Documenting locations and containers

The Locations and containers data source The management of a collection can involve a vast amount of information about objects / items / books, people and organizations, events, administration and more. This information is stored as records in data sources. Each data source stores a specific type of information: details about collection items, people, events, loans, and so on. documents the places in which collection items are or can be located (displayed, stored, etc.). Locations can be fixed (a shelf, room, bay or building for instance) or moveable (such as a Solander box or tray). Typically, we create a record for each location from the highest level (the institution itself, or a building for instance) to the lowest (a shelf or container), and build a hierarchy of locations by linking locations records from the highest to the lowest level using the Is part of (part_of (2A)) and Contains fields (part (nt)); for example:

National Museum>Ground Floor>Special Exhibitions Room>Shelf 1>Box 1

When working with records that are organized as a hierarchy it is useful to work with Hierarchy browser alongside Record details View as it presents the complete hierarchy of records; here we see our example locations hierarchy (from building through to a container):

Tip: When a record is selected in Hierarchy browser it becomes the current record The record currently displayed in Record details View or highlighted (with a solid background) in Result set View or Gallery View for instance..

Documenting locations and containers is similar across Model Applications and the key panels and fields available in Model Application 5.2 (and earlier) and the Standard Model are largely the same; there are differences however and we document the workflows separately below:

The Standard Model

When creating a record in the Locations and containers data source, the first step is to specify whether we're documenting a fixed location or a container. We do this on the Identification panel:

