Introduction

• ArchivesSpace “instances” are the containers that house accessioned material

• ArchivesSpace uses “container profiles” to record standard measurements and other information about the containers used in the University Archives

• There are three steps to link an accession container to physical storage:

  1. Create an “instance” (i.e., a box or oversize folder)

  2. Link the instance to a container profile

  3. Create a link between the “instance” and a physical storage location

• These steps must be completed for each accession box or container placed in archival storage.

Create instance

1. Log into ArchivesSpace.
   
   

2. Navigate to the accession record.
   
   

3. Click on the “Edit” button.
   
   

   Open

   

    

4. Click on the “Instances” link in the navigation menu.
   
   

   Open

   

    

5. Click on the “Add Container Instance” button.
   
   

    

6. Select the appropriate “Type” from the drop-down menu. In most cases this will be “Box” or “Oversize Folder.” Consult the Digital Archivist before using other terms in the type drop-down menu.
   
   

    

7. Create a new Top Container:
   
   

    

8. The “Create Top Container” window includes several mandatory elements:
   
   

    

9. Click on the “Container Profile” drop-down menu to browse a list of container profiles.
   
   

    

10. Browse the list and select the appropriate container profile. In most cases this will be the “Standard records box” profile. Consult the Digital Archivist if a new profile is required.
    
    

     

11. Click on the “Link to Container Profiles” button to link the Top Container to a Container Profile.
    
    

     

12. Click on the “Container Type” drop-down menu to browse a list of container types. In most cases this will be the “Box” type. Consult the Digital Archivist if a new container type is required.
    
    

     

13. Add the “Indicator” (i.e., Reference Code) assigned to the container.
    
    

     

14. Click on the “Add Location” button to link the container to an archival storage location.
    
    

     

15. The default location status is “Current” and the start date is automatically populated with the current date.
    
    

     

16. Click on the “Location” drop-down menu to browse a list of locations.
    
    

     

17. The Browse Locations window will show all of the available physical storage locations.
    
    

18. Filter Locations using the facets on the left (e.g., Building, Floor, Room, etc.) or use the search box.
    
    

     

19. Select the desired location and click on the “Link to Locations” button.
    
    

    
    
    

20. Review the information in the “Create Top Container” window. Correct any errors or omissions. Click on the “Create and Link Top Container” button.
    
    

     

21. The accession record now contains an instance (i.e. Box) linked to a physical storage location.
    
    

22. Repeat these steps until all containers in the accession are linked to physical storage locations.