Scope: Instructions for creating and deleting Top Containers in ASpace. For all archival processing staff.

Contact: Jude T. Corina 

Unit: ATS/RMC

Date last updated: March 2025

Date of next review:

Roles: 

Staff with deleting permissions in ASpace and Folio:

• Director for Archival Technical Services: Katerina Dimitriadou-Shuster 
• Accessioning specialist: Jude T. Corina  
• Technical Services Archivist: Fredrika Louise Loew 

Any archival processor can create top containers as part of creating a finding aid. Only a few staff members can delete top containers.

Top containers may need to be deleted due to consolidating as part of processing, deaccessioning, creation by mistake, and other reasons.

If you need a top container deleted, contact one of the staff with permissions, listed above by emailing the direct link to the top container in ASpace. 

For physical handling of Top Containers, eg. boxing, labeling, ordering and Top Container Profiles see Archival Top Containers.

Create

Create new top container (in resource) 

• In edit mode 

• Instances>Add Container Instance 

• Type = Mixed Materials 

• Top Container = Create 

• Container Type = Box 

• Indicator = # (unprocessed) 

• Add Container Profile
• Add Location 
• Search by entering location components one by one, eg. K, 115, F etc.  

• If location exists, select.  

• If not, select Create 

• Building = RMC 

• Coordinate Label 1 = K 

• Coordinate Indicator 1 = 115 

• Coordinate Label 2 = F 

• Coordinate Indicator 2 = 7 

• Coordinate Label 3 = C 

• If you have one more line that is grayed out, you are doing it right. 

• Create and link to Location 

• Create and link to Top Container 

• SAVE RESOURCE 

Check locations are correct 

• At top right click on wheel image, select Manage Top Containers 

• Resource: [enter collection title, select relevant one] 

• Search 

• Scroll down, sort by number if necessary, double check all locations 

Link Free-floating top container to resource

• Add a new instance to the resource 

• In the top container field, select “Browse” from the drop-down menu on the right 

• Enter the barcode, ID, holdings, etc. Whatever identifying information you need to find your box 

• Select the box from the search result 

• Click “Link top containers” 

• SAVE RESOURCE 

Create Archival object with multiple locations 

A new Archival Object needs to be created for each Top Container/Instance that houses the materials/files/etc. Do not add more than one Container Instance to an Archival Object. (Ex. Object A lives in box 1,2,3. Create 3 Object A entries, living in one box each.) 

• Edit Resource 

• Create new child (archival object) 

• Add title 

• Level of Description: File  

• Publish?: Yes 

• Add Container Instance 

• Type: Mixed Materials 

• Top Container: Browse or create new Top Container 

• SAVE 

• Repeat “Edit Resource” steps for each individual Instance needed 

• When complete, the archival objects may be reordered. 

• Edit Resource 

• Enable Reorder Mode 

• SAVE & Close Record 

• Review 

Delete

Staff who have the proper permissions should follow this workflow when deleting top containers from archival collections in ASpace and their corresponding items in FOLIO.  This does not cover books. 

If you need a top container deleted, contact one of the staff above by emailing the direct link to the top container in ASpace. 

Important notes 

• If this is part of a deaccession and if you haven’t already done so, please follow the deaccession instructions first. [Add link to deaccession instructions page] 
• Top containers could be entire boxes, mapcase folders, single manuscript folder, individual objects or anything that a patron can request through the catalog. 
• There is an order of operations that must be followed. Do not invert this order. 
• There are two separate workflows when deleting top containers – Aspace and FOLIO

• Useful concepts:

  • AOs are the solid components in ASpace, top containers are attached to them to describe the physical collocation of AOs in a top container 
  • AO=Archival Object; TC= Top Container

Deleting top containers 

Staff who have the proper permissions should follow this workflow when deleting top containers from archival collections in ASpace and their corresponding items in FOLIO.  This does not cover books. 

Top containers might need to be deleted due to a deaccession, consolidation during processing or general reprocessing, or due to a top container created by mistake.  

A. ASpace – complete before the FOLIO component

Consolidating workflow

Follow this workflow when consolidating top containers but Archival Objects remain / are relocated within collection 

1. If there is a guide, check the contents of the top container to be deleted by physically examining its contents and matching them to the guide.  
2. In a separate document, copy and paste the barcode of the top container(s) to be removed, if any. If there is no barcode, copy and paste the Top Container link from the url box (eg. https://archive-test.library.cornell.edu/top_containers/67012)  
3. If there isn’t a guide, it is still good practice to confirm that everything associated with the top container is to be removed or moved to a different top container before deleting the TC you want to delete. 
4. You must delete the top container before you delete any of the objects from the guide (if you do the reverse, the top container will become “unassociated” and thrown into limbo before you can delete it) 
5. In the top container view, click the red “delete” button.  A confirmation screen will appear: click the “delete” button again. 
6.  If the top container was linked to an AO(s) on a guide, the AO(s) will still appear, but without a box/folder number.  Assign new instance/top container to each AO individually. 

Deacession workfolow

To delete TC as part of a deaccession follow the steps here [add link to Deaccessioning page by Jude] 

B. FOLIO – complete after the ASpace component 

• Make sure you select the “Inventory” tab at the top 
• Top containers in FOLIO are called “items” and deleting them depends on which holdings they are linked to.
• You should only delete items under the RMC holdings.  DO NOT delete items under the RMC Annex holdings – you need to coordinate with the Annex to do this so they can also remove it from CaiaSoft first. FOLIO will be automatically updated.

1. take note of the ILS Holding ID and the ILS item ID for the top container you are to delete 
2. Search in FOLIO for the item ID, confirm barcode and Holding ID match. 
3. To open an item record, click the barcode of the item you want to delete.  If your item doesn’t have a barcode, it will say “no barcode” and you can click that. 
4. On the item record, click the blue “Actions” button at the top right and select “delete” button.  A confirmation screen will appear, and you can click on the “delete” button.