Identification

Field group	Field	Details
Identification	Location or Container / package_location (PL)	Mandatory field (location by default), and drop list of location types: location - a fixed location such as a shelf, room, bay, building. When selected, the Location details panel displays. container - a moveable location such as a Solander box, crate, tray. When selected, the Container details, Location\|Audits and Movement history panels display. The value selected here determines which fields and panels are available in the record as different details are recorded for the two types of location. We examine the differences below, but the key details we record on the Identification panel are similar whether we document a location or a container. Note: Except where indicated (or obvious from the context), location means both location AND container in the following text.
	Name / name (te)	A name for the location. Although the name does not need to be unique, one that clearly distinguishes it from other locations will make it easier for users to identify the correct location when specifying an item's Normal location and Current location. Avoid using a forward slash (/) Avoid including a forward slash (`/`) in the name as the forward slash is used by Collections to build hierarchical contexts. If we look at the Current location of `Box 1` in our example hierarchy: National Museum>Ground Floor>Special Exhibitions Room>Shelf 1>Box 1 the Context is constructed as: If our naming convention for shelves is `Shelf/1`, `Shelf/2`, etc., the Context that is constructed will suggest an additional level to the hierarchy: Furthermore, including a forward slash in a location name can cause a conflict when searching a field with the `hierarchical` operator.
	Barcode / barcode (vb)	A unique ID for the location. Required for barcode scanners (such as Axiell Move).
	Status / status (ts)	Drop list of values. Select the status of the location: active: the location is used and its record can be selected when documenting an item's Normal location or Current location. candidate: the location has not yet been approved for use but its record can be selected when documenting an item's Normal location or Current location. obsolete: the location is no longer used and its record cannot be selected when documenting an item's Normal location or Current location. We describe how to specify an item's Normal location or Current location here.
	Unavailable / unavailable (av)	Checkbox. Select the checkbox to flag that an active location is temporarily unavailable for some reason. This is simply a flag on the record and the location can still be selected when documenting an item's Normal location or Current location. This is an inherited field Where records can be arranged in a hierarchy, a field can be configured to be inherited so that a record lower in the hierarchy inherits a value entered in a record immediately higher in the hierarchy (its parent). This can be efficient as a value only needs to be entered and saved in the parent record to be inherited by all of its children; importantly, while the value displays in a child record it is not stored in that record (in the child record the field is actually empty until the field is edited and the inherited value is overwritten).; in a location hierarchy, if a parent location is Unavailable, its child locations are unavailable by default (although an inherited value can be edited and changed as required).
	On view / on_view (ov)	Checkbox. Select the checkbox to flag that items in this location are on display to the public. Tip: Including this detail in an online catalogue allows visitors to more easily identify whether objects in this location are on display. This is an inherited field Where records can be arranged in a hierarchy, a field can be configured to be inherited so that a record lower in the hierarchy inherits a value entered in a record immediately higher in the hierarchy (its parent). This can be efficient as a value only needs to be entered and saved in the parent record to be inherited by all of its children; importantly, while the value displays in a child record it is not stored in that record (in the child record the field is actually empty until the field is edited and the inherited value is overwritten).; in a location hierarchy, if a parent location is On view, its child locations are on view by default (although an inherited value can be edited and changed as required).
	Category / category (ct)	Available when Location or Container = location. Repeatable drop list of location categories: building area room shelf venue external Tip: Application Administrators can add additional categories in the System lists data source. As a controlled list of location categories (users must select a value in the list and cannot add their own), program logic can reliably reference values in the list to perform functions in scripts or for use in reports; if you find the values to be limiting however, the Location type field on the Location details panel can be used to provide an alternative (perhaps more descriptive or custom) label for a location.
	Publish / publish_on_web (wp)	Available when Location or Container = location. Checkbox. Select the checkbox to flag that the name of this location can be included when publishing details about collection items on the web (in an online catalogue, for instance). Note: Location names are NOT published on the web by Axiell Internet Server (AIS) by default. Selecting this checkbox only flags that a location name can be published, it does not enable publication of location names on the web. Additional configuration is required in order to make effective use of this setting (contact Axiell Support for details).
	Description / description (sn)	Text field. Provide a description of the location (the field will expand to hold a significant amount of information). The Notes (notes (p6)) field that follows is provided for other details about the location.
	Institution / institution (BA)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to Persons and institutions linking to records where Role(s) (name.type (do)) = institution. Can be used when recording a holding location in another institution. Start keying the name of an institution or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for the relevant institution or create a record in Persons and institutions and link to it (if authorized to do so). Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here.
	Restrictions / restrictions (BX)	Text field. Document any limitations in the use of the location (the field will expand to hold a significant amount of information).
Notes	Notes / notes (p6)	Text field for recording any additional details about the location not recorded in Description and Restrictions (the field will expand to hold a significant amount of information).
Address and phone		Available when Location or Container = location. Physical address and phone details for the location. Tip: These fields are not `inheritable` by default; Application Administrators with access to Axiell Designer A tool for designing, creating, customizing and managing Axiell Collections applications and databases, broadly speaking, the Axiell Collections Model Application. As well as managing databases, including user access and permissions, Designer is used for such tasks as translating field labels, tooltips, values in drop lists, etc. could set these fields to be `inheritable` so that address details added to a parent record are automatically available in all child records.
Contacts		Available when Location or Container = location. Provide contact details for a Location manager and an Emergency contact.
Record summary	Record summary / record_summary (Z0)	Read-only field providing an auto-generated summary of the record's key data taken from one or more key fields.

Documenting locations: where Location or Container = location

The following panels are available:

Locations and containers

Location details

This panel includes several groups of fields intended for recording physical details about a location (geo-cordinates, linear measurements, etc.). It also includes two groups of fields used for building a hierarchy of locations, Is part of and Contains.

Tip: Use the Hierarchy browser when viewing records in Locations and containers to see the hierarchical relationship between locations; select a locations record in Hierarchy browser to make it the current record The record currently displayed in Record details View or highlighted (with a solid background) in Result set View or Gallery View for instance..

As the purpose of many fields on this panel is self-explanatory and their use straightforward, we focus on those that are of particular note:

