Exhibition Builder Workflow
Step 1: Get the Invite
Our support team will send you the link to access the Wix site builder. The initial access setup and connection to your relevant Alma environment will be conducted by the Professional Services team.
Step 2: Select Digital Resources
- Go to Specto > Data Management > Manage Collections.
- In the list of collections, find the collection with the titles you want to showcase in an exhibition, and select the collection name.
- Select the More Actions button and select the Digital Metadata Assistant option.
- Select the titles you want to add to the exhibition by marking the checkboxes.
- Select the Mark for Exhibition list action.
- You can also go to the Top-Level collection list.
- Under the title list, select the More Actions button next to the titles you want to show and select the Mark for Exhibition option or select multiple titles and choose the Mark for Exhibition action. A green checkmark appears in the table under the In Exhibition column.
Supported file types include images and videos. PDF is not supported by Wix.
Step 3: Load the Exhibition in Wix
Log in to Wix using the URL provided by the support team, then select the relevant site. Select the side panel, then Wix > Apps > Alma-Specto-App.
When you log in for the first time, you will need to provide the Alma Token and Alma Base URL. Our support will provide the Alma Token, while the Alma Base URL should be your institution's Alma URL.
On the Exhibition Configuration page that opens next, select the Select Collection option. Choose the name of the collection you’ve marked for exhibition from the dropdown menu and select the Import button. You receive confirmation that your collection was imported successfully.
All specified titles are imported into the Wix Content Management System (CMS), which is equivalent to a database/collection list.
Only collections with titles Marked for Exhibition appear in the dropdown menu. If your collection isn’t there, redo the Select Digital Resources step.
The API call that imports the collection into Wix is an asynchronous action. Changes in Alma do not automatically update the exhibition site. If you have modified the list of items or updated the metadata or images, you need to run the API call again (see more details in the step Configure Your Exhibition).
Step 4: Configure your Exhibition
To configure the exhibition, select the side panel Wix > Apps > specto-app to open the Exhibition Configuration page. If you have already imported a collection, different options are displayed.
Available Options:
Add Titles – enables you to add new titles from your selected collection into the exhibition. This does not affect any existing titles.
Update Existing Titles – enables you to update specific fields in the titles that are already in the exhibition. After you select this option, a list of fields are displayed – select the ones you want to update. This process only updates the specified fields for all titles.
Replace Collection – enables you to replace your chosen collection with a different one for this exhibition. The new collection must have titles that are Marked for Exhibition in Specto in order to appear on the dropdown menu. This delete all existing titles and import the new set of titles.
Since the Alma API call from Wix is made on request, any additions, replacements, or edits in Alma Specto do not impact the titles imported using the Exhibition Builder into the Wix CMS. Use the available options above to update your collection in the CMS.
Configuration Settings – enables you to customize the target URL for the search box that appears in the header of your exhibition. You can set up the search by providing the site URL from which you want to perform the search. The default search URL generates a search on the Collection Discovery page of the imported collection in Primo.
We recommend setting up the search to point to the Primo Collection Discovery URL. You can restore this target URL by selecting the Restore Default URL option.
System Connection Settings – your Alma Token is stored in this section. This is a secure connection to your Alma environment and is set up by the Professional Services team.
Additional Configurations Through the CMS Table
You can further configure your collection by making changes directly in the CMS table on the Wix website. This table lists the titles in the imported collection, along with any associated fields. You can access the CMS table from the left panel - Website Content > CMS, then select the collection you want.
- Title ID — MMS ID
- Description — Description field
- Alternative Date — 008/260$$c/264$$c
- Date — 008/260$$c/264$$c, normalized
- Order — used to order the items in the collection manually
- Type — the type of file in the table (image, video, etc.)
