The International Image Interoperability Framework Consortium is delighted to announce that the University of Minnesota Libraries has joined as an Associate member.
UMN Libraries has played an active role in the IIIF community, both as adopters of the technology and leaders in expanding the use of the IIIF. Currently, over 200,000 still image and text objects are available via IIIF on the University’s open-access digital collections platform, UMedia, with plans to add an additional 30,000 IIIF-supported sound and moving image objects as part of a new iteration of the site launching at the end of 2026.
Theresa Berger and Emily Beck, co-chairs of the IIIF Interactive 2D Community Group, are helping the community to explore ways of using IIIF to create and maintain interactive digital surrogates of texts. The group looks for creative solutions to present book technologies such as flaps, volvelles, and pull tabs, which require specific forms of user interaction to create and transmit meaning to viewers.
“The University of Minnesota Libraries will make a great addition to the global IIIF Consortium”, said Martin Kalfatovic, IIIF-C Managing Director, “Minnesota is a premier research library and key implementer of IIIF standard and its staff have been important contributors to the IIIF Interactive 2D group. We’re looking forward to more great content and technical expertise to be shared with the wider IIIF community.”
Open sharing and collaboration were key to UMN when deciding to join the Consortium as official members. “As active members of the BTAA community, we are especially excited for the opportunities IIIF provides to continue making our archives and special collections materials more open and widely accessible,” shared Lisa German, Dean of the University of Minnesota Libraries. “We look forward to using IIIF to provide greater online access to more of our special and distinct collections to students and faculty here in Minnesota and around the world.”
About the International Image Interoperability Framework
IIIF is a set of open standards for delivering high-quality, attributed digital objects online at scale. It’s also an international community developing and implementing the IIIF APIs. IIIF is backed by a consortium of leading cultural institutions. In addition to supporting the IIIF community financially, these institutions contribute to the APIs, Community Groups, and more.