Import or edit a custom thesaurus

In addition to the default LCSH and AFS Ethnographic thesauri, an organization may import a custom thesaurus to control data input while editing Aviary resource metadata or Aviary indexes. The terms included in such a custom thesaurus may be assigned to be auto-suggested in any resource metadata field or in the keyword and subject fields of the indexing module. This practice helps to manage consistency in titles and descriptive terms.

Import a new custom thesaurus

Create custom thesaurus import file as a single column UTF-8 csv file. Each term should be entered on its own row. Commas and other characters may be included as part of terms. However, the pipe character, or |, may not be included as it is used in the database as the delimiter between fields.

Expand the "Organization" tab from the left side staff menu. Then click on the "Field Management" submenu choice.

On the "Fields Configuration" page, click on the "Thesaurus" tab. Once on this page, you should see the default LCSH and Ethnographic Thesaurus, plus any other custom thesauri you have already imported.

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Click on the "Add New Thesaurus" button. The "Create Thesaurus" page will display.

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Enter a thesaurus title, status, and description of the thesaurus in the about section. It is recommended that the title be descriptive and contain a version number so that a replacement file can be uploaded and versions can be kept track of outside of Aviary, if necessary.

Browse to the appropriate csv file on your computer and attach. Then click on the "Save" button to submit.

You will receive a success message, if successful, or red error message, if there is a problem with your thesaurus formatting.

Edit a custom thesaurus

Once a custom thesaurus is uploaded, it will be displayed on the list of existing thesauri.

Go to the Thesaurus management page, but expanding the "Organization" tab from the left side staff menu. Then click on the "Field Management" submenu choice.

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To edit the custom thesaurus, click on the green "Edit" button. The Edit Thesaurus page will display with the data about the thesaurus, including all of the terms separated by || characters. You can edit the Title, Status, or About sections as appropriate.

It is possible to download a csv file of the existing thesaurus that can then be edited and re-uploaded, by clicking on the "Download Thesaurus" button.

To Update the existing list of terms, click on the "Update Vocabulary CSV" browser, browse to the new thesaurus csv file, attach it, and click on the Save button

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