Our engagement follows five clear stages

1. Discovery and intake

What you provide

• A high‑level list of archives to assess.
• System access details (credentials, network location, export options).
• Any known constraints (legal holds, shutdown timelines, data sensitivities).

What you receive

• A scoped brief that defines the engagement boundaries.
• An initial risk checklist.

Begin by completing a readiness review.

2. Data inventory

What you provide

• Sample extracts or schema definitions.
• Metadata sources (catalogs, data dictionaries, ETL logs).

What you receive

• A structured inventory report.
• Counts by source, format, language, and date range.
• Duplicate and gap analysis.

Learn more about the inventory service /collections/data-inventory/.

3. Rights and provenance register

What you provide

• Acquisition contracts, consent records, and any licensing agreements.
• Organizational charts that identify data custodians.

What you receive

• A versioned register that records origin, creator, applicable rights, and usage restrictions.
• Recommendations for unresolved rights issues.

Details are available at /collections/rights-and-provenance/.

4. Dataset preparation

What you provide

• Preferred output formats and delivery mechanisms.
• Any PII handling or redaction policies.

What you receive

• Cleaned, deduplicated files ready for review.
• Recovered metadata and a sample manifest.
• PII mapping and remediation notes.

See the preparation offering /preparation/dataset-preparation/.

5. Review package delivery

What you provide

• Access permissions for the review environment.
• Feedback on the sample scope.

What you receive

• A packaged sample that includes a data dictionary, quality notes, and access instructions.
• A clear record of what is included and any remaining constraints.

The package is ready for internal evaluation or external stakeholder review.

Next steps

Run our quick self‑assessment to see if your archives are ready for this process: /preparation/recovery-planner/.

When you are ready to start, submit a brief through /accession/.

For deeper insight into our approach, visit /collections/notes/.