⚡External Vocabularies: ULAN

The Getty Research Institute’s Union List of Artist Names (ULAN) database is a powerful resource for digital collections. This free database tool houses the information and historical context of over 300,000 artists with more than 720,000 entries. With eMuseum 6, you can easily link your constituent records to this resource using TMS and eMuseum.

📄 Reporting

Configure and style reports in eMuseum’s all-new Reports Manager. Administrators can create unlimited reports for any module and view, with configurable fields and security applied to all.

🔗 Managing Data Exchange - Prism

Manage data and media exchange between TMS and eMuseum seamlessly through eMuseum’s new companion application—Prism. Prism replaces SQL import scripts and the eMuseum Thumbnailer, handling all media management. Prism allows admins to easily configure the publication criteria and field data published to eMuseum and how often data is pushed to eMuseum. Managing the publication of data and media and keeping it nearly in sync with TMS is not only possible with Prism—it’s effortless.

🎉 Additional features

• Collection highlights and custom ordering: Collections can be manually ordered, and package Objects will display in the same order set in TMS Package Explorer. Collection detail pages also display a preview of highlighted objects.

• Infinite scrolling: Optionally disable standard paging in favor of Infinitely scrolling through search results.

• Search autocomplete: Configure emuseum to suggest searches based on Select field criteria.

Backup Data

Before upgrading any part, make sure to backup the following files and folders in the EMUSEUM_HOME directory:

• customcss/

eMuseum 6

eMuseum 6.5

• 6.5.10 December 12 2025,

• 6.5.9 October 7 2025,

• 6.5.8 July 24 2025,

• 6.5.7 July 11 2025,

• 6.5.6 May 29 2025,

• 6.5.5 May 8 2025,

• 6.5.4 February 26 2025,

• 6.5.3 January 29 2025,

• 6.5.2 December 2 2024,

• 6.5.1 October 14 2024,

• 6.5 September 27 2024,

eMuseum 6.4

• 6.4.24 December 12 2025,

• 6.4.23 October 7 2025,

• 6.4.22 July 24 2025,

• 6.4.21 May 29 2025,

eMuseum 6.3

• 6.3.24 October 7 2025

• 6.3.23 July 24 2025

• 6.3.22 May 8 2025

• 6.3.21 January 29 2025

eMuseum 6.2

• 6.2.19 Sep 9 2024

• 6.2.18 Apr 19 2024

• 6.2.17 Feb 23 2024

• 6.2.16 Oct 3 2023

eMuseum 6.1

• 6.1.21 Sep 9 2024

• 6.1.20 Apr 19 2024

• 6.1.19 Feb 23 2024

• 6.1.18 Oct 3 2023

eMuseum 6.0

• 6.0.29 Sep 9 2024

• 6.0.28 Apr 19 2024

• 6.0.27 Feb 23 2024

• 6.0.26 Oct 3 2023

The "Groups" feature in eMuseum6 introduces a range of functionalities aimed at enhancing the organization and browsing experience of records. This comprehensive feature enables administrators to create, manage, and nest groups based on field categories or specific search criteria. Users can easily browse through related items by grouping records, streamlining their access to relevant information.

One aspect of the "Groups" feature is the ability to create category groups. Administrators can define groups of browsable records from any module, utilizing a specific field as the basis for grouping. This categorization enables users to explore records associated with each distinct value in the selected field. By leveraging category groups, administrators can create logical associations between records and enhance user navigation within the system.

Additionally, the "Groups" feature offers search groups, empowering administrators to generate groups based on keyword searches, advanced search queries, or filtered search results. These search-generated groups provide users with direct access to result sets that match the specified search criteria.

Administrators can leverage the concept of parent groups within the "Groups" feature. Parent groups serve as containers for nesting other groups, such as search or category groups. By creating empty groups without specific module, field, or query associations, administrators can establish a hierarchical structure for organizing related groups. This nesting capability facilitates a multi-level grouping approach, allowing users to navigate through parent groups to access the associated nested groups conveniently.

This article is going to demonstrate how to create the three types of groups mentioned above:

Prerequisites

• eMuseum superuser login

• Enable "Groups" page under Configuration > Page Management > Groups > Configuration tab

Parent Group

1. Go to Configuration > Page Management > Groups > Groups List tab.

2. Click on "Create New Group".

3. Enter the desired name for the group, which will be displayed on your site.

4. The URL path for the group will be automatically generated, but you can customize it if needed.

1. In the Parent Group drop-down list, choose whether the group should appear at the root level or as a branch of a parent group on the page.

2. Optionally, provide a description that will be shown on the page for this group.

3. Select "Parent Group"

4. Click "Submit"

Category Group

1. Go to Configuration > Page Management > Groups > Groups List tab.

2. Click on "Create New Group".

3. Enter the desired name for the group, which will be displayed on your site.

4. The URL path for the group will be automatically generated, but you can customize it if needed.

1. In the Parent Group drop-down list, choose whether the group should appear at the root level or as a branch of a parent group on the page.

