An institution may have initially created and published a finding aid using RecordEXPRESS, then later created an EAD record with another collection management system, and would like to submit a replacement.

When a RecordEXPRESS finding aid is published, it will be assigned a unique ARK identifier, which is also used to construct the URL. We recommend the following steps in order to retain the original ARK -- this will ensure continuous usage of the URL, and that any early links or bookmarks continue to point to the finding aid.

Here's an example of an ARK URL:

http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8z039gb

Before uploading and submitting the EAD files, please contact us to let us know you would like to replace RecordEXPRESS finding aids with new EAD records. Please include the following details:

  • The tool/system (e.g., ArchivesSpace, Archivists' Toolkit) you are using to create the new EAD records.
  • A list of the RecordEXPRESS finding aids you will be replacing, including the URLs.
  • The filename(s) you will be using for the new EAD records.

Some other tips:

  • If there are accompanying supplemental PDFs in the RecordEXPRESS guide, these will also be removed. Please check if you need to save these files.
  • If you are using ArchivesSpace: Open up the resource record in ArchivesSpace, and insert the ARK in the “EAD Location” field. See example:

Once you contact us, we will confirm the details of your request and coordinate these next steps:

  • We will delete the RecordEXPRESS entry in the OAC Administration Database, as well as any uploaded supplemental PDFs that are attached to the RecordEXPRESS entry.
  • We will send a note with an update that you can upload and submit the new EAD file.

Please let us know if you have any questions.