Learn how to organize your historical documents effectively using Document Transcribe's hierarchical structure system of collections, documents, pages, and exhibits.

Understanding the Hierarchy

Document Transcribe uses a flexible hierarchical system to help you organize your materials:

• Collections: The top-level containers that group related documents together
• Documents: Individual items within collections, such as books, letters, or manuscripts
• Pages: Individual pages or images that make up a document
• Exhibits: Curated presentations of selected materials across collections

Creating Collections

Collections are the main organizational units in Document Transcribe. To create a collection:

1. Navigate to your Dashboard
2. Click the "New Collection" button
3. Enter a name and optional description for your collection
4. Add relevant metadata tags if needed
5. Click "Create Collection"

Examples of collections might include "Family Letters 1900-1910," "Medieval Manuscripts," or "Field Research Notes."

Adding Documents to Collections

Documents represent distinct items within your collection. To add a document:

1. Open the collection where you want to add the document
2. Click "New Document"
3. Enter a document title and optional description
4. Add any relevant metadata like date, author, or location
5. Click "Create Document"

Documents can be organized within collections in various ways, such as chronologically, by author, or by subject matter.

Working with Pages

Pages are the individual images that make up a document. To add pages:

1. Open the document you want to add pages to
2. Click "Add Pages"
3. Upload images through the file browser or by drag-and-drop
4. Arrange pages in the correct order if needed
5. Add page-specific metadata if desired

Pages can be individually transcribed, translated, or annotated while maintaining their relationship to the parent document.

Creating Exhibits

Exhibits allow you to showcase and present selected materials in a curated way:

1. From your Dashboard, click "New Exhibit"
2. Enter a title and description for your exhibit
3. Select pages from across your collections to include
4. Arrange items in the desired presentation order
5. Add contextual information and annotations
6. Set sharing and visibility options

Exhibits are perfect for creating topic-based presentations or highlighting selected materials from larger collections.

Advanced Organization Tips

• Use consistent naming conventions for collections and documents
• Add detailed metadata to make searching and filtering more effective
• Create template structures for similar types of collections
• Use tags consistently across your collections to connect related materials
• Consider hierarchy depth based on your collection's complexity

Reorganizing Your Collections

As your collections grow, you may need to reorganize:

• Drag and drop to rearrange pages within documents
• Move documents between collections
• Split large collections into smaller, more focused ones
• Merge related documents when appropriate
• Create new exhibits to highlight connections across your collections

Next Steps

After organizing your collection structure, you can:

• Learn more about uploading documents
• Explore tagging and categorizing
• Share your collections with collaborators