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Creating an Accession

This guide walks you through the full process of creating an Accession in The Archiver — from the initial details to completing the AI review.

Before you start​

Make sure you have:

  • The files you want to upload (on your computer or accessible via your browser)
  • A rough idea of what the files are and where they came from
  • Your plan/tier allows for additional items (check the usage bar in your dashboard)

Step 1: Open the new accession wizard​

  1. Click Accessions in the left sidebar
  2. Click the New Accession button in the top-right corner
  3. The wizard opens with a blank form

Step 2: Enter basic details​

Fill in the following fields:

Name (required) Give the accession a clear, descriptive name. Use the name of the person, family, organisation, or event the materials relate to.

Examples:

  • Thornton Family Correspondence 1890–1920
  • Parish Council Meeting Minutes 1955–1975
  • Operation Overlord Planning Maps

Description (optional but recommended) A short paragraph explaining what's in the accession, where it came from, and any relevant context.

Date range (optional) The approximate span of dates covered by the materials. This doesn't have to be exact — the AI will refine it per file.

Accession number (optional) If your organisation uses a numbering system, enter the accession number here.

Step 3: Upload files​

  1. Drag files from your computer onto the upload area, or click Browse files
  2. You can select multiple files at once
  3. A progress bar shows upload status for each file
  4. Files are saved to your account even if you close the browser — you can come back later
tip

Upload all related files at once. It's better to have one large accession than many tiny ones — the AI can see relationships between files when they're in the same accession.

warning

Files uploaded on the free tier are automatically deleted after 7 days. Upgrade to a paid plan to keep your archive permanently.

Step 4: AI processing​

Once uploaded, the AI processes each file:

What it doesHow long it takes
OCR (text recognition)5–30 seconds per file
Classification & metadata extraction5–15 seconds per file
Audio/video transcription~1 minute per minute of audio

You'll see a progress indicator. You can leave the page and come back — processing continues in the background.

Step 5: Review classifications​

After processing, you'll see the Classification Review screen:

  • Each file is listed with its AI-suggested title, document type, date, people, locations, and subjects
  • Files flagged in orange need your attention — the AI wasn't sure
  • Click any file to edit its metadata

See Reviewing Classifications for a detailed guide.

Step 6: Complete the accession​

Once you're satisfied with the classifications:

  1. Click Complete Accession at the bottom of the review screen
  2. All files are indexed and made fully searchable
  3. The accession appears on your dashboard
tip

You can always edit file metadata after completing an accession — click into any file in the accession and use the Edit button.