MarcEdit has a built in function to harvest records from collections which offer OAI-PMH services. Utilizing this function is pretty simple, but it can be tough to understand how MarcEdit builds queries to the server. Furthermore, there are sometimes issues relating to the server itself, so this will only walkthrough how to set the query. For information regarding harvesting from particular locations, see the MarcEdit Listserv archive in MarcEdit Online Resources & References.

1. From the MarcEditor, select Tools►Harvest from OAI.
2. The dialog box below should appear.

Under the server name, enter the web address of the server that you would like to harvest from. It is helpful to perform a ListSet query on this database from within a web browser first if you would like to harvest a set of records from the database, as this easier than trying to get the list set within MarcEdit. MarcEdit will construct the query, so to harvest a particular set of records just put the server name in the Server field. Then enter the setSpec (from the ListSet query) in the Set Name field. Finally, select the Metadata type. Be sure that the metadata type you select is supported by the server. MarcEdit will automatically select the Crosswalk based on the metadata schema you select from the dropdown menu. When the window is open it will be configured to look for and accept OAIDC, so Dublin Core will be selected in the Metadata field.

3. When you are finished, the dialog box should look like this.

If you click Save, MarcEdit will save this query so that you can select it from the dropdown in the Server field rather than re-enter it.

4. If you want to harvest records from a particular date or use a resumption token, click advanced settings. The following menu will appear:

If you are looking to harvest a particular record, you can put the identifier in the GetRecord field. To use a resumption token, enter it in the field labeled ResumptionToken. To use a date range, enter it using the YYYY-MM-DD form. You can also have it encoded into Marc-8 from this menu and save it automatically to a local directory. By default, MarcEdit will open the harvested records in MarcEditor and leave it up to you to save it permanently.

5. Once you click OK MarcEditor will begin the harvest. It will update you with how many records it has processed until it is finished, then it will open the records in MarcEditor, as below:

6. If you would like to save these records, be sure to manually select FileàSave otherwise it will not be saved.