The Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky Libraries created a web-based, system called OHMS (Oral History Metadata Synchronizer) to inexpensively and efficiently enhance access to oral history online. OHMS provides users word-level search capability and a time-correlated transcript or indexed interview connecting the textual search term to the corresponding moment in the recorded interview online.
The primary purpose for OHMS is to empower users to more effectively and efficiently discover information in an online oral history interview by connecting the user from a search result to the corresponding moment in an interview. OHMS is an open source, web-based application designed to improve the user experience you provide for oral history, no matter what CMS or repository you use. There are 2 main components of the OHMS system
- OHMS Application: The OHMS application, a tool that has been integrated into the Aviary platform, is where the work is done. This is the back-end, web-based application where interviews are imported, and metadata is created. In the OHMS application transcripts are time-coded and/or interviews are indexed. Upon completion, the interview record (including the synchronized transcript and/or time-coded index) are exported as an XML file. When located on a web server, the OHMS XML file is what interfaces with your content management system through the OHMS Viewer.
- OHMS Viewer: The OHMS viewer is the user interface of ohms. When an interview is called by the repository, the OHMS viewer loads, calling select interview level metadata and the intra interview level metadata created in the OHMS Application from the corresponding xml file.
Navigate to this page in order to see examples of the OHMS Viewer in action and see different variations of the way OHMS can be utilized, including interviews with following variations: Transcript only; Index only; transcript + index; bilingual transcript and/or index; audio and video interviews; interviews using YouTube; interviews using HTML5 delivered video.
The OHMS Viewer is now available for download. If you are interested in using OHMS, request a free OHMS account using the Aviary Platform. .