We launched the new OAC system with a snapshot of all published finding aids as of June 30, 2025. As part of this process, we ran a bulk validation process on existing finding aids to check the EAD encoding, and also identify any issues with finding aids that would result in display errors in the new OAC website. We identified 1,079 EAD finding aids (approximately 2% of all migrated EAD finding aids total) that result in display errors in the new OAC website. The key errors are summarized below. 

1) Encoding issues that we will resolve (and subsequently re-run the migration process)

The first category summarizes encoding issues that are resulting in OAC display and/or Dashboard errors, due to missing data. We are planning to make adjustments to the system, and will re-run the process to migrate these finding aids (based on the June 30, 2025 snapshot of data):

  • Failed to parse title: the finding aid does not contain a <unittitle> in ead/archdesc, indicating the title of the collection. We are adjusting the display to use the <titleproper> as a fallback.
  • Failed to parse collection number: the finding aid does not contain a <unitid> in ead/archdesc, indicating the collection number/identifier for the collection. We are adjusting the display to use the EAD filename as a fallback.
  • Components cannot have level=collection: the finding aid includes Component elements, with the LEVEL attribute set to "collection".
  • Failed to import supplemental files: the finding aid includes links to some supplemental PDF finding aids, which were not successfully migrated.

2) Encoding issues that we need your help with remediating

The second category summarizes encoding issues that we need your help with remediating. Once the files have been updated, you can re-upload and publish them through the new OAC Dashboard.

  • Could not parse XML file: the finding aid contains EAD encoding that does not validate against the EAD DTD or schema, and/or contains malformed XML. Please update the source EAD file, and republish to OAC. We recommend using the EAD Validator, supported by the Society of American Archivists, to check the encoding (Choose "EAD 2002" as the schema in the dropdown).
  • No title for empty component: the finding aid includes Component <c0#> elements with no additional descriptive information, such as a title, date, file/item number, or container. These specific components will not display (but will not prevent the display of the overall finding aid). We recommend updating the source EAD file to include at least one descriptive element (e.g., <unititle>, <unitdate>) for each Component.

Error reports

The table below provides a summary of EAD error reports (XLS spreadsheets), organized by contributing institution. The reports can be downloaded at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DZ_iNCcgf3DazeFky09b0eQqOo5sy4xe?usp=drive_link

Copies of your submitted EAD files are for downloading at: https://voro.cdlib.org/oac-ead/submission/

Institution

Error report

Number of finding aids with errors

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Margaret Herrick Library

ampas_clac

69

American Jewish University

cajuol

1

Autry Museum of the American West

clgam

1

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

caltech

37

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo, Special Collections and Archives

cslusp_spcoll

2

California State Archives

csa

6

California State Library, California History Room

csl_chr

1

California State Railroad Museum Library and Archives

csrml

4

California State University, Bakersfield

cbas

2

California State University, Dominguez Hills, Archives and Special Collections

csudh_spcoll

2

California State University, Dominguez Hills, The California State University System Archives

csudh_uarc

34

California State University, Dominguez Hills, University Archives

csudh_archives

6

California State University, Fresno, Central Valley Political Archive

csuf_cvpa

1

California State University, Fresno, Special Collections Research Center

csuf_spcoll

29

California State University, Los Angeles

cls

1

California State University, Northridge, International Guitar Research Archives (IGRA)

cnos_igra

1

California State University, Northridge, Old China Hands Archives

cnos_ocha

10

California State University, Northridge, Special Collections

cnos_spcoll

23

California State University, Northridge, Tom and Ethel Bradley Center Collections

cnos_tebcc

10

California State University, Northridge, University Archives and Campus History

cnos_uarc

2

California State University, Northridge, Urban Archives

cnos_urba

23

California State University, Sacramento Library

css

1

California State University, Stanislaus. Library

cturs

1

Center for Sacramento History

samcc

4

Chapman University, Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives, Huell Howser Archives

corc_hha

1

Chapman University, Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives, Special Collections

