[Archivesspace_Users_Group] where are the boxes?

[Christine Di Bella]

Thanks for these clarifications, Matt. In the first paragraph, you’re mainly talking about an issue with display in the public interface, which the Public Interface Enhancement Project Working Group (https://archivesspace.atlassian.net/wiki/display/ADC/Public+Interface+Enhancement+Project) is hard at work on. This is definitely the kind of feedback that want and that they’re taking into consideration in their recommendations. As Patrick and Maureen indicated, if you create an instance for a particular folder title (or other unit of description), the box/folder/whatever container information you’ve supplied will display in the staff interface tree alongside the component title.

As far as MPLP goes, as with anything else, ArchivesSpace is as friendly or unfriendly as its application of it. One can very easily create a box level listing – to me, the main difference in this case is in whether you call that box a box or an intellectual entity like a series or a collection. (The example you mention seems to be for a collection or a part of a collection.) Many institutions are or will be using ArchivesSpace for this very activity. Putting my archivist hat back on, if this were something I were doing regularly, I’d create a Rapid Data Entry template for box-level description, maybe even create some default values for a Resource record (or Resource component) that would be common to such boxes, and it would be extremely fast and easy for a student/volunteer/other-data-entry-person-if-not-me to follow. And, ideally, would continue to keep my backlog to a minimum!

Christine

From: archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org [mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org] On Behalf Of Matthew J Gorzalski
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2015 2:45 PM
To: Archivesspace Users Group <archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org>
Subject: Re: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] where are the boxes?

True, but for a user it is less confusing to visualize what you’re looking at with the boxes noted rather than just a list of folders.  I’m coming at it from a usability standpoint.  ArchivesSpace just lists titles with no indication as to what the title means or where it fits in to the collection until after you click on it.  We have that archival object or resource icon but that doesn’t clarify anything for the user.  And in the screenshots you can’t see where boxes start and finish, or how folders are grouped within those boxes, which I think gives users some basic concept on a collection’s arrangement.  I don’t recall the old paper finding aids listing folders without boxes.

The Archon container/level field in the screen shot works because in Archon’s container manager, you designate what is and what is not an intellectual entity.  So in that drop down menu, when selecting “box”, the title and date fields are disabled.  So Box isn’t treated the same in that list as series, subseries, file, item, etc. unless you tell Archon to treat it so.

This debate is a reflection of something about ASpace that bugs me.  It isn’t MPLP friendly.  We have circumstances where it is extremely useful to simply create a box and, God forbid, say “this box contains externally funded grant files, arranged alphabetically by last name A-M for 2008.”  We don’t have the manpower to enter all of the files for the 10-20 boxes of these we get a few times a year.  This approach helps the backlog from accumulating and I can do reference with it.  I guess it is the old box level inventory you hear people say every now and then.

Matt

From: archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org> [mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org] On Behalf Of Callahan, Maureen
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2015 11:52 AM
To: Archivesspace Users Group <archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org>>
Subject: Re: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] where are the boxes?

Just to pipe in, I think that you may have been a victim of the Archon data model. Level and container were modeled as being interchangeable; they are not. An aggregation of description always has a level [ISAD(G) 3.1.4; EAD @level] — it may sometimes also have an associated container [ISAD(G) medium; EAD <container>]. I’m not sure what the migrator had to do to disentangle these two concepts for ArchivesSpace, but that may help address your concerns.

Thanks,
Maureen

[cid:image001.png at 01D1117B.92C7C3F0]


On Oct 28, 2015, at 12:38 PM, Galligan, Patrick <PGalligan at rockarch.org<mailto:PGalligan at rockarch.org>> wrote:

Matt,

Strictly speaking, containers are not elements/levels of archival description, and really don’t belong in a components list with other levels of description (series, collection, file, etc.).

Boxes are included in instances in AS, where they indicate the physical location. If you created an instance with a box number in ArchivesSpace, you would see it showing up to the right side of the component list. It doesn’t look like you have instances for boxes and folders in your AS resource.

I think Maureen Callahan of Yale encapsulated many of my feelings about containers and archival description in a blog post almost a year ago:https://icantiemyownshoes.wordpress.com/2014/12/15/on-containers/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__icantiemyownshoes.wordpress.com_2014_12_15_on-2Dcontainers_&d=AwMFAg&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=JgH2YCQ8D3P9-Lm_x4bv3d2CZBYlbx6hxnLFHtfovi8&m=fOVky4Zs2BfoKFOIFk22gUYbHiIxcrmmpcp6nK3Hl7A&s=MqrgPlzJOUSa9wWvfl0EsyWt9owdxlehMx6z3kg7_yw&e=>

Patrick Galligan
Rockefeller Archive Center
Assistant Digital Archivist
914-366-6386

From: archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org> [mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org] On Behalf Of Matthew J Gorzalski
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2015 12:02 PM
To: Archivesspace Users Group
Subject: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] where are the boxes?

Pardon my ignorance, but s ArchivesSpace supposed to include boxes as a part of the container (components?) list?  These screen shots show the difference between the ASpace admin/public view of a container list, which only lists only files.  The other screen shot shows the Archon equivalent of the same collection, noting boxes in which the folders reside.

MATT GORZALSKI
University Archivist

MORRIS LIBRARY
MAIL CODE 6632
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
605 AGRICULTURE DR
CARBONDALE, IL 62901

mgorzalski at lib.siu.edu<mailto:mgorzalski at lib.siu.edu>
P: 618/453-2225
F: 618/453-3440
lib.siu.edu<http://lib.siu.edu/>

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