[Archivesspace_Users_Group] Creating top containers en masse?

[Linda Hocking]

Hi all,

We are working on getting locations and top containers set up for collections processed quite a while ago in Archon. We attempted to do what Lynn described below (thank you for those instructions!) and had some odd results. First, when we download the container template for any of the collections created in Archon, the archival objects in the spreadsheet are reordered. We also downloaded a few container templates for resources created within ArchivesSpace to compare, and those did not have this issue.

Also, although the data I entered in this spreadsheet indicated a top container type and indicator and a child type and indicator, the ingest resulted instead in two top container instances (box and folder) as well as a child folder container under the box top container. I’m attaching the spreadsheet.

Does anyone else have issues with data imported from Archon while trying to use this functionality? I would welcome any ideas what I might have done wrong. We do have some larger collections for which this would be timesaving if it worked as intended, so I hope to be able to use it. We do not have access to the API.

Thank you!
Linda

Linda Hocking, CA
Curator of Library & Archives
Litchfield Historical Society
P.O. Box 385
Litchfield, CT 06759
860-567-4501
lhocking at litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org
eboardman.tumblr.com


From: archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org <archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org> On Behalf Of Lynn Moulton
Sent: Wednesday, October 4, 2023 4:25 PM
To: Archivesspace Users Group <archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org>
Subject: Re: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] Creating top containers en masse?

Hi Christopher,

As long as you're on a somewhat recent release (apologies, I don't recall when this functionality was added, it's at least in 3.3), there's a built-in bulk process that depends on using a download from the collection level of your resource. I'm hoping this screen shot will come through, but it's under the Export menu>Download Container template.
[cid:image001.png at 01DA01A6.3CB3DBB0]

It will export every AO on your resource. You add container information to any pertinent rows, delete any others, and as long as you don't fill in the "Top Container ID" column, the system assumes that container is new and builds it. Then you import via the "Load iva Spreadsheet" option on the Resource record, selecting the option for "Link Top Containers" rather than "Import Archival Objects" and viola, you have linked Top Containers. I'm sure there are more detailed directions in ASpace's user manual as well, but this should be enough to get you going.

Best,
Lynn Moulton
John J. Burns Library
Boston College

On Wed, Oct 4, 2023 at 3:58 PM Christopher Shea <christopher.shea at gallaudet.edu<mailto:christopher.shea at gallaudet.edu>> wrote:
We've recently started moving our old finding aids over to ArchivesSpace. I am working on our largest records collection, which contains over 450 boxes.

Is there a way I can quickly create top container listings for each box without having to manually go through the Add Container Instance process for every single one?

I'd appreciate any advice on this.

Christopher Shea
Collections Archivist
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