[2] As a web application, it allows users to publish[3] and exhibit cultural heritage objects, and extend its functionality with themes and plugins.

A lightweight solution[4] in comparison to traditional institutional repository software like DSpace and Fedora, Omeka has a focus on display and uses an unqualified Dublin Core metadata standard.

[7] The Missouri School of Journalism uses Omeka to share their archive of 38,000 photographs from the Pictures of the Year International contest.

[8][9][10] Originally developed by the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University,[11] Omeka was awarded a technology collaboration award by the Andrew Mellon Foundation,[12] and is used to teach curation.

In November 2017, the project released Omeka S, a new version of Omeka designed for institutional use, providing the capability to host multiple sites which draw from a common pool of resources,[15][16] such as Wikidata, in this case through a third-party module.