Open ArchivesSpace
Go to https://arstaff.lib.harvard.edu
Log in with username and password
Username will likely be your last name followed by your first initial, such as smithj
Open a new Resource Record
Go to “Create” in the upper left of your screen and select “Resource” from the dropdown menu
Minimum data required to save
If you plan to just begin your finding aid front matter but perhaps not finish it, you are only required to fill in the following fields in order to save:
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TITLE
IDENTIFIER
LEVEL OF DESCRIPTION
DATES
EXTENTS
EADID
Houghton required data for collection level description
Below are listed the Houghton minimum requirements for publishing a finding aid. If you notice a field in ArchivesSpace that is not listed below, that field is optional and likely not used.
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TITLE
The title of your collection, ex. Elena Bonner papers (no punctuation)
IDENTIFIER
Call number, ex. MS Am 1234 (all in the first text box)
LEVEL OF DESCRIPTION
Select “Collection” from dropdown menu
LANGUAGE
Select from dropdown menu the language most prominently represented in your collection
Dates
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LABEL
Keep “Creation” selected
EXPRESSION
Use to describe the natural language expression of your date(s), ex. circa 1810-1892 (no end punctuation)
TYPE
Select from dropdown menu the type of date you are describing, ex. inclusive, bulk, single
BEGIN
Input the numeric expression of your early date, ex. 1810
END
Input the numeric expression of your late date, ex. 1892
Extents
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PORTION
Keep “Whole” selected
NUMBER
Input the numeric measurement of linear feet, ex. 7
TYPE
Select “Linear Feet” from the dropdown menu
CONTAINER SUMMARY
Input the number of boxes, volumes, reels, ex. (14 document boxes) (use parentheses)
Finding Aid Data
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EADID
Input the eadid for your finding aid, ex. hou02365
FINDING AID TITLE
Input the title for your finding aid include the creator (authorized format) at the beginning, ex. Bonner, Elena. Elena Bonner papers, circa 1910-1957 (MS Rus 1345): Guide.
FINDING AID FILING TITLE
DO NOT USE FOR THE TIME BEING
FINDING AID DATE
Date of finding aid creation
DESCRIPTION RULES
Select “Describing Archives: A Content Standard” from the dropdown menu
FINDING AID STATUS
Unless you are completely finished select “In progress” from the dropdown menu
Agent Links
click “Add Agent Link”
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ROLE
Select from the dropdown menu the role of the creator of your collection, ex. Creator or Source (if describing collector)
AGENTS
First “Browse” from the dropdown arrow (or simply search in the text box) to see if your agent is already in ArchivesSpace. Search in the text box on the upper left of the screen that pops up. If you do find your agent, check the box to the left of the name and click the blue “Link to Agents” button on the bottom left of the pop-up screen.
If you do not find your agent in the Browse screen (or via search in the text box) then select “Create” from dropdown arrow. Usually you’ll be selecting either “Person” “Family” or “Corporate Body.”
Fill in the Agent Record screen that pops up
SOURCE
Select from dropdown menu where you are deriving the name from
RULES
Select from dropdown menu the rules used to formulate the name of the agent
NAME ORDER
Keep “indirect” selected from the dropdown menu
PRIMARY PART OF NAME
Enter the last name of your agent
REST OF NAME
Enter the first name of your agent
If your creator has an authorized listing that includes dates, prefix, etc. please fill those data fields in as well.
Click the blue “Create and Link to Agent” button the bottom left of the Agent record.
Notes
Click “Add Note” on right. Select from the dropdown menu the type of note. Content for note goes in “Content” field; ignore “Multi-Part Note” field.
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ABSTRACT
ARRANGEMENT
BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL
CONDITIONS GOVERNING ACCESS
Restriction information, ex. Collection is open for research. (Punctuation for sentences is fine)
CUSTODIAL HISTORY
Use for provenance, ex. Donated from Beatrice Menz, 2012.
Accession information, ex. 2016M-20. Donated from Beatrice Menz in 2016 December. (Punctuation fine)
LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS
Describe the languages represented in your collection, ex. Collection is in English, French, and German. (Punctuation for sentences is fine)
PHYSICAL LOCATION
Use to record the physical location of the collection, ex. b, pf, Harvard Depository.
PREFERRED CITATION
ex. Elena Bonner Papers, circa 1910-2003 (MS Rus 1345). Houghton Library, Harvard University.
Use to describe who processed the collection, ex. Processed by Adrien Hilton, 2016 December.
Add “Sub Note” while in PROCESSING INFORMATION to record additional processing notations.
Use a separate processing information note to record the Aleph number.
LABEL
Aleph ID
CONTENT
Nine-digit Aleph ID
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
You will likely create more detailed description for a collection. This can be a simple inventory or series outline all the way to a very detailed file or item level listing. In DACS this is referred to as multilevel description. Each unit of description below the resource record or collection level record is referred to as an archival object in ArchivesSpace.
There are several ways to create multilevel description for collections.
Manually adding each archival object record
This method works well for a very small collection, for adding one or two items to a collection, for creating your series structure.
Find your resource record, also known as the collection level record
Use either the Search All Records bar or Browse → Resources
Add Child
Once you have your resource record open, and in edit mode, you are ready to add your archival object. An archival object is any unit of description below your collection level, i.e. Series, File, Item, depending on how you have arranged the collection. Click “Add Child” above the collection title information in the file tree area. Make sure the blue highlighted portion is actually what you want to add the archival object to. A new Archival Object record opens. This is the record for the description of your component, whether that is a Series, a File, an Item, etc.
Minimum data required to save archival objects
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TITLE or DATE
LEVEL OF DESCRIPTION
Houghton required data for series descriptions
If you are only describing the materials at the series level, additional fields should be used such as Extent and Scope and Content.
As with all multilevel description, it is assumed that lower levels of description inherit information from the collection level. Thus you only need to use fields when information differs from that at the collection level. For instance if the collection is predominantly in Russian but you have a series of material in English, you would create a language note at the series level for the English language materials.
The principle of inheritance applies to creator as well. Do not include the creator in your title if it is the same creator as the collection level. Also, do not use the title field for recording authorized names.
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TITLE
The title of your series, ex. Correspondence; Printed Ephemera; Photographs and Slides (no punctuation)
IDENTIFIER
Roman numeral indicator of your series, ex. I, II
LEVEL OF DESCRIPTION
Select ‘Series” from dropdown menu
Dates
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LABEL
Keep “Creation” selected
EXPRESSION
Use to describe the natural language expression of your series date(s), ex. circa 1990 March-2000 (no end punctuation)
TYPE
Select from dropdown menu the type of date you are describing, ex. inclusive, bulk, single
BEGIN
Input the numeric expression of your early date, ex. 1990
END
Input the numeric expression of your late date, ex. 2000
Houghton required data for file or item level descriptions
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TITLE
This is the title of the folder, ex. Correspondence with Martha Updike (no punctuation)
LEVEL OF DESCRIPTION
Select ‘File” from dropdown menu
Generally speaking File is the most common unit of description. Unless you are genuinely describing a single item, use File.
Dates
Extents
Instances
Using Rapid Data Entry to enter archival objects
Importing EAD
Importing csv or spreadsheet data