Definition

Top container is a term used exclusively in the ArchivesSpace application. Top containers can be defined once and linked many times to various archival objects, resources, and accessions.

Source: Yale Archival Systems Management Committee: Container Management

Introduction

The term container is used in a general sense to refer to any kind of box, carton, oversize folder, or other housing used to hold material. It also has specific meanings in the Archives Catalogue and in the ArchivesSpace accessioning database.

ArchivesSpace

ArchivesSpace has robust features for managing containers and physical storage locations. Each accession record or "resource" record (i.e., finding aid) can have one or more instances. Instances are physical or digital instantiations of archival material. Instances link an accession record or resource record to one or more "top containers." Each top container is linked to a physical location record. 

ArchivesSpace also supports container profiles that store basic information about each type of container:

Users can select from a list of container profiles when they are creating a new top container record.

ArchivesSpace also supports location profiles that store basic information each type of physical location: 

Users can select from a list of location profiles when they are creating a new location record.

Related terms 

Accessioning

Acquisition

Container

Dalhousie Libraries documentation

See Section 2 - Accessioning of the University Archives Manual for detailed information on accessioning:

• Guiding principles for accessioning
• Accessioning workflow
• Add item to register of digital storage devices
• Metadata guidelines for accession records
• Metadata guidelines for agent records
• Metadata guidelines for deaccession records
• History of accessioning at Dalhousie

Also see Section 5 - Housing and Physical Storage.

• Guiding principles for housing and physical storage
• Guiding principles for reference codes
• Digital AIP storage