Contact Archivogo
A useful archive begins with the way people need to retrieve information. This guide connects scanning, search and organisation questions so a project can be scoped around real records and agreed deliverables.
On this page
Start with a useful question
For an Athens archive enquiry, describe the types of paper records and what you need to find after digitisation. An approximate volume and a few retrieval scenarios can help frame the discussion. You do not need to attach a confidential archive to begin.
Contact Archivogo with a retrieval scenario and broad document categories. The National Archives’ digitisation resources provide technical background in their U.S. federal-record context. Use that material to frame your questions, then describe the output you need without assuming it establishes the requirements or handling arrangements for your Athens project.
For a scanning enquiry, describe the collection using broad categories. An explicitly hypothetical brief might say that it contains loose correspondence with attachments and that users usually search by a known reference or a remembered phrase. Add an approximate volume and note any mixed sizes, binding or difficult condition. This gives the conversation information about capture and retrieval without attaching the records themselves. If the estimate is uncertain, say so. The first discussion can identify what needs clarification before a representative pilot or larger scope is considered.
What to include in your first message
Name the topic, explain the intended result and describe the broad scope. Include any important constraints you already know. If you are referring to one of our pages, include its title so the question has a clear starting point. Approximate information is enough to begin; unresolved decisions can be identified during the discussion.
A concise subject line can name scanning, organisation or retrieval so the discussion begins in the right place. The opening can then state the document categories and the use case. Where a detail is unknown, label it as an estimate or question. This is more useful than presenting an uncertain volume as a fixed specification. Review the message in your email application and keep the initial description focused on the brief rather than attachments.
- The subject or service you are asking about.
- The intended outcome and broad scope.
- Important constraints or public context.
Keep the first enquiry simple
Do not send passwords, access tokens, account credentials or confidential records in an initial email. If the work later requires documents or access, the relevant scope and handling arrangement must be agreed first. This page is a starting point for a conversation, not approval to transfer private material or a promise that a project has been accepted.
For an organisation or retrieval enquiry, explain what users currently know when they begin a search and what result they need. Someone who remembers a date may have a different task from someone who knows only a subject. Describe those scenarios separately. Note whether different people need different parts of the archive, without sending names or private access details. Output formats, recipients and handling arrangements need to be agreed for the actual work. The enquiry should make the use case clearer rather than establish an assumed permission to transfer, retain or dispose of records.
Choose a topic before you write
The related pages explain the questions that help shape a useful brief. Read the relevant guide if you want to clarify the scope, then describe what remains unresolved. There is no need to force your enquiry into a package that does not fit the actual question.
Email Archivogo
The button opens your chosen email application. You can review the message and decide what to send before submitting it. This page does not collect a contact-form submission, and it does not promise a response time or automatic project acceptance. Use the address below for the enquiry you have described.