- Image URL — URL for the imported image
- Video URL — URL for the imported video
- Primo URL — link to this item’s full record page in Primo
- Anchor Text — text used to group titles for the timeline view
- Media Label — description label for the item
Changes made directly in the CMS table are displayed on the exhibition site but are not reflected in Alma. This feature enables you to quickly and easily change the look and feel of your exhibition, provide alternative text, or similar. To make lasting changes to the titles and collection, always make changes directly in Alma.
Step 5: Design Your Exhibition
The default Alma Specto template generated on your site is integrated with the CMS table imported from Alma. The CMS content is already populated on your site.
Use the Wix Studio editor to customize the look and feel of the exhibition. Select the Design Site button on the left panel.
Customizing the Site
Use the edit mode to make changes to your exhibition website, and access the preview mode by selecting the eye icon in the top right corner to preview the changes you’ve made. Follow best practices to ensure you maximize your exhibition.
Header
Consists of the place for your logo, three manual entries, and a search box. You can upload your logo and choose templates for the manual entries (for example, an ‘About’ page). The search box target can be set up on the Exhibition Configuration page.
Footer
Can be customized as desired to provide relevant information about the institution and/or the exhibition, contact information, links to social media or other websites.
Top Section
Contains a customizable entry banner. You can add an introduction to the exhibition, providing additional context to your story. The banner in the top section can include text, images, or videos.
Main Section
By selecting the main section, you can customize how it is displayed.
- Either select an image that appears or from the Layers pane on the left side, and select the Exhibition Specto layer.
- Select the Change Preset icon. You are offered a choice between the timeline and the gallery views.
Timeline View: Enables you to arrange items to tell a compelling story over time. You can use the chronological order of the titles or customize the order manually.
- Access the CMS table and use the Sort option to select the column by which to sort your collection items. You can also add anchors to group titles together and tell a more cohesive story, such as grouping them by decade.
- Enter a value in the Anchor Title field. All titles with the same Anchor Title are grouped together in sections, according to the Anchor Title.
Reordering titles is currently only possible in the Timeline view.
Gallery View: Displays items in grid or collage format. The order of titles is random in the gallery view, but you can customize the look of the exhibition. Select a title, then select the layout icon and choose the desired layout to display. All layouts are customizable to best fit your needs, including the number of columns, sizing, spacing, and more.
Both: By selecting a title in the timeline view and selecting settings, you can change the information displayed in your exhibition. Select the Alma Specto fields you want to display.
You can use any additional Wix-based sections to add to your site.
Step 5: Preview and Publish Your Exhibition
Once you are done designing the exhibition, you can preview it by selecting the Preview button. The preview mode enables you to:
- Check the layout and functionality of the exhibition.
- Verify that links to Primo work correctly.
- Verify that metadata is correct and attached to the right images.
- Verify that the search bar is set up to your satisfaction.
If everything is working properly, contact Ex Libris for the next steps to facilitate the publication of your exhibition.
Technical Information and Limitations
Integration: Alma Specto → Wix via API (one-time import per action).
API Behavior: No continuous sync; manual re-import required for changes.
Domain setup: your site domain must be owned or licensed by your institution. This is required in order to publish your site.
Image dimensions: The image dimensions must be between 50 pixels x 50 pixels and 10,000 pixels x 10,000 pixels.
Item Limits: Exhibitions can support a limited number of items to ensure a better showcase and a clear story for customers. More than the allotted limit of items can be uploaded, but the exhibition only displays the maximum number allowed.
- Timeline: Displays up to 100 items.
- Gallery: Displays up to 50 items.
Collaboration: One user email is allowed per TEST exhibition site. Multiple exhibitions can share the same email address, but one exhibition cannot have multiple email addresses connected to it.
For your live site, as many collaborators as necessary can be provided with access.
Search Configuration: For the search to work, institutions must define a valid URL. Since any search is performed within that domain, the URL must exist and be valid.
Ordering:
- Timeline: Arranged according to the dates or based on the defined field(s) under the “Sort” option.
- Gallery: Random; cannot be manually rearranged.