The project has adopted a standard format for its finding aids: Encoded Archival Description, or EAD. This format was developed by the Berkeley Finding Aid Project at the University of California in 1993, under the direction of Daniel Pitti, and is now widely applied in North America and Europe.

EAD provides a standard data structure for displaying, navigating and searching archival records over the Web. One of its key features is its hierarchical structure, reflecting the intellectual organization of the collection being described. Beginning with a general overview, the EAD finding aid works down through successive levels, from series to sub-series and on down to individual items and pieces.

This database represents the first systematic application of the EAD format in Australia and is intended to provide a base for developing the future information infrastructure in this area.