[Archivesspace_Users_Group] Container Profiles and the Extent/Space Calculators

[Christine Di Bella]

Dear Daniel,

Others can say more about how they use these features, but I just wanted to mention that extent dimension field is required, but any of the three dimensions is possible, so you certainly can have it key off of cubic measurements rather than linear. So if you measure by cubic feet rather than linear feet, that’s fine. Dimension units is the field where you indicate whether it’s inches, cm, nautical miles (☺), etc. The idea of the dimension field is that it indicates which way the content actually is in the container, and thus represents the extent of the stuff more closely than the extent of the container itself.

The extent calculator takes whatever the value is for the desired dimension and multiples it by the count of containers with that dimension for the collection/accession/part there of being calculated. It doesn’t take the next step of turning total inches into feet or total cm into meters. So that also does not limit you to a particular type of measurement.

It is true that this is measuring on a 2D axis though, not a 3D one – the calculator isn’t expressing volume of the material in the container by calculating the product of all three dimensions. But the space calculator does enable you to determine if a 3D container will fit into a 3D space in your stacks, if all dimensions are supplied.

Hope that helps,
Christine

Christine Di Bella
ArchivesSpace Program Manager
christine.dibella at lyrasis.org<mailto:christine.dibella at lyrasis.org>
800.999.8558 x2905
678-235-2905
cdibella13 (Skype)

[ASpaceOrgHomeMedium]



From: archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org [mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org] On Behalf Of Michelson, Daniel
Sent: Thursday, August 3, 2017 12:55 PM
To: archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org
Subject: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] Container Profiles and the Extent/Space Calculators

Hi All,
I have a couple questions about implementing container profiles.

Is there a way to get the extent calculator to report size in cubic measurements, instead of linear?  I assume it has to do those calculations in the space calculator, but the fact that "Extent Dimension" is a required field makes me wonder if it was designed assuming the use of linear measurements in extents.
How are people handling the space calculator's need for exterior measurements with the common practice of providing collection extents based on interior measurements?  Are people just not using the extent calculator?
Thanks,
Dan Michelson
Union College Special Collections & Archives
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