This project explored and demonstrated some of the possibilities of the International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) to support the dissemination of born digital and digitised heritage images for research and engagement. IIIF, along with a wide range of freely available IIIF compliant software, represents a flexible, standard approach to providing reliable access to such images. However, though well described, setting up and re-using such IIIF resources can still be complex, particularly for smaller institutions or individual researchers. Also, a better understanding of how to combine IIIF resources across multiple institutions and present a National Collection, to diverse audiences, is needed.

This project aimed to demonstrate the opportunities and benefits that IIIF offers, to a wide audience of users and help to define more robust use cases of IIIF, for institutions, but also for individual researchers who want to re-use and exploit IIIF resources to carry out new research, create new opportunities and tell alternative stories. The work highlighted existing software and resources and identify what new tools, services or training might be required to maximise the potential of IIIF within the heritage community.

This project is a Foundation project within the the AHRC funded Towards a National Collection Programme.