Field group	Field	Details
Location details	Location type / location_type (LT)	Category (category (ct)) on the Identification panel is a list of location categories, such as building, room, shelf, etc. As a controlled list (users must select a value in the list and cannot add their own), program logic can reliably reference its values to perform functions in scripts or for use in reports. Location type is an optional text field that can be used to provide an alternative (perhaps more descriptive or custom) label for a location if you find the values in Category to be limiting.
Location details	Level / location_level (nv)	A (legacy) text field that was (and can still be) used to describe a location's level within a hierarchy of locations; values might include terms for the components of a building from the highest level to the lowest, e.g. building, room, shelf (although these are now more usefully defined by Category on the Identification panel).
Environment measurements		Repeatable group of fields used to document a location's environmental conditions on a given date (temperature, humidity, light levels, or other factors that could affect the collections). Tip: Documentation of these details could conceivably be automated via the API. The Instructions panel includes an Optimal value text field that can be used to document the target / optimal environmental conditions for the location.
Linear measurements		Document the linear capacity, height, width, and depth of the location; specify the units of measurement and confirm whether the linear capacity calculation has been verified. Notes and Precision fields allow for more detail to be provided. What is Linear capacity? Linear capacity is a measure of the physical space occupied by material on shelves or in storage; most often this relates to archival material but might also measure the physical space occupied by collection objects or storage containers for instance. It is generally measured in linear feet or linear meters, though other units can be used. Axiell Collections does not specify a unit of measurement, allowing institutions to establish their own convention: some archives might assume linear metres / feet; other institutions might have an idiosyncratic convention based on a "standard archive box", for instance. Several linear measurements are possible in Axiell Collections: We can record how much a location or container holds when documenting locations and containers; for this we use the Linear capacity (linear_capacity (LC)) field. When documenting containers we can also record how much space a container occupies when placed on a shelf; for this we use the Linear space on shelf (package_type.container_shelf_space(CS)) field. When documenting objects in the Catalogue we can record how much shelf space an object occupies; for this we use the Linear space on shelf (linear_shelf_space(SL)) field.
Geo-coordinates (private) Geo-coordinates (public)		Document the latitude and longitude of the location. Typical uses of private vs public coordinates: private geo-coordinates are precise and not intended to be shared with the public (an item is located in this exact spot); public geo-coordinates are more general / approximate (an item is located in this building, for example) and appropriate for sharing with the public.
Is part of	Name / part_of (2A)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to other location records in Locations and containers. Name (part_of (2A)) links the current location to its immediate parent location (a room Is part of a floor, which Is part of a building for instance). Start keying the name of a location or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for and select the relevant location to link to it. Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here. In our example: National Museum>Ground Floor>Special Exhibitions Room>Shelf 1>Box 1 we could start with the National Museum locations record and use Contains (part (nt)) to record Ground Floor as its child in the locations hierarchy; or we could start with the Ground Floor locations record and use Name (part_of (2A)) to record National Museum as its parent: Barcode and Location type are auto-populated with details from the parent record; and Context is constructed as the hierarchy is built. In the Hierarchy browser we see the hierarchy of locations records: When we look at the (parent) National Museum locations record, we find that the Contains group of fields is updated automatically to list Ground Floor:
Contains	Name / part (nt)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to other location and container records in Locations and containers. Name (part (nt)) links a location to its immediate child location(s): a building can contain one or more rooms; a room can contain one or more shelves; and one or more containers can be contained on a shelf, and so on. Start keying the name of a location or container or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for and select the relevant location or container to link to it. Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here. In our example: National Museum>Ground Floor>Special Exhibitions Room>Shelf 1>Box 1 we could use Name (part (nt)) in the Contains group of fields to document that the Ground Floorcontains the Special Exhibitions Room: In the Hierarchy browser we see the hierarchy of locations records: When we look at the (child) Special Exhibitions Room locations record, we find that the Is part of group of fields is updated automatically to list Ground Floor (as its parent): IMPORTANT When you specify that a location Contains a container, the container's Current location (part_of (2A)) will automatically update to list the location as its current location. However, you CANNOT specify that a location Contains a container if the container ALREADY has a Current location (you will receive an Error creating internal link... warning); instead, use the Change locations task to change the location of the container. Tip: When a container contains another container, we document this on the Container details panel record using Name (part (nt)) in the Contains group of fields. Details below.
Insurance	Insured? / insured (vl)	Checkbox. If an insurance policy is associated with the location, select the checkbox to display additional fields: Reference number, Carrier and Policy number.
Insurance	Reference number / insurance.reference_number (V2)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to the Insurance and indemnity data source. Start keying the reference number for an insurance policy or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for and select the relevant insurance policy to link to it. Carrier and Policy number details are auto-populated with details from the linked insurance policy record Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here.
Associated locations		Repeatable group of fields used to identify locations with some shared characteristic or purpose (you might use these fields to associate all cold storage facilities for instance).
	Name / associated_location.name (nA)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to other location records in Locations and containers.
	Association / associated_location.association (nR)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to the Thesaurus. Identify the nature of the association Select from the drop list of terms that displays when the cursor is in the field; alternatively, click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box and search for the relevant association. Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here.
	Notes / associated_location.notes (no)	Text field for providing details about the nature of the association (the field will expand to hold a significant amount of information).

