AtoM Heratio — User Manual

For: Archivists, Librarians, Museum Curators, Gallery Managers, Researchers Product: AtoM Heratio Framework v2.8.2 Date: 16 March 2026 Author: The Archive and Heritage Group (Pty) Ltd

About This Manual

This manual covers day-to-day use of AtoM Heratio for managing archival, library, museum, gallery, and digital asset collections. For system administration (settings, backup, security), see the Admin Manual. For development and technical architecture, see the Technical Manual.

1. Getting Started

1.1 Logging In

1. Navigate to your institution's AtoM URL
2. Click Log in (top-right)
3. Enter your email and password
4. Click Log in

If your password has expired, you will be prompted to change it.

1.2 The Interface

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ [Logo]  Browse ▼  [Search Box]  Add ▼  Manage ▼  [User ▼]  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                             │
│                    PAGE CONTENT                              │
│                                                             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                    [Footer]                                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

1.3 The Homepage

The homepage displays:

• Carousel — featured collections with images
• Browse by GLAM type — clickable cards for Archive, Library, Museum, Gallery, DAM
• Browse by creator — top creators with item counts
• Recent additions — latest records added

2. Browsing Records

2.1 GLAM Browse

How to get there: Browse > Archival descriptions

┌────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────┐
│   FILTER SIDEBAR   │         RESULTS                      │
│                    │                                      │
│  GLAM Type         │  View: [Card] [Grid] [Table] [Full]  │
│  ├─ All            │  Sort: Date | Title | Identifier      │
│  ├─ Archive (150)  │  Per page: 10 | 30 | 50 | 100        │
│  ├─ Museum (45)    │                                      │
│  ├─ Library (30)   │  ┌────────────────────────────┐      │
│  └─ Gallery (12)   │  │ [Thumbnail]                │      │
│                    │  │ Title                      │      │
│  Creator           │  │ Identifier · Level         │      │
│  Subject           │  │ Description excerpt...     │      │
│  Place             │  │ [Archive] [View] [Clip]    │      │
│  Genre             │  └────────────────────────────┘      │
│  Level             │                                      │
│  Media Type        │  Page 1 of 5  [< Prev] [Next >]      │
│  Repository        │                                      │
└────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────┘

View modes:

Filtering:

• Click a facet value to filter (e.g., click "Archive" under GLAM Type)
• Click again to remove the filter
• Multiple filters combine with AND
• Each facet shows the count of matching records
• Click the facet header to collapse/expand

2.2 Searching

Quick search: Type in the search box and press Enter.

Advanced search: Click the gear icon > "Advanced search"

Combine fields with AND, OR, or NOT.

Semantic search: Click gear > "Semantic search" or toggle "Expand search with synonyms"

• Expands your query with related terms automatically
• "photographs" also finds "photos", "images", "pictures"

Discovery search: Click gear > "Semantic search" modal

• Natural language queries: "What documents relate to land ownership in the 1950s?"
• Three-strategy matching: direct, expanded, contextual

2.3 Clipboard

The clipboard lets you collect records for batch actions:

1. Click the paperclip icon on any record
2. Open clipboard from the navbar
3. Actions: Export CSV, Print labels, Portable export, Remove

3. Working with Records

3.1 Viewing a Record

Click any record title to view it. The record page shows:

• Title and identification area — reference code, title, dates, level
• Digital object — image viewer, video/audio player, PDF viewer, or 3D viewer
• Description fields — organized by ISAD(G)/DACS/DC/MODS/RAD sections
• Access points — linked subjects, places, names, genres
• Action bar — Edit, Delete, Move, Copy, Export, Print label
• Children — sub-records in a hierarchical tree

3.2 Creating a Record

How to get there: Add > Archival description

1. Select standard — ISAD(G), DACS, Dublin Core, MODS, or RAD
2. Fill in fields — at minimum, Title is required
3. Add access points — click "Add new" under Subjects, Places, Names
4. Set parent — place in hierarchy (optional)
5. Attach digital object — Upload tab or Link tab
6. Set publication status — Draft (internal) or Published (public)
7. Save

