Importing new digital heritage items overview

There are two main workflows to import new digital heritage items. They can both achieve the exact same end result, so choosing one over the other is a matter of preference – it’s likely that one workflow will work better for you, or for a given project, than the other.

Workflow 1: Import media assets and digital heritage item metadata in multiple steps

• Importing new digital heritage items (multiple step workflow)
• This workflow requires multiple import steps, but each step is simpler than the ZIP archive workflow.
• This workflow is usually easier for troubleshooting errors when they arise, since an issue can be corrected as it occurs, rather than snowballing into subsequent steps.
• This workflow is most convenient if media asset metadata is not needed.
• This workflow only requires working with one spreadsheet at a time.
• Since this workflow is overall a bit simpler, many people will try it first, and may choose to try the ZIP archive workflow later.

Workflow 2: Import media assets and digital heritage item metadata all at once as a ZIP archive

• Importing new digital heritage items (ZIP archive workflow)
• This workflow imports media and metadata in one single import step.
• This workflow can be more complex when troubleshooting errors, since an issue with one part of the ZIP archive may affect the other parts.
• This workflow may be more convenient if media asset metadata is needed.
• This workflow requires use of multiple spreadsheets (two or more) that reference information in the other sheets.
• Many people find it easier to start with the multiple step workflow and then try this workflow once they are familiar with all the pieces.