Added blogs on 'Lessons learned' and 'Choosing image viewer'

Author: mcoonen

_posts/2024-09-19-lessons-learned.md

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+---
+layout: post
+read_time: true
+show_date: true
+title: IIIF and Omeka S - Lessons Learned
+description: Lessons learned during Maastricht University Library's implementation of IIIF in Omeka S
+date: 2024-09-19
+img: posts/lessons-learned-web.jpg
+tags: [ omeka s, iiif ]
+author: Maryam Mazaheri
+---
+
+### 1. Install and switch to 'vips' from ImageMagick for faster image processing in Omeka S.
+Read more on: [Power up! Optimize IIIF user experience](https://maastrichtu-library.github.io/tech-talk/optimize-iiif-performance.html)
+
+### 2. Use 'Tiled tiff' as the tiling method to ensure correct image display.
+Read more on: [Power up! Optimize IIIF user experience](https://maastrichtu-library.github.io/tech-talk/optimize-iiif-performance.html)
+
+### 3. Prefer JPEG quality 80 as the source image type for the best balance of performance, disk space usage, and viewing quality.
+Avoid JPEG 2000 and uncompressed TIFF due to performance issues and high disk space consumption.
+
+Read more on: [Power up! Optimize IIIF user experience](https://maastrichtu-library.github.io/tech-talk/optimize-iiif-performance.html)
+
+### 4. Avoid relying on client-side annotations in the Mirador viewer due to their non-persistent nature and lack of contribution or curation workflows in Mirador.
+Instead, we recommend exploring alternative annotation systems like Madoc.
+
+Read more on: [Choosing an IIIF-Compliant Image Viewer: Mirador vs. Universal Viewer](https://maastrichtu-library.github.io/tech-talk/choosing-iiif-image-viewer.html)
+
+### 5. Manually adjusting visual settings like brightness and contrast on each page in the viewer is inefficient.
+Implementing global settings within the viewer enhances user efficiency. This feature is work in progress.
+
+### 6. Use smaller batch sizes when adding bulk imports of large datasets into Omeka S to improve processing speed and reduce system slowdowns.
+**Regularly monitoring logs** helps detect any import issues early and ensures data integrity.
+
+### 7. Batching large uploads, monitoring system resources, and testing under real-world conditions are essential to manage performance with multiple tasks and concurrent users.

_posts/2024-09-26-choosing-iiif-image-viewer.md

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+---
+layout: post
+read_time: true
+show_date: true
+title: Choosing an IIIF-Compliant Image Viewer - Mirador vs. Universal Viewer
+description: TODO
+date: 2024-09-26
+img: posts/choosing-iiif-viewer-web.jpg
+tags: [ omeka s, iiif ]
+author: Maryam Mazaheri
+---
+
+## Introduction
+
+When integrating IIIF capabilities into our Omeka S environment, we needed to choose the right viewer to ensure optimal
+user experience for accessing digital collections. After extensive testing of the available options, we selected
+**Mirador** over **Universal Viewer** for a number of compelling reasons:
+
+### 1. Faster Image Loading
+
+Mirador outperformed Universa Viewer in loading high-resolution images, providing a smoother user experience.
+
+### 2. Modern Interface
+
+Its clean, modern design offers easy navigation and a visually engaging way to explore digital collections.
+
+### 3. Advanced Features
+
+Mirador supports useful tools like annotations, **OCR overlays**, and image adjustments (brightness, contrast),
+enhancing research capabilities.
+
+## Mirador Technical Considerations
+
+Mirador allows users to add annotations directly within the viewer, but these are stored locally and can be lost if
+cookies are deleted. Consequently, we have found Mirador's annotation functionality too limited for our
+needs. Client-side annotations are not persistent, and there is no established contribution or curation workflow. We
+recommend exploring alternative systems for annotation, such as [**Madoc**](https://docs.madoc.io/), which appear more
+promising in this regard.
+
+## Conclusion
+
+For a project that depends heavily on user interaction and the flexibility to tailor the viewer to specific use cases,
+Mirador is the clear choice. Its customization capabilities make it particularly suited for projects requiring advanced
+image handling and specific interaction functionalities.