3.3 Editing a Record

1. Navigate to the record
2. Click Edit in the action bar
3. Fields are organized in collapsible accordion sections
4. Make changes
5. Click Save or Cancel

3.4 Uploading Digital Objects

On the record edit page, scroll to "Digital object":

3.5 Custom Fields

Your administrator may have defined custom fields for your records. These appear as an additional panel on view and edit pages. Custom fields can be:

• Text — short text input
• Textarea — multi-line text
• Date — date picker
• Number — numeric input
• Boolean — yes/no toggle
• Dropdown — predefined choices
• URL — clickable link

4. GLAM Sectors

4.1 Archive

Standard archival descriptions following ISAD(G):

┌─ Identity Area ──────────────────────────┐
│  Reference code    Title    Date(s)       │
│  Level of description    Extent           │
├─ Context Area ───────────────────────────┤
│  Creator    Repository    Archival history │
│  Immediate source of acquisition          │
├─ Content Area ───────────────────────────┤
│  Scope and content    Appraisal           │
│  Accruals    System of arrangement        │
├─ Access Area ────────────────────────────┤
│  Conditions of access/reproduction        │
│  Language    Finding aids                 │
├─ Allied Materials ───────────────────────┤
│  Related units    Publication note        │
├─ Notes ──────────────────────────────────┤
│  Archivist's note    Rules/conventions    │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘

Other supported standards: DACS, Dublin Core, MODS, RAD — each with their own field sets accessible via the standard selector.

4.2 Library

MARC-inspired cataloguing with integrated library system:

• Cataloguing — bibliographic records
• ISBN Lookup — type an ISBN, click lookup, metadata auto-populates
• Circulation — issue books, process returns, manage renewals
• Fines — automatic overdue fines with configurable grace periods
• Patron management — registered borrowers with loan history
• Cover images — automatic retrieval from Open Library

4.3 Museum

CCO (Cataloguing Cultural Objects) standard:

• Object identification — name, classification, materials, techniques, dimensions
• Getty AAT — linked vocabulary from the Art & Architecture Thesaurus
• Condition assessment — scoring with photo documentation
• Spectrum 5.1 — UK Collections Trust procedures for acquisition, loans, movement, condition
• Exhibition linking — connect objects to exhibitions

4.4 Gallery

Exhibition and artwork management:

• Artist records — biographical data with exhibition history
• Exhibitions — planning, layout, timeline, media, loans
• Artwork tracking — provenance, valuation, insurance
• VRA Core — Visual Resources Association metadata

4.5 Digital Asset Management (DAM)

Photo and media management:

• IPTC metadata — automatic extraction from images (caption, keywords, creator, location)
• Watermarking — configurable watermarks applied to downloads
• Batch operations — bulk metadata editing across selections

5. Entity Management

5.1 Authority Records (Actors)

How to get there: Browse > Authority records

ISAAR(CPF) compliant records for persons, corporate bodies, and families:

• Identity — authorized form of name, type (person/corporate/family), dates
• Description — history, places, functions, mandates
• Relationships — links to other authorities, resources, functions
• Control — authority record identifier, maintenance dates

5.2 Donors

How to get there: Manage > Donors

• Contact information (name, address, phone, email)
• Donation history
• Linked donor agreements
• Related accessions

5.3 Accessions

How to get there: Manage > Accessions

Track incoming transfers:

┌─ Accession Record ──────────────────────┐
│  Accession number: ACC-2026-0001        │
│  Title: Pieterse Family Papers          │
│  Date: 2026-03-15                       │
│  Donor: Johan Pieterse                  │
│  Priority: Normal                       │
│  Status: In progress                    │
│                                         │
│  Extent: 3 boxes, 150 items            │
│  Processing notes: ...                  │
│  Appraisal: ...                        │
│  Donor agreement: [Attached]            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

5.4 Repositories (Archival Institutions)

How to get there: Browse > Archival institutions

ISDIAH compliant institution descriptions with contact details, holdings, services.

