Triptych, the repository for special collections materials from the Tri-Colleges, got a new look last week, as we just completed an upgrade to CONTENTdm, the software that makes the site run. Triptych features materials from Bryn Mawr College Special Collections, Haverford College Special Collections, Swarthmore College Peace Collection, and Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College. Triptych’s updated look and feel will allow for enhanced searching and browsing of collections.
Though the site includes collections such as the Catt Collection Suffrage Photographs, the Castle Collection of Natural History Illustrations, and the Early Advertising Collection, we have more recently been adding a number of archival collections. Highlights include:
Biological laboratory, Taylor Hall (from the Photo Archives)
Postcard of the New Gymnasium (from the BMC Postcard Collection)
A History of the Deanery in Bryn Mawr College Publications.
Currently, the site appears very much “out of the box,” meaning that little customization has been done to give it a look-and-feel unique to the Tri-Co. However, because the software is fully functional, we’ve made the decision to roll out the site as-is for now, with plans for small improvements in the coming months. Using this kind of “agile” development model means that users can benefit from the new features of the site right away while we learn more about what’s possible and what’s desirable from our users. Look for more improvements soon – in the meantime, have some fun browsing the archival, historical and manuscript collections.