corc_spcoll

2

Claremont Colleges, Honnold/Mudd Library

cuc_mud

1

Claremont Colleges, Scripps College, Ella Strong Denison Library

cuc_den

1

Computer History Museum

camvchm

2

Getty Research Institute, Institutional Archives

getty_inarch

2

GLBT Historical Society

glhs

1

Graduate Theological Union

gtu

3

Historical Sites Society of Arcata

hssa

1

History San Jose Research Library

casjhsj

2

Hoover Institution

hoover

26

Huntington Library, Manuscript Collections

huntington_mss

92

Huntington Library, Photo Archives Collections

huntington_parc

67

Huntington Library, Prints and Ephemera Collections

huntington_preph

5

Huntington Library, Rare Book Collections

huntington_rbd

10

J. Craig Venter Institute

caljjcv

1

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Research Library and Archive

calamta

1

Museum of Us

casdmom

3

Museum of Ventura County

cvtmha

5

NASA Ames Research Center

narc

3

Northeastern University (Oakland)

mills

2

Oakland Museum of California

omca

2

Oakland Public Library, African American Museum and Library at Oakland

copl_caolaam

5

ONE Archives at the USC Libraries

calaong

1

Opus Archives and Research Center

oarc

11

Pasadena Museum of History

phm

12

Pepperdine University. Special Collections and University Archives

cmalp

1

San Diego Air and Space Museum Library and Archives

casdam

2

San Diego History Center (formerly San Diego Historical Society)

csdhi

2

San Diego Natural History Museum Research Library

canhrl

5

San Diego State University, Special Collections and University Archives

sdsu_spcoll

2

San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis

casfcpsy

1

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

maritime

2

San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco History Center

csf_sfpl

2

San Francisco State University, J. Paul Leonard Library

sfsu_jpll

1

San José State University, Special Collections and Archives

csju_spcoll

2

Santa Clara County, Archives

casjsca_archives

5

Santa Clara County, Archives

catorgfb

1

Santa Clara University

scu

3

Sherman Library and Gardens

ccdms

5

Society of California Pioneers

csfcp

14

Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History

casjsas

1

Stanford University, California Historical Society Collection at Stanford

stanford_chs

1

Stanford University, Manuscripts Division

stanford_mss

10

Stanford University, Music Library

stanford_cstmus

4

Stanford University, University Archives

stanford_uarc

8

Tauber Holocaust Library

hcnc

2

The Book Club of California

csfbk

2

UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library

berkeley_bancroft

16

UC Berkeley, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive

bampfa

6

UC Berkeley, Environmental Design Archives

berkeley_ceda

4

UC Berkeley, Media Resources Center

berkeley_cabemrc

1

UC Berkeley, Museum of Paleontology

berkeley_mop

1

UC Berkeley, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology

berkeley_movz

4

UC Berkeley, Music Library

berkeley_music

1

UC Berkeley, University Archives

berkeley_uarc

1

UC Davis, Special Collections

ucdavis_spcoll

5

UC Irvine, Critical Theory Archive

uci_cta

2

UC Irvine, Orange County Regional History Collection

uci_ocrh

4

UC Irvine, Special Collections

uci_spcoll

5

UC Irvine, University Archives

uci_uarc

3

UC Merced, Physical Planning, Design and Construction Archives

ucm_ppdca

1

UC Riverside, Special Collections and Archives

ucr_spcoll

1

UC San Diego, Special Collections and Archives

ucsd_spcoll

85

UC San Francisco, Tobacco Control Archives

ucsf_tcarc

2

UC Santa Barbara, Architecture and Design Collection, Art, Design and Architecture Museum

ucsb_uam

2

UC Santa Barbara, Special Research Collections

ucsb_spcoll

12

UC Santa Cruz, Special Collections and Archives

ucsc_spcoll

8

UC Santa Cruz, University Archives

ucsc_uarc

1

UCLA, Clark (William Andrews) Memorial Library

ucla_clark

3

UCLA, Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts

grunwald

4

UCLA, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library

ucla_mss

250

UCLA, Library Special Collections, Medicine and Science

ucla_biomed

1

UCLA, Library Special Collections, Performing Arts

ucla_pasc

16

UCLA, Library Special Collections, University Archives

ucla_uarc

2

Unemployment Insurance Division Library

uidl

1

University of San Diego. Archives, Special Collections, and Digital Initiatives

csdu

1

University of Southern California, Regional History Collection

usc_rhc

2

University of Southern California, Special Collections

usc_spcoll

3

University of the Pacific

uop

9

Visual Communications

calavc

1

West Valley College Library

csarw

12