Accession Record

04-10-2026

The following is based on the Accessions Manual created by Ashlyn Velte in 2018 and subsequently updated by Amy Thompson in 2019 and 2022. It was again updated in 2023 by Dulce Kersting-Lark.

Log into ArchivesSpace (AS)

URL: https://uidaho.libraryhost.com/.
The username and password are established upon account creation.

Create an Accession Record

In ArchivesSpace, click Create located next to the search box.
From the drop-down menu, click Accessions.

NOTE: ArchivesSpace requires only 3 fields to create an accession record: Title, Identifier, and Accession Date. However, it’s important to add as much information as you can. You can save a record at any point. You can leave and come back to a record, but be sure to click the blue save button at the top of the record or at the bottom of the left-hand menu.

Basic Information Fields Dates Extents Related Accessions Instances

Basic Information Fields

The fields listed below should be filled for each accession record. Please consult with department colleagues if questions arise.

Field	Required	Content	Examples
Title	Yes	Some version of the donor, campus department, or creator name combined with papers/records/collection/photographs. The naming rules are based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) guideline.	The President’s Office records; Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) photographs; John Osborn collection; Leonard Feather papers
Identifier	Yes	Use AccessionIDs spreadsheet (in Sharepoint) to find the next available UA, MA, or IJC identifier	English Dept. records = UA; Gary Williams, English prof. = MA; Community group corporate records = MA; USB of photographs from dept. on campus = UA
Publish?	Don’t check
Content Description	Yes	Note what is in the accession. Be sure to mention if there are any external storage devices such as CDs, DVDs, zip drives, etc.	3 CDs of photographs of plants found on the U of I campus; 4 boxes of records and various other papers
Condition Description	Optional	Describe any condition issues you see with the collection (tears, rips, dirt etc.).	Three damaged boxes.
Disposition	Optional	Note whether materials were separated	Photographs were separated and made into a PG collection.
Inventory	Optional	Note if and where an inventory is. If Sharepoint, use the file path. Digital copies of the inventory should go in the appropriate UA/MA/IJC Inventory folder. If there is a paper inventory, place in correct accession binder. If it is in a box within the collection, note where and make a copy to be placed in the accession binder.	/spec/Collections/Accessions/MA Inventories/MA 2011-26 Molina Collection Inventory
Provenance	Yes	Donor name or other information about chain of custody. Paper records of donor information also go in accession binder.	Joe Vandal gave it to Jane Vandal who gave it to Spec; Jane Vandal emailed the materials in 2035.
Retention Rule	Optional	Note any specific retention requirements.	Retention ends 2025; Materials not chosen to be kept are marked for discard according to the Deed of Gift.
General Note	Optional	Describe anything else that should be known about this collection. Describe any actions already taken on the collection related to basic organization. Identify materials that need additional appraisal.	These materials were sent via email; This is an ongoing/living accession; More donations to be added to this in the coming months.
Acquisition Type	Yes	Dropdown menu includes: Deposit, Gift, Purchase or Transfer.	Transfer = from a campus unit and is a UA; Gift = if it has a donor; Deposit = rarely used (for something loaned to us); Purchase = materials we bought.
Resource Type	Yes	Dropdown menu includes: collection, papers, publications, or records.	Records = corporate records/campus unit records; Papers = personal papers; Publications = books/periodicals; Collection = mixed type
Language of Description	Optional	Note the language of the materials (can be multiple). English is default.	Spanish
Script of Description	Optional	Choose appropriate type. Latin is default.	Latin
Restrictions Apply?	Optional	Check if there are known restrictions
Access Restrictions?	Optional	Checking marks it as yes. Leave blank if no.
Access Restrictions Note	Optional	Note the specific access restrictions.	There are restrictions on this collection until 2034.
Use Restrictions?	Optional	Check if use restrictions are known.
Use Restrictions Note	Optional	Note use restrictions.	Patrons cannot make scans of the materials due to copyright.

Dates

The Dates section in the Accession Record is used to document the dates of the materials in the accession. Include both bulk and inclusive dates when appropriate. Please consult with department colleagues if questions arise.

Field	Required	Content	Examples
Label	Yes	Select what the date type is from this drop-down menu. Generally, Creation is selected. Consult a colleague if you think it should be something different.	Creation; Modified; Digitized
Expression	Yes	This field shows the dates that are visible in the accession record. More descriptive information can be included in this field, such as circa.	1942-1987; circa 1985; 05 June 1947
Type	Yes	Select inclusive, bulk dates, or single from drop-down menu.	Inclusive = dates encompass whole collection; Bulk = majority of materials are between two dates; Single = for material that only covers one date
Begin Date	Yes	First date in date range (yyyy-mm-dd).	May 25, 1947 would be 1947-05-25
End Date	Yes	Last date in date range (yyyy-mm-dd). If using single date in Type field, do not include an end date.
Certainty	Optional	Are these circa dates? If so, choose Approximate. If not, leave blank.

