Thanks for your patience during our recent outage at scalar.usc.edu. While Scalar content is loading normally now, saving is still slow, and Scalar's 'additional metadata' features have been disabled, which may interfere with features like timelines and maps that depend on metadata. This also means that saving a page or media item will remove its additional metadata. If this occurs, you can use the 'All versions' link at the bottom of the page to restore the earlier version. We are continuing to troubleshoot, and will provide further updates as needed. Note that this only affects Scalar projects at scalar.usc.edu, and not those hosted elsewhere.
How to Use Scalar: Digital Publishing for Libraries, Archives, and MuseumsMain MenuAbout This ProjectAbout the creators and purpose of this projectWhat Is Scalar?A brief introduction to what Scalar can do as a platform.Scalar in Libraries, Archives, and MuseumsWhy Scalar is a relevant tool for librarians and other information professionals to learn.How to Use ScalarStep-by-step instructions for creating your first Scalar book.More ResourcesAnnotated list of resources with more information on using SclarPaige Szmodisc78c538ae17b32016e9167236f1aa8c213efc288Elizabeth Swihart2a47b61d624c2ba01890fc87ecc1d0c25d5107a3Shenwei Chang5f647018e81e72f2978f28d4dfbea5d53d6dd876
Uploading Media
12021-03-15T13:40:02-07:00Paige Szmodisc78c538ae17b32016e9167236f1aa8c213efc2883877965How to import media from archives, website, or your computer and add them to your pages.plain2021-03-20T18:48:49-07:00Shenwei Chang5f647018e81e72f2978f28d4dfbea5d53d6dd876Scalar is a unique digital publishing platform especially due to its ability to import a wide variety of media, such as uploading images or other audio-visual files along with their metadata from online archives, other websites, or directly from your computer. In order to display media in your Scalar book, you must first import the media file and then add it to your pages through media links or widgets.
To Import Media
1. Hover over the Import button in the top-right toolbar. Select an import option from the drop-down menu. You can choose from “Affiliated Archives” like the Internet Archive, “Other Archives” like an Omeka site, or “Files and URLs” to directly upload media files or link to them on other webpages. 2. If you are uploading media from a link, it’ll give you the option to fill out three fields: the title of the item, an optional description (which serves as alternative text to make visual content accessible to screen readers), and the media file’s URL. If you upload from your computer, you’ll be directed to a new page to upload a media file and fill out the title, description, the media page URL, and add metadata. 3. Select the “Metadata” tab to auto-populate the fields with a digital object’s metadata, or add your own metadata according to Dublin Core standards. Scalar automatically includes the fields for source, creator, coverage, spatial, temporal, and date, but you could select “Add additional metadata” for more fields. 4. Save the media you’ve added. You can always edit your media files later by going to the “Media” tab in your Index, selecting the item, and then the Edit button in the menu.
5. To annotate your images, select the paper clip icon from the media page. Then, you can click and drag on the image to create an annotation with a label and description.
To Add Media to Pages
To make media files visible in your Scalar book, you’ll need to add them to your pages. The toolbar in each page’s text editor has a variety of options to add your media file. Here’s what each of the icons mean, including examples of what each looks like:
Insert Inline Scalar Media Link: inserts the media file on a new line on the page.
Insert Scalar Note: creates a note, like a footnote, that links to Scalar content. When selected, the link will show a pop-up window preview of the media file.
Insert Inline Scalar Note: creates a note in a new line with an option to "Go to note" to open the media file in its own page.
Insert Scalar Widget Link: allows you to add a timeline, visualization, map, carousel, card, or summary that links to multiple media items.
Insert External Link: adds a hyperlink to external websites from the URL you insert.
There’s also even more formatting options to decide between when embedding media and widgets. Here are some display preferences you can choose from:
Size: Small, Medium, Large, Native, or Full
Text-wrap: Create a new line, or wrap around text
Alignment: Left, center, right
Caption: Description, Title, Title and Description, Metadata, or None
For more information on what media format types that Scalar supports, see the Scalar 2 User’s Guide on Developing a Media Strategy.
This page has paths:
12021-03-09T09:11:30-08:00Paige Szmodisc78c538ae17b32016e9167236f1aa8c213efc288How to Use ScalarShenwei Chang16Step-by-step instructions for creating your first Scalar book.plain10628122021-03-20T20:48:48-07:00Shenwei Chang5f647018e81e72f2978f28d4dfbea5d53d6dd876
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12021-03-18T13:14:30-07:00Simmons College Library5Photograph of the library at Simmons College in 1934 from the Simmons University Archives website.plain2021-03-18T14:14:29-07:00
1media/Select a Widget_thumb.png2021-03-20T09:50:59-07:00Select a Widget2Screenshot of the widget options.media/Select a Widget.pngplain2021-03-20T09:57:37-07:00
1media/Uploading Media_thumb.png2021-03-18T13:52:31-07:00Import Media1Screenshot of the Import Media button in the toolbar.media/Uploading Media.pngplain2021-03-18T13:52:32-07:00
1media/Scalar Media Toolbar_thumb.png2021-03-20T09:58:14-07:00Media Toolbar1Screenshot of toolbar of media options in page editor.media/Scalar Media Toolbar.pngplain2021-03-20T09:58:14-07:00
