Database-driven online exhibit?

[A.Helfman]

Dear Web4Libbers,

	I have been given an assignment to create an online exhibit of several 
hundred digitized images. One goal for the web site is to have the images 
(or at least their bib records) searchable by keyword. This will be my 
first time creating a database-driven web site from scratch, and I'm not 
sure how to begin. I have reviewed the archives of WEB4LIB, UWEBD, and 
ADV-HTML but only found a little relevant information.

	Our servers run Apache under Digital UNIX. We are in the process of 
implementing ALEPH 500 as our new web-based catalog. Bibliographic records 
for the images already exist in our main ALEPH library; most of these 
contain a MARC 856 field with an <A HREF=""> link that (theoretically) 
connects to the image. It has been suggested to me that I create a new 
library within ALEPH for these images, but it appears that the ALEPH server 
doesn't have enough disk space for the entire collection (about 3 GB and 
counting), so they will probably have to be stored on a different server. 
The images are in PDF format. (TIFFs were also made, but I don't think I 
want to use them for the web site.) I don't know if I have any alternatives 
to ALEPH (which is Oracle-based) for the back end; from what I have been 
able to glean from other ALEPH users, it will only allow the display of one 
image at a time, and it will only display the image by itself.  Needless to 
say, that would not be my ideal of an aesthetically pleasing "exhibit".

	This is all the raw data I''ve collected on this project so far. I'd 
appreciate any suggestions on how to proceed, especially advice on how to 
integrate the front and back ends of the exhibit.

Sincerely,



Amy W. Helfman
Senior Web Developer
Jewish Theological Seminary
amhelfman at jtsa.edu