2. Optionally, provide a description that will be shown on the page for this group.

3. Select "Category Group" from the available options.

4. Choose the field to group on from the drop-down list.

Note that the list of grouping fields in Step (8) is generated based on the fields configured under Configuration > Data and Search Settings > Field Configuration > Search tab > Filters section.

Search Group

1. Do an advanced search

1. On the Result page, click "Add New Group"

   1. Note that the position of the button may vary depending on your eMuseum skin, but it is typically found above the result list.

2. Enter a Group Name for the new group.

3. Use the Parent Group drop-down list to determine whether the group will appear at the root level (top level) on the page or as a branch of a Parent Group.

1. Click "Create Group"

Intro

Requests

All requests follow the HTT protocol with the following values and are stateless:

• Headers

The Email Parameters and Event Logging configuration settings allow you to configure eMuseum to work with your SMTP email server. When Email is configured, eMuseum will use the information to send password reminder emails to registered users upon request (and may also send administrator-level messages to the configured administrator address on certain application events).

Configuring SMTP/email in eMuseum

Default "From" Field Email Address

Enter your default "From" email address here. This address will be displayed to the user receiving emails from eMuseum, and is typically be an address that users should not reply to (e.g., ).

Port

Enter the correct Port number here. The default SMTP port number is usually 587, but your SMTP server may require a different port. The port number also depends on the security setting (see below). Please confirm the correct port number with your network administrator.

User Name and Password

Enter the user name and password that will be used to authenticate to the SMTP server if your server does not allow anonymous delivery.

SMTP Host Name

By default, eMuseum uses "localhost" as the name for the SMTP server. If this is not a valid name for your SMTP server, enter the appropriate name, along with a valid user account login and password. The SMTP server IP address may also be used.

Security

Select the security option that is supported by the SMTP server. There are three options available:

• None No security. This option is generally not recommended, passwords are send in plain text without encryption.

• Good security that uses the same port as unencrypted SMTP (usually 587).

• (formerly SSL) Good security that uses a dedicated port (usually 465).

Event Logging

By checking the "Enabled Event Logging" box, the subscribed email address will be able to receive log output from application events, such as data imports and indexing, via email.

Test Email

This option allows administrators to email the input email address to test whether the SMTP server is configured correctly and working based on values entered in the "Email Parameters" section.

Starting with eMuseum 6, data and media transfers to eMuseum are done on the application level. No direct database connection from eMuseum to TMS is required anymore. For this, the utility application is required on the TMS side to collect the data and media and push both to eMuseum via HTTPS.

The following diagram shows the architecture of eMuseum with network connections between eMuseum, Prism, and TMS:

Arrows indicate the direction of access, not the direction of data-flow. There is no access against the direction of an arrow. For example, the eMuseum server does not initiate a connection to the Prism server.

The process consists of these steps:

1. Choose the protocol to be used by Tomcat

2. Create a keypair which consists of a private key and a certificate, and create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) that includes the certificate

3. Send the CSR to a Certificate Authority (CA) to obtain a signed certificate

4. that includes both the private key and the signed certificate

5. to enable HTTPS and use the Keystore

Choose Protocol

Tomcat supports two protocols for handling HTTPS, the APR/native and the NIO, which are described below. Each protocol uses a different keystore format. Though it is possible to convert from one format to the other, we recommend creating the keystore, certificate, and key files in the format specific to the protocol from the beginning.

APR/native

The APR/native protocol requires the installation of OpenSSL and the Tomcat Native library. If you choose this option, use OpenSSL to create the certificate in the PKCS #12 format.

NIO

The NIO protocol is implemented in pure Java and uses the JKS keystore type. If you choose this option, you can use the Keystore Explorer to create the certificate and the keystore.

Create Certificate and Certificate Signing Request

The first step is to create a keypair that consists of a private key and certificate, which will be wrapped in a Certificate Signing Request (CSR).

OpenSSL

• Install (or download the )

  • For Windows, unpack the downloaded file to C:\eMuseum\ and define environment variables by opening a command prompt and running these two commands:

• Create a private key by running the following command in a command prompt:

  (replace collections-mymuseum-org with the domain of your eMuseum instance)

Keystore Explorer

• Download and install the application

• Create a keypair that:

  • Go to the Tools menu and select Generate Key Pair

  • In the Generate Key Pair prompt, select RSA and make sure the Key Size is set to

Obtain Signed Certificate

Use the CSR file generated in the steps above to obtain a signed certificate from your preferred Certificate Authority (CA). You will get back a signed certificate and, optionally, an intermediate and a root certificate that are specific to the CA.

