Group: For Archivists and Publishers

Every zine is unique, and we adjust our process to work with each publisher. This is an overview of the general steps and the usual order we do them in.

1. Make an agreement with the publisher of the zine.
2. Scan the physical zines as PDFs. Sometimes our partners at Zinedom already have scans. Otherwise, we coordinate with the publisher for one of us to make scans and upload them to our internal system.
3. Add all the works (fic, art, meta, anything that can go on AO3) to our internal database so we can keep track of creator preferences.
4. We announce the import on AO3 and OTW social media, and if the publisher has any places they can announce it they can announce it there too. We also send emails to the creators in the zine if we have their email address.
5. Search AO3 for works in the archive. We know some creators have already posted their works on AO3 or may have published to another zine or archive Open Doors has already imported.
6. Separate each work from the zine, then use OCR (optical character recognition) software on each written work. We then check that the OCR was performed correctly so the text is how it appeared in the original zine. We also keep track of which tags the work should be tagged with.
7. Import the works! This can either be done by the publisher or with the help of our import assistants.
8. If the publisher will be managing the collection, Open Doors leaves the collection to the archivist and sends any future creator queries to the publisher. If Open Doors will be managing the collection, we continue to own the collection and archivist account.

Every archive is unique, and we adjust our process to work with each archive. This is an overview of the general steps and the usual order we do them in.

1. Make an agreement with the moderator of the archive (also referred to as the archivist).
2. Generate a list of creators and their works, so we can keep track of creator preferences if they tell us they’ve updated their email or don’t want their works imported. Depending on the format and size of the archive, this may be generated by technical volunteers. Otherwise, it will need to be created manually, either by the archivist or with the help of our import assistants.
3. Generate a list of tags used on the archive, and ask the AO3 Tag Wrangling Committee to map the original archive tags to AO3 canonical tags. You as the archivist can choose to keep the original tags instead, and creators can always update the tags on their works when they claim them.
4. We announce the import on AO3 and OTW social media, ask the archivist to announce it on the site and any social media, and send emails to the creators of the original archive if we have their email address.
5. Search AO3 for works in the archive. We know some creators have already posted their works on AO3 or may have cross-posted to another archive Open Doors has already imported.
6. Import the works! Depending on the format and size of the archive, we may have our technical volunteers help. Otherwise, each work will be posted manually either by the moderator or with the help of our import assistants.
   • We do our best to remove email addresses and other sensitive information from the import, but we don’t read every work.
7. If the archivist will be managing the collection, Open Doors leaves the collection to the archivist and sends any future creator queries to the archivist. If Open Doors will be managing the collection, we continue to own the collection and archivist account.

You may not have written all the stories, but if you’re the moderator of an archive, you’ve accepted responsibility for keeping them online and accessible. And if you’re the publisher of a zine, you’ve accepted responsibility for making the works accessible. We think that transferring an archive onto AO3 is along the same lines as changing web host or ISP or installing an updated software package for the archive; it’s like a librarian moving a collection.

We can also organize an import that requires each creator’s explicit permission before we import their works. This is most common with mailing lists and some zines.

If you are the publisher of a zine and want to digitally preserve your zine on AO3, see the AO3 Fanzine Scan Hosting Project and contact Open Doors.

To preserve physical items, Open Doors partners with several institutions as part of the Fan Culture Preservation Project (FCPP). This project is dedicated to preserving fannish artifacts such as letterzines, fanzines, and other non-digital fan works and memorabilia. Please check out the FCPP website, the FCPP FAQ on this webpage, or contact the Open Doors Committee for more information.

Contact the Open Doors committee for access to the volunteers importing archives and zines to AO3. Please let us know from the outset if you have particular requirements — for example, if you’d like us to take over maintenance of the old domain, or if your online archive contains multimedia content.

What we will need from you and/or your co-mod/publishers(s):

• Commitment to working with Open Doors for at least the duration of the import.
• Participation in the outreach process.
• Agreement to follow Open Doors policies for attributing credit on imported works, providing background for the import, and helping creators claim their works.
• If the original online archive will be staying online, the ability to edit it upon creators’ request to delete works or change creator names.

We are happy to help the archive maintainers to transfer the contents of their archives or zines into the Archive of Our Own (AO3)! We would create a collection on AO3 for your archive and a special archivist account that can upload works on behalf of others. As the mod(s) of the original archive, you would be invited to moderate the collection within AO3.

We can help you with procedures to do the bulk of the importing yourself, or we have a team of import assistants that can help with the manual work. We can provide support in:

• Outreach: publicizing the import using OTW’s media channels and fielding questions
• Procedures: provide tools that automate sending invitations (as many as you need) and e-mails that allow creators to claim their works, assistance tracking works to be imported, instructions, and help with AO3 questions (e.g., collections, tagging, etc.)
• Technical Support: if desired, we can assist with creating backups and/or setting up redirects to the Open Doors collection. We may also be able to generate spreadsheets for database driven archives and mass import archives to AO3
• Manual Assistance: We have a team of import assistants that can help create spreadsheets and manually import works to AO3

During the import, we will depend on you and/or volunteers designated by you for:

• Providing feedback on drafts and AO3 tag suggestions
• Publicizing the import to archive members (e.g. by e-mail, posts to related communities, etc.)
• Optionally, creating spreadsheets and importing works

If, after the import, you no longer wish to be involved with the archive, you can designate a new maintainer for the collection or close the collection to new submissions. (If a volunteer later requests to maintain a closed collection, we’ll try to contact you to ask if you’d like to transfer the collection to their care; we would only make this transfer if we received approval from you.)

While we often help mods import archives which are closing (or already offline), Open Doors should be involved anytime one is planning to import works on behalf of another creator. For example, if you would like to back up an active archive to AO3, use AO3 as an extension of your archive, create a memorial account for a friend, or any other situation, please contact Open Doors.

While the Archive of Our Own (AO3) welcomes fanworks of all kinds, our resources for supporting projects that cannot be easily integrated to AO3 are limited. While we are open to talking to the maintainer of any fannish project which needs our help, we are not providing general hosting like an ISP. A special project that requires its own server space or other resources will need to be approved by the Board as a special collection before it is brought on.

The maintainer of a collection brought on under Open Doors also has to agree to the Open Doors Terms of Service.

There are several advantages to backing up or transferring your fanworks.

• Long-term preservation. Your archive will be maintained and supported even if you lose internet access, interest, or time.
• Infrastructure. The Organisation for Transformative Works (OTW) is set up to bring in volunteers as well as provide advice and technical help for maintaining and growing your collection or project.
• Financial support in a nonprofit environment. The OTW will never exploit your work or the work of your contributors for individual profit.
• Accessibility. When Open Doors imports zines, we import the text of the work to AO3, so the text is accessible.