5.5 Physical Storage

How to get there: Manage > Physical storage

Track physical locations:

• Buildings > Rooms > Shelves/Cabinets > Containers/Boxes
• Link any record to a storage location
• Track movements between locations

5.6 Terms & Taxonomies

How to get there: Browse > Subjects, Browse > Places

Manage controlled vocabularies:

• Add/edit/delete terms
• Organize in hierarchies (broader/narrower terms)
• Merge duplicate terms

6. Digital Object Viewers

6.1 Image Viewer (IIIF)

High-resolution viewing via OpenSeadragon or Mirador:

6.2 3D Model Viewer

For GLB/GLTF 3D models:

6.3 Media Player (Audio/Video)

HTML5 player with:

• Play/pause, seek bar, volume control
• Playback speed adjustment
• Synchronized captions (VTT/SRT)
• Waveform visualization (audio)

6.4 PDF Viewer

Embedded PDF viewing:

• Scroll through pages
• Zoom controls
• Text search (if OCR'd)
• Download original

7. AI Tools

7.1 Voice Commands

Click the microphone button (navbar or floating bottom-right) and speak:

Right-click the mic button to type a command instead of speaking.

Keyboard shortcuts:

• Ctrl+Shift+V — toggle voice on/off
• Ctrl+Shift+H — show voice help

7.2 AI Features on Records

When viewing a record, you may see AI action buttons:

These features process text locally — no data is sent to external services (unless cloud LLM is configured by your administrator).

8. Import & Export

8.1 Data Ingest (6-Step Wizard)

How to get there: Import > Data Ingest

  Step 1        Step 2       Step 3        Step 4       Step 5       Step 6
┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐
│Configure│─>│ Upload  │─>│  Map &  │─>│Validate │─>│ Preview │─>│ Commit  │
│         │  │         │  │ Enrich  │  │         │  │         │  │         │
└─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘

Step 1 — Configure: Choose sector (archive/library/museum/gallery/DAM), standard, repository, parent record, and which AI processing to apply.

Step 2 — Upload: Upload a CSV file, ZIP archive, EAD XML, or point to a server directory.

Step 3 — Map & Enrich: Map your CSV columns to AtoM fields. Use auto-map for common column names. Save mapping profiles for reuse.

Step 4 — Validate: System checks for required fields, invalid dates, hierarchy issues, duplicates. Fix or exclude problem rows.

Step 5 — Preview: Review the hierarchical tree of records that will be created. Approve or exclude individual records.

Step 6 — Commit: Records are created in the background. A progress bar shows status. Download a completion report when done.

8.2 CSV Import

How to get there: Import > CSV

Quick import for:

• Archival descriptions
• Authority records
• Accessions
• Repository records

8.3 Export

From any browse results or record view:

9. Research & Public Access

9.1 Research Portal

How to get there: Research menu

• Register as researcher — complete registration form
• Book a reading room — select date, time, and materials
• Request access — submit access requests for restricted materials
• Workspace — view your active requests and bookings

9.2 Access Requests

Submit requests for restricted materials. Requests go through a triage workflow:

1. Submit request with justification
2. Archivist reviews and approves/denies
3. Materials prepared for access
4. Researcher notified

9.3 Cart & Favorites

• Cart (cart icon) — collect items for reproduction requests
• Favorites (heart icon) — bookmark records for later reference

10. Compliance

10.1 Security Classification

Records may have security classifications:

Your clearance level is set by your administrator. You will only see records at or below your clearance level.

10.2 Embargo

Some records may be embargoed (time-locked). Embargoed records show a notice with the release date.

10.3 Privacy

If you handle records containing personal information, be aware of privacy compliance requirements (POPIA, GDPR, etc.). Contact your administrator for guidance.

Appendix: Keyboard Shortcuts

AtoM Heratio Framework v2.8.2 — The Archive and Heritage Group (Pty) Ltd