FAQs for Retirement of the Console
Why is the Console being retired?
We have taken the difficult decision to retire the Archives Hub console indefinitely, having identified some potential vulnerabilities with its security. We can only apologise for the inconvenience this will cause.
The console includes the EAD Editor and the repository description editing interface.
Why were Archives Hub contributors not warned that this could happen?
Contributors subscribed to the Archives Hub mailing list were informed that we had taken the console offline to make security enhancements.
During this period of downtime, penetration testing carried out found potential vulnerabilities which required us to make the difficult decision to retire the console indefinitely. This was not news we expected.
Has my personal data been compromised?
No, no data has been compromised.
Why is the Console being retired, rather than being fixed?
Every effort has been made to find a fix but unfortunately there isn't a viable solution short of re-building the console entirely. As a result, it has been necessary to retire the console.
Will you be providing a replacement to the Console/EAD Editor?
We will be consulting with all contributors and end users to get a clear and up-to-date picture of what's required for future development of Archives Hub. This will mean any future solutions are driven directly by your needs but at this time we do not have a precise timeframe because development time will depend on the findings of the consultation.
We will be in touch when the consultation launches.
Can descriptions I have prepared on the EAD Editor still be uploaded?
Please contact us if you would like access to descriptions from the EAD Editor and we can discuss transferring the files over to you, or uploading the descriptions if they are ready to upload.
What are the alternatives to the EAD Editor to contribute to Archives Hub?
We have identified three current methods of contribution.
If you would like to export data from your current archival system, please visit this page for more information.
If you have an OAI-PMH endpoint within your system, for example; ArchivesSpace, AtoM and Epexio, please visit this page for more information.
If you would like to contribute through a spreadsheet then please visit this page for more information.
Can we still contribute by spreadsheet upload?
If you would like to contribute through a spreadsheet then please visit this page for more information.
How can we get our descriptions from the EAD Editor?
Please contact us if you would like access to descriptions from the EAD Editor and we can discuss transferring the files over to you.
What forms can you provide the data in?
The data is in EAD (Encoded Archival Description) format. EAD is compatible with a range of other systems.
How do we update our repository descriptions?
Please contact us if you would like access to descriptions from the EAD Editor and we can discuss transferring the files over to you.
Who should I contact if I need to discuss this further?
Please contact us if you have any further questions.