Era and Calendar autopopulate as CE and Gregorian respectively; generally no need to adjust.

Extents

The Extents section in the Accession Record refers to the size of the collection (usually # of cubic feet, i.e. # of bankers boxes).

Field	Required	Content	Examples
Portion	Yes	Normally, Whole is chosen because it describes entire collection. However, Part can be chosen is there are varying extents. Can be added multiple times.	Physical or born-digital collection without variations = Whole; Hybrid collection with analog materials in boxes and assets on a USB drive = Part
Number	Yes	The numeric value of the extent.	Physical collection = Whole, 5 (cubic feet); Hybrid collection = Part, 2 (c.f.) & Part, 15 (megabytes)
Type	Yes	Choose best option. Most often will be cubic feet. For digital collections it may be Megabytes, Gigabytes, or Terabytes.	Physical collection = Whole, 5, cubic feet; Born-Digital collection = Whole, 5, gigabytes OR Whole, 5, computer disks; Hybrid collection = Part, 42, cubic feet & Part, 27.5, megabytes
Container Summary	Optional	Use this field to track number of boxes and as a guide to see if boxes are missing from a shelf.	4 folders, 1 bankers box, 2 document boxes
Physical Details	Optional	Other physical details of the materials described.	Analog; b&w; negatives
Dimensions	Optional	Dimensions of the materials described.	29 cm; 7 in.

The Related Accessions section of the Accession Record should be filled out if you know there are other accessions that belong in the same collection.

Select Add Related Accession.
In the Relationship type drop-down menu, usually choose Is Sibling of.
- The language here is confusing. It has to do with hierarchies (Does an accession fall under a previous accession or is it on the same level?).
In the Sibling Relationship box, fill out the required fields.
- This Accession = Is Sibling of
- Accession = Search for the related accession you are trying to connect to. Hint: Using the drop-down menu here to Browse might be easier when searching.
- Relator Type = Automates with “Bound With” relationship.

Instances

The Instances section of the Accession Record is used to track location of materials. If this isn’t used, just note location the User Defined section in String 1. Please consult with department colleagues if questions arise.

To add an instance:

Scroll to Instances in Accession Record. Click on either Create Container Instance or Add Container Instance (right side of screen).
Under Type, select the field that represents what the materials are. Best practice is to select Mixed Materials.
Top Container is the Box level. Click the dropdown arrow and select Create.
- The Create Top Container window will pop up. Fill in the Container Type and Indicator.
  - Container Type is usually Box.
  - Indicator is usually a number.
    - Example: Container Type: Box, Indicator: 1 will read in the Resource Record as: Box 1.
  - Click the blue Create and Link to Top Container button.
Select the correct Child Type from the dropdown.
- If the Top Container is a box, the best practice is to select Folder from this list (other forms from these options are acceptable).
- Child Indicator is again a numerical value.
  - Example: Child Type: Folder, Child Indicator: 54 will read in the Resource Record as Folder 54.

Field	Required	Content	Examples
Type	Yes	Drop-down menu, typically just use Accession for accession records
Top Container	Yes	From drop-down menu, select best description. Usually, Box.
Container Type	Optional	From drop-down menu, select Create
Indicator	Yes	An alphanumeric expression for indicating the place of the highest level container, which may also be the position of the container in a sequence of containers.	Container Type = Box & Indicator = 1 so… Box 1

Continue these steps until all container instances in the collection are entered.
Save the Resource.

Locations

See Labeling and Shelving Accessions for more details.

Once Container Type and Indicator are filled in, you can Add Location if one is known.

To link location information:

Click on the blue Top Container button, and then click View.
A window will pop up with the container details. Click Edit.
In the Locations field, click Add Location (to the right).

All cage locations should be in ArchivesSpace. From the dropdown menu, select “Browse.” A window with then come up and look like this:

When searching for a location, filtering the result by Room is beneficial. After filtering to the area, you’re searching for, in the text box type in the row information.

For example, if you’re putting a collection in Cage 1, in Row 113, select “Cage 1” from the Room. Then type in “113.”
Once you find the location you need using the row, section, and shelf information you gathered, select the correct result. Then click Link to Locations. After linking, your screen will return here with the newly added location information.

Be sure to click Save Top Container. Now when you go back to the Resource Record and scroll to the Instances, the boxes will have locations attached to them.

WARNING: When editing a box’s location, make sure you aren’t editing the actual location information as shown below. Changing this information doesn’t change box information, it changes the entire location record.

NOTE: If the collection is more than 10 boxes and all are in the same area, locations are needed only for a couple of boxes to indicate the shelf ranges.

Final Steps

When you are finished with the Accession Record, print it out. Go to the View screen of the record (exit Edit mode) and print from there.

Place a printed copy of the Accession Record in the appropriate binder in the processing room. Add a second copy to the first box in the accession.

Rehousing Materials Labeling and Shelving Accessions