Create Keystore

PKCS #12

The PKCS #12 format is appropriate for using the APR/native protocol. If the private key and the certificate have been created using OpenSSL, they are already in the PKCS #12 format. Make sure that the intermediate certificate is included in the .crt file together with the signed certificate.

JKS

The JKS format is the right format for using the NIO protocol. If the private key and the certificate have been created with the Keystore Explorer, import the signed certificate back into the keystore:

• Right-click on the private key and select Import CA Reply → From File

• Browse to the signed certificate from the CA

• Select the certificate and click OK

• Go to the Tools menu and select Import Trusted Certificate

Configure Tomcat

Depending on the protocol, the configuration is slightly different. In both cases, copy the (Keystore) file(s) to the <TOMCAT_HOME>/conf/ folder.

APR/native

• Open <TOMCAT_HOME>/conf/server.xml in a text editor with administrator permissions

• For Tomcat 8.5 and above add the following block under the <Service> element:

  CopyXML

• For Tomcat 8 and below add the following block under the <Server> element:i

NIO

• Open <TOMCAT_HOME>/conf/server.xml in a text editor with administrator permissions

• Add the following block under the<Service>element:

  CopyXML

  Make sure to change the keystoreFile and the keystorePass attributes according to your settings.

Configure Java

This step is only necessary if using the API under HTTPS. In this case you have to make sure that Java can knows about your certificate and can resolve requests to your domain. Add your certificate to Java’s keystore:

Change the alias “collection.mymuseum.org” and the filename “collection-mymuseum-org.crt” according to your files.

Terms and Abbreviations

• CA:

• CSR:

• JKS:

• RSA:

Hardware

RAM

4 GB RAM is required per application; 6 GB is recommended. Tomcat and the database system (RDBMS) are considered applications in this case. If Tomcat and the database run on the same server, the minimum RAM requirement is 8 GB.

Hard Drive

The following hard drive space must be available next to the applications.

• eMuseum application: 250 MB

• Solr: 500 MB

• Media: If media is hosted on the eMuseum webserver (the default configuration), additional storage space depends on the amount of media published.

Runtime Environment

eMuseum is a Java-based application that requires a Java Runtime Environment (JRE). The following table shows which Java versions are supported by each version of eMuseum:

Application Server

eMuseum runs on the web application server. The following table shows which Tomcat versions are supported by each version of eMuseum

Search Engine

eMuseum uses , an external search engine. The following table shows which Solr versions are required and supported by each version of eMuseum:

Database Management System

One of the following database management systems (RDBMS) is required.

Microsoft SQL Server

MySQL/MariaDB

Prism

Since eMuseum 6, an instance of Prism is required to import data, vocabulary, and media from TMS. Prism is not required to be installed on the same server as eMuseum; one Prism instance can transfer data to multiple eMuseum instances.

VPAT® 2.4 — Accessibility Conformance Report

eMuseum (Gallery Systems)

Date: 2025-10-13 Product Type: Website URL: https://demo.emuseum.com/ Contact: Gallery Systems - eMuseum Support Email: [email protected]

Table of Contents

1. Product Information

2. Evaluation Methods Used

3. Applicable Standards / Guidelines

4. WCAG 2.1 Conformance

Product Information

Product Name: eMuseum Vendor/Developer: Gallery Systems Version/Build: N/A (Demo instance) Product URL: https://demo.emuseum.com/

Primary Contact:

• Contact: Gallery Systems - eMuseum Support

• Email: [email protected]

Evaluation Methods Used

Hybrid evaluation combining:

• Manual testing: keyboard navigation, logical focus order, visible focus, headings, labels

• Screen reader testing: NVDA 2023 (Firefox 128), VoiceOver (Safari 17)

• Automated analysis: axe DevTools, WAVE

• Color contrast checks

Assistive Technologies: NVDA, VoiceOver

Environments: Windows 11 (Firefox/Chrome), macOS (Safari/Chrome), iOS (Safari)

Applicable Standards / Guidelines

• WCAG 2.1 (Levels A, AA, AAA)

• Revised Section 508 (2017)

Conformance Levels: Supports | Partially Supports | Does Not Support | Not Applicable

WCAG 2.1 Conformance

4.1 Perceivable

(Summary — full table stored in VPAT source)

• Most A/AA criteria Support.

• 1.3.1 Partially Supports (metadata not mapped semantically).

• 1.4.3, 1.4.11 Partially Supports (contrast/focus visibility issues).

• 1.2.x Not Applicable (no time-based media).

4.2 Operable

4.3 Understandable

4.4 Robust

Section 508 Summary

• 302 Functional Performance: Partially Supports

• 501 Software: Partially Supports

• 602–603 Documentation/Support: Supports

Known Limitations & Roadmap