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Applying Domain Packs

Domain packs are curated bundles of vocabulary bindings tailored to specific subject areas. Each pack pre-configures which authorities each Data Model field should resolve against, so you get strong out-of-the-box authority linking without having to configure every field by hand.


What's in a pack

A domain pack is a YAML / JSON manifest that:

  • Sets the vocabulary binding on relevant Data Model fields — subjects → LCSH, materials → AAT, places → TGN, organisations → VIAF
  • Tunes confidence thresholds for each binding — looser for high-recall fields, stricter for high-precision ones
  • Includes local-vocabulary seeds — known entities specific to that domain (e.g. for a "UK Sports History" pack, the Football League, the FA, the major clubs)
  • Specifies export presets — which formats to enable by default, which mappings to apply

Packs don't change anything destructive. They layer on top of your existing Data Model — anything you've already customised takes priority.


Available packs

The packs we ship rotate as we learn what users actually need. Current packs include:

PackDomainSuggested for
General ArchivalGeneric ISAD(G) / DACSMost archives
UK Sports HistoryFootball, cricket, rugby clubs and playersSports museums, club archives
Local GovernmentCouncil records, planning, civic affairsLocal authority archives
Family PapersPersonal correspondence, photographs, family historiesGenealogical archives, family papers collections
Art MuseumAAT-heavy, condition reporting, exhibition historyArt museums, galleries
Community HeritageOral history, community-led collectionsCommunity archives, heritage groups

A pack is a starting point — you can edit any of the bindings it sets, and a pack never overwrites your manual edits.


Applying a pack

  1. Settings → Data Model.
  2. Click Apply default vocab bindings (top right).
  3. The picker shows the available packs with previews of what each one changes.
  4. Choose a pack and review the changes — additions are shown in green, modifications in yellow.
  5. Click Apply.

Bindings update immediately. New accessions will use the new bindings; existing accessions can be re-resolved against the new bindings via the Authorities tab's Refresh button.


Removing a pack

There's no "uninstall" — but you can:

  • Reset to defaults (top right of Data Model) returns to the seed schema. You lose any pack-applied bindings and your own customisations.
  • Manually edit individual fields to remove a binding without affecting other fields.

For safety, Reset to defaults confirms twice and offers a backup export of your current schema.


Building your own pack

Domain packs are JSON files. If your organisation has a workflow that would benefit from a custom pack — a specific museum domain, a regional archive consortium, a research project with bespoke fields — get in touch via support@archivers.ai. We can author one to match your conventions; on Team / Enterprise plans, custom packs are part of onboarding.


See also