Most UK Archives Have Never Had an Online Catalogue
If your collection exists as Word documents, spreadsheets, a card index, or a PDF finding aid — you are not alone. The majority of UK archives are in exactly this position. Getting online no longer requires expensive software, a server, or an IT department. We handle everything.
No Software Licence
AtoM (Access to Memory) is free, open-source software used by archives worldwide. You pay only for the hosting and our time — not an annual software licence that rises every year.
No Servers to Manage
We run the infrastructure. Security updates, backups, uptime monitoring, SSL — all managed by us. Your archivist uses the system; they never need to touch a server.
Online Within Weeks
From your existing data — whatever format it's in — to a live, searchable public catalogue. We have done this many times. We know where the problems are and how to avoid them.
Built on Professional Standards
Your catalogue will conform to ISAD(G), the international standard for archival description, endorsed by The National Archives. Your data is structured correctly from the start — interoperable, exportable, future-proof.
Searchable Public Catalogue
A full public-facing online catalogue is included — not a chargeable add-on. Researchers can search your holdings from anywhere, at any time, without contacting you first.
Managed by Archivists
We are not a generic IT company. We are qualified archivists who happen to run servers. We understand hierarchical description, authority records, and the realities of cataloguing backlogs on limited budgets.
How It Works
Send Us What You Have
Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, a PDF finding aid, FileMaker export, or even a scanned card index. Whatever format your descriptions are currently in, we work from that. We have seen everything.
We Map and Convert Your Data
We analyse your existing descriptions and map them to ISAD(G) fields. We clean, normalise, and structure the data — fixing date formats, establishing your hierarchy (fonds, series, file, item), and preparing authority records for creators and subjects.
We Set Up Your AtoM Instance
We deploy a dedicated AtoM instance on our managed infrastructure, configured with your institution's name, logo, and access settings. We import your converted data and check everything is correct — hierarchy, descriptions, authority links.
You Review and Approve
We give you access to a staging environment before going live. Your archivist reviews the imported data, requests any corrections, and signs off. We go live when you're satisfied — not before.
Live — and Supported Ongoing
Your catalogue goes live at your domain (or ours). From that point, we manage all infrastructure, upgrades, and backups. You add new descriptions through the AtoM interface as your cataloguing work continues. We are available when you need us.
We Convert From
- Microsoft Word — finding aids, handlists, accession registers
- Microsoft Excel / Google Sheets — item lists, location lists, inventory sheets
- PDF finding aids — parsed and restructured
- FileMaker Pro — bespoke database exports
- Microsoft Access — legacy catalogue databases
- CALM / CalmView — full system migration with hierarchy preserved
- CONTENTdm — digital collections migration to IIIF + AtoM
- PastPerfect — museum catalogue to CollectiveAccess or AtoM
- Paper / card index — after digitisation/transcription
Who is this for?
Religious and diocesan archives. County record offices. Learned society archives. Cathedral chapter archives. Business and estate archives. Museum collections. Charity and heritage organisation records. Any institution whose collection deserves to be discoverable — and currently isn't.
Let's Get You Online
Tell us what you have and we'll tell you honestly what's involved.
📧 info@archiveshosting.co.uk