Resources
What a good migration actually covers.
Moving a collection is a project, not a button. This page lays out the parts that decide whether it goes well, whichever platform you choose in the end.
The work, in order
Five checks that keep a migration honest.
None of this is specific to Archively. It is the discipline that separates a move you can defend from one you hope survives. Archively runs on the same standards throughout.
Start from a full export
Pull a complete export from your current system before you shortlist anything. The shape of that export, not a vendor demo, is what defines the real project.
CSV · EAD · MARC/MODS · OAI-PMH
Map every field you use
List each field your team relies on, including the ones bent to another purpose. Agree where each one lands before a single record moves.
DUBLIN CORE · EAD · MODS · EAC-CPF
Check fixity on arrival
Each file gets a SHA-256 checksum at upload, and recurring fixity checks confirm nothing changed after. You can prove the bytes that arrived match the bytes you sent.
SHA-256 · RECURRING FIXITY · ALERTS
Validate against the standards
Confirm records export cleanly as EAD, MODS, and METS with PREMIS, and harvest over OAI-PMH. Validation against the standard is the test, not a glance by eye.
EAD · METS/PREMIS · BAGIT · OAI-PMH
Keep the old system until sign-off
The system you are leaving stays live and untouched until your team signs off on the new one. Every step stays reversible, so you move forward with a safety net at your back.
REVERSIBLE UNTIL SIGN-OFF
A brief written for your system
Every brief here is written for one system: yours. When you request an evaluation, we prepare a written brief for your current system: the field map, the export steps, and the checks to run on arrival. It is built for your setup, down to the field names your team already uses.
Ask for a migration brief built around your system.
A working setup using your records, not a sales presentation.