Documenting containers: where Location or Container = container

The following panels are available:

Container details

This panel includes several groups of fields intended for recording physical details about a container (linear measurements, materials, etc.). It is also used to document containers that are stored inside the current container.

As the purpose of many fields on this panel is self-explanatory and their use straightforward, we focus on those that are of particular note:

Field group	Field	Details
Container details		Document details about the container such as type, purchase date and condition.
Container details	Container type / package_type (p2)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to the Container types data source, which contains records for different types of storage container, including standard measurements. Start keying the name of a container type or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for and select the relevant container record. Details from the selected Container types record, including Linear space on shelf and Recommendations will be auto-populated. As the name suggests, the Container types data source is used to document different types of container, not custom (unique) containers. If you are documenting a custom container in this Locations and containers record, leave Container type empty and add details to such fields as: Linear capacity (linear_capacity (LC)) Verified? (linear_dimensions.verified (Dv)) Notes (linear_dimensions.note (Dn)) Other measurements
Linear measurements		Most of the fields in this group are read-only and auto-populated with details from a Container types record selected in Container type. If you are documenting a custom (unique) container, you would record the container's linear capacity in Linear capacity, you can flag whether this capacity has been verified, and can provide additional details in Notes; you would use the Other measurements group of fields to document the custom container's height, width, depth, etc.
	Linear capacity / linear_capacity (LC)	A numeric field. Document the linear capacity of a custom (unique) container (one that does not have a Container type (package_type (p2))). Tip: The value in Linear capacity is used by ADAPLs Both a general-purpose programming language and a program built in the ADAPL language. An ADAPL program can be executed as a standalone program or used during various database functions, e.g. to validate data input, or to carry out an additional check during record deletion. and reports when calculating available linear storage space. What is Linear capacity? Linear capacity is a measure of the physical space occupied by material on shelves or in storage; most often this relates to archival material but might also measure the physical space occupied by collection objects or storage containers for instance. It is generally measured in linear feet or linear meters, though other units can be used. Axiell Collections does not specify a unit of measurement, allowing institutions to establish their own convention: some archives might assume linear metres / feet; other institutions might have an idiosyncratic convention based on a "standard archive box", for instance. Several linear measurements are possible in Axiell Collections: We can record how much a location or container holds when documenting locations and containers; for this we use the Linear capacity (linear_capacity (LC)) field. When documenting containers we can also record how much space a container occupies when placed on a shelf; for this we use the Linear space on shelf (package_type.container_shelf_space(CS)) field. When documenting objects in the Catalogue we can record how much shelf space an object occupies; for this we use the Linear space on shelf (linear_shelf_space(SL)) field.
	Verified? / linear_dimensions.verified (Dv)	Checkbox. If the measurement has been confirmed, check the Verified? checkbox.
	Notes / linear_dimensions.note (Dn)	Text field for providing details about the container's dimensions and measurements (the field will expand to hold a significant amount of information).
Other measurements		Repeatable group of fields used to document various measurements of a custom (unique) container; alternatively, if you have linked to a Container types record in Container type, you would use these fields to provide additional details about this instance of the container.
	Measurement type / measurement.type (t3)	Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to the Thesaurus. Specify the measured dimension, etc. (e.g. height, weight, depth, width, etc.).
	Value / measurement.value (t4)	Numeric. The value of the measurement.
	Unit / measurement.unit (t5)	Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to the Thesaurus. Specify the unit of measurement (e.g. cm, inch, feet, etc.).
Contains	Name / part (nt)	A repeatable Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to other container records in Locations and containers. A container can contain other containers: Name (part (nt)) is used to link to the record of one or more containers stored within the current container. Start keying the name of a location or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for and select the relevant location to link to it. Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here. IMPORTANT When you specify that container A Contains container B, container B's Current location (part_of (2A)) will automatically update to list container A as its current location. Example In this example, `Box 6` Contains `Box 4` (the screen capture has been modified in order to show the relevant details): `Box 4`'s record automatically updates to list `Box 6` as the Current location: However, you CANNOT specify that container A Contains container B if container B already has a Current location (you will receive an Error creating internal link... warning); instead, use the Change locations task to change the location of the container.

