Exporting Your Data¶

A Guide for Archivists and Collection Managers¶

Why Export Data?¶

You might need to export data from your system to: - Share records with other institutions - Create backups - Generate reports - Migrate to another system - Publish online

Export Formats Explained¶

Format	Best For	Who Uses It
CSV	Spreadsheets, simple lists	Everyone - opens in Excel
EAD	Archival finding aids	Archives, libraries
Dublin Core	Web publishing, sharing	Digital repositories
PDF	Printing, sharing	General use
JSON	Developers, APIs	Technical users

Quick Export: Single Records¶

Exporting One Record¶

┌──────────────────┐
│  View any record │
└────────┬─────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌──────────────────┐
│  Click "Export"  │
│  button          │
└────────┬─────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌──────────────────┐
│  Choose format:  │
│  • EAD           │
│  • Dublin Core   │
│  • PDF           │
└────────┬─────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌──────────────────┐
│  Download file   │
└──────────────────┘

Steps¶

Navigate to any archival description
Look for the Export button (usually top right)
Select your format
File downloads automatically

Export Dashboard¶

Accessing the Export Dashboard¶

Navigate to /export to access the export dashboard with format options.

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    EXPORT DASHBOARD                           │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                              │
│   ┌────────────────┐   ┌────────────────┐                   │
│   │  CSV Export    │   │  EAD Export    │                   │
│   │  Spreadsheet   │   │  Finding Aid   │                   │
│   └────────────────┘   └────────────────┘                   │
│                                                              │
│   Export archival descriptions in standard formats           │
│   with filtering by repository, level, and scope.           │
│                                                              │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

CSV Export¶

Export archival descriptions as ISAD-G compliant CSV:

Go to Export → CSV Export
Select Repository (optional) to filter records
Choose Level of Description (optional)
Enter Parent Record Slug to export a specific branch
Check Include descendants for hierarchical export
Click Export CSV

EAD Export¶

Export finding aids in EAD 2002 XML format:

Go to Export → EAD Export
Select a top-level record (fonds or collection)
Check Include all descendants for complete hierarchy
Click Export EAD XML

Bulk Export: Multiple Records¶

Using the Clipboard¶

The clipboard lets you collect records and export them together.

┌──────────────────┐
│  Browse records  │
└────────┬─────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌──────────────────┐
│  Click "Add to   │
│  Clipboard" on   │
│  each record     │
└────────┬─────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌──────────────────┐
│  Go to Clipboard │
│  (top menu)      │
└────────┬─────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌──────────────────┐
│  Review your     │
│  selections      │
└────────┬─────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌──────────────────┐
│  Click "Export"  │
│  Choose format   │
└────────┬─────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌──────────────────┐
│  Download file   │
└──────────────────┘

Steps¶

Search or browse for records
Click the clipboard icon on each record you want
Click Clipboard in the top menu
Review your selection
Click Export All
Choose format (CSV, EAD, Dublin Core)
Download

Sector-Specific Exports¶

Archives¶

Format	Description
EAD 2002	Standard finding aid format
EAD3	Newer finding aid format
CSV (ISAD-G)	Spreadsheet with archival fields

Museum Objects¶

Format	Description
CSV (Spectrum)	Museum standard fields
CSV (CCO)	Art cataloguing fields
Dublin Core	Simple metadata

Library Items¶

Format	Description
MARC	Library catalogue format
CSV (RDA)	Bibliographic spreadsheet
BibTeX	For citations

Digital Assets¶

Format	Description
CSV with paths	Includes file locations
Dublin Core	Standard digital metadata
IPTC	Photo metadata

Understanding Export Files¶

CSV Files¶

Opens in Excel or Google Sheets. Each row is one record.

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  A           │  B        │  C                │  D          │
├──────────────┼───────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────┤
│  Identifier  │  Title    │  Date             │  Creator    │
├──────────────┼───────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────┤
│  F001        │  Smith    │  1920-1950        │  John Smith │
│              │  Papers   │                   │             │
├──────────────┼───────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────┤
│  F001/S1     │  Corres-  │  1920-1935        │             │
│              │  pondence │                   │             │
└──────────────┴───────────┴───────────────────┴─────────────┘

EAD Files¶

XML format for archival finding aids. Opens in text editors or specialised software.

<ead>
  <archdesc>
    <did>
      <unitid>F001</unitid>
      <unittitle>Smith Papers</unittitle>
      <unitdate>1920-1950</unitdate>
    </did>
  </archdesc>
</ead>

Dublin Core Files¶

Simple XML format for sharing metadata.

<record>
  <dc:identifier>F001</dc:identifier>
  <dc:title>Smith Papers</dc:title>
  <dc:date>1920-1950</dc:date>
</record>

Export Settings¶

What Gets Exported¶

Setting	Meaning
Include children	Export sub-records too
Include digital objects	Include file links
Include drafts	Include unpublished records

Field Selection¶

Some exports let you choose which fields to include:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│        SELECT FIELDS TO EXPORT          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ☑ Identifier                           │
│  ☑ Title                                │
│  ☑ Date                                 │
│  ☑ Creator                              │
│  ☐ Physical description (skip)          │
│  ☑ Scope and content                    │
│  ☐ Access conditions (skip)             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Tips for Good Exports¶

Before exporting: - Know what format the recipient needs - Check if they need digital objects included - Consider file size for large exports

For sharing with other archives: - Use EAD format - Include hierarchy information - Test with a small export first

For spreadsheet analysis: - Use CSV format - Choose only the fields you need - Large exports may need splitting

For web publishing: - Use Dublin Core - Include public records only - Check access restrictions

Troubleshooting¶

Problem	Solution
Export is empty	Check your clipboard has items
File won't open	Try a different program
Missing fields	Check export settings
Export too slow	Try smaller batches
Characters look wrong	Ensure UTF-8 encoding

For technical support, contact your system administrator.