Collection Image Search & Gallery Maker

This tool is a proof of concept for searching and retrieving digitized images from the Wolfsonian collection by descriptive content, date of creation, and geographic place of origin. It is part of an ongoing initiative within the Wolfsonian Digital Labs to build browser-based tools that connect staff and researchers to collection assets without requiring access to backend systems.

The search interface reads from an enriched image inventory CSV containing both image file paths and descriptive metadata exported from the Wolfsonian\'s collections system. Results can be reviewed as a thumbnail table, compiled into a shareable gallery, and exported as a print-ready PDF. As with all Digital Labs proofs of concept, formats, workflows, and features will continue to evolve.

On load, the tool fetches the enriched image inventory CSV, which maps each digitized image to its file path on network storage and includes descriptive metadata: title, object description, date created, and place of publication. All searching and filtering happens entirely in the browser with no server calls required.

Four search fields are available and can be used individually or in combination — results must match all filled fields simultaneously. Accession Number supports three modes: Exact matches one or more accession numbers precisely (space- or line-separated); Begins With returns all records whose accession starts with a given prefix, useful for retrieving an entire collection group; and Non-Exact performs a substring match for broader lookups. Description also supports three modes: Any Keyword returns results containing at least one of your terms; All Keywords requires every term to appear; and Exact Phrase matches your input verbatim within the description text. Place performs a partial match so entering a country, city, or region returns all records associated with that location. Date supports a single year or a range of years.

Results render as a table with thumbnails delivered via the Wolfsonian thumbnail service. Clicking any thumbnail opens a full-resolution lightbox powered by Fancybox. Selecting one or more results and clicking Create Gallery generates a named shareable gallery link. The Export Selected (PDF) function opens a print-ready view of the selected records.

1. Run a search. Use the Description, Place, or Date fields — individually or in combination — to retrieve a set of results. Each result shows the primary image for that object. Objects with multiple images (such as obverse and reverse views of a medal) display a ⊕ more images toggle beneath the accession number.

2. Expand additional views if needed. Click the ⊕ toggle to reveal all images associated with an object. Each additional view has its own checkbox, thumbnail, and filename. You can include any combination of primary and expanded views in your gallery — for example, checking both the obverse and reverse of a medal will include both in the final output.

3. Select your records. Use the individual checkboxes to select the images you want to include, or use Select / Deselect All to check everything currently visible. Only checked rows — whether primary or expanded — will be included in the gallery or export.

4. Create the gallery. Click Create Gallery. A prompt will ask you to name the gallery — use a descriptive, hyphen- or underscore-separated name such as Kreisman_Flight_Medals. A shareable link will be generated. Once deployed to the public server, this link can be opened by anyone. In local development mode the link works on this machine only.

5. Export as PDF. Click Export Selected (PDF) to open a print-ready view of your checked records, including thumbnails, accession numbers, titles, dates, places, and descriptions. Use your browser’s Save as PDF option in the print dialog to download the file.