Location | Audits

This panel documents a container's Normal location (where it typically belongs) and Current location (where it is currently located), movement planning and history.

Best practice: Normal and Current location

It is best practice to specify both a Normal location AND a Current location when creating a record for a container (and collection items for that matter): if a container is currently in its Normal location, be sure to record this in Current location too. This will ensure that a complete location history is retained as location history is updated whenever Current location changes; if Current location is empty when a container is first relocated, its Current location fields are updated, but its location history is not (as Current location has not actually changed).

Furthermore, if you provide a Normal location but no Current location, you will eventually have some records with a Current location as Current location is automatically updated when a container changes location, and others with a Normal location but no Current location (no relocation has occurred); if you then want to search for a container by its location, it will be necessary to search both fields as you cannot be certain whether a Current location has been recorded.

Most of the fields are read-only:

Field group	Field	Details
Normal location	Name / location.default.name (NL)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to other location and container records in Locations and containers. A container's Normal location is its default location: where it belongs and is typically found. Start keying the name of a location or container or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for and select the relevant location or container to link to it. Barcode and Type (location or container) are auto-populated with details from the selected record; Context is the full hierarchy of locations for the current record, e.g.:
Current location		Where the container is currently located. The fields in this group are only editable when a record is created; once the record has been saved, only Planned removal date is editable and the others are read-only and automatically completed when the current location of the container is updated. A container's current location can be specified in several ways: When documenting a location: in the Contains group of fields on the Location details panel, we can specify that the location contains a container using the Name (part (nt)) Linked field (details here). When documenting a container: in the Contains group of fields on the Container details panel, we can specify that the container contains one or more other containers using the Name (part (nt)) Linked field (details here). Using the Change location task. Each of these methods will automatically update the container's Current location. IMPORTANT Once a Current location has been recorded for a container, the only way to change its location is with the Change location task. If, for example, you attempt to specify that container A Contains container B and container B ALREADY has a Current location, you will receive an Error creating internal link... warning.
	Name / part_of (2A)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to other location and container records in Locations and containers. A container's Current location is where it is currently found. This field is only editable when a record is created; once the record is saved, it is necessary to use the Change location task to relocate the container.
	Planned removal date / current_location.expected_removal_date (2c)	Date field. The date on which the container will be moved. It is auto-filled with a date added to the Expected removal date field in the Change location task. As noted above, it is the only editable field in the Current location group of fields, and it can be set independently of the Change location task (although it is recommended that the task is always used). Used for forward planning movements, flagging that a container will be moved on a certain date. Searching on this field is useful for identifying what will be moved on a given date or in a date range. Also useful as the starting point of an investigation if the container cannot be located in the documented Current location after the date has passed. Type a date or click the Calendar icon to select a date (details about date fields and how to use the Calendar can be found here).
Movement to location		Read-only details auto-populated with details entered using the Change locations task or Axiell Move. Note: Currently, planning and scheduling container movements using Movement and shipping logistics is not supported; this functionality is planned for a future release. The details in these fields will then be auto-populated with details from a Movement and shipping logistics record.
Movement to location	Device / movement.device_name (2x)	When using Axiell Move to manage object / container movements, this field is automatically updated with the ID of the mobile device running Axiell Move (the ID can be set in the device's settings).
Shipping to location		Note: Currently, planning and scheduling container movements using Movement and shipping logistics is not supported; this functionality is planned for a future release. The details in these fields will then be auto-populated with details from a Movement and shipping logistics record.
Collections audit / Locations check		It is possible to audit the location of containers using the Locations check task in the Result set View toolbar. When the task is run a record is created in the Collections audit items data source for each audited container and a summary and link to the Collections audit items record are added here: Details about running the Locations check task can be found here.

Available for both locations and containers

Other useful panels available when documenting both locations and containers include Media, Digital references, Free fields, Actions and:

Instructions

The Instructions panel is available when documenting both fixed locations and containers. It holds a repeatable group of fields intended for recording care and maintenance instructions, and environmental details (ideal conditions) for a location / container. Amongst other things, instructions might document:

all that is involved in cleaning a location, what techniques are recommended or required, and what materials should be used;
maintenance of the location / container;
optimal environmental conditions.

Specific actions relating to any of these instructions are then handled on the Actions panel: what needs to be done on this date and by whom.

Note: Some fields are more useful for documenting instructions for a fixed location than a container. Furthermore, depending on what instructions you are documenting, you may not need to complete all fields on this panel.

Field	Details
Type / instruction.type (9V)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to the Thesaurus. Identify what the instructions relate to, for example: Cleaning Maintenance Environmental conditions Exhibition Handling, Shipping (for containers) Select from the drop list of terms that displays when the cursor is in the field; alternatively, click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box and search for the relevant instruction type. Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here.
Purpose / instruction.purpose (9X)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to the Thesaurus. Identify the purpose of the instructions. For example, if Type = Cleaning, Purpose might be Exhibition. Purpose is more granular than Type (and may not be necessary if Type adequately describes the instruction).
Date / instruction.date (9u)	The date on which the instruction is recorded. Tip: The Actions panel is used to record a start date on which any action resulting from these instructions should be carried out. Type a date or click the Calendar icon to select a date (details about date fields and how to use the Calendar can be found here).
Name / instruction.name (9W)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to Persons and institutions. Start keying the name of the person who recorded these instructions or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for the relevant person or create a record in Persons and institutions and link to it (if authorized to do so). Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here.
Instruction / instruction.content (9Y)	Text field for providing details about the instruction (the field will expand to hold a significant amount of information). For example, if the instruction relates to cleaning this location, you might: list things to be cleaned / tasks to be completed; document what techniques are recommended or required; and what materials should be used, etc. If the instructions relate to environmental control, you might document activities such as: emptying a dehumidifier in a collections store; replacing desiccants in a case or storage micro-climate; placement of / schedule for checking and replacing tent traps.
Optimal value / instruction.optimal_value (9y)	Text field. Where Type = Environmental controls (or similar), document target environmental values for a location (notably stores and display spaces). For example: target temperature range (`20-22°C +/- 1°`) target humidity range (`40-60% +/- 5%`) target light level range (50-100 lux, 1-5 footcandles) Tip: The Environmental measurements fields on the Location details panel is used for recording actual measured values.
Notes / instruction.notes (9Z)	Text field for providing any other details (the field will expand to hold a significant amount of information).
Regarding / instruction.regarding (9z)	Text field for providing details about which aspect / part of the location the instruction relates to (the field will expand to hold a significant amount of information).

Model Application 5.2 and earlier

Identification

Field group	Field	Details
Identification	Location or Container / package_location (PL)	Mandatory field (location by default), and drop list of location types: location - a fixed location such as a shelf, room, bay, building. When selected, the Location details panel displays. container - a moveable location such as a Solander box, crate, tray. When selected, the Container details, Location\|Audits and Movement history panels display. The value selected here determines which fields and panels are available in the record as different details are recorded for the two types of location. We examine the differences below, but the key details we record on the Identification panel are similar whether we document a location or a container. Note: Except where indicated (or obvious from the context), location means both location AND container in the following text.
	Name / name (te)	A name for the location. Although the name does not need to be unique, one that clearly distinguishes it from other locations will make it easier for users to identify the correct location when specifying an item's Normal location or Current location. Avoid using a forward slash (/) Avoid including a forward slash (`/`) in the name as the forward slash is used by Collections to build hierarchical contexts. If we look at the Current location of `Box 1` in our example hierarchy: National Museum>Ground Floor>Special Exhibitions Room>Shelf 1>Box 1 the Context is constructed as: If our naming convention for shelves is `Shelf/1`, `Shelf/2`, etc., the Context that is constructed will suggest an additional level to the hierarchy: Furthermore, including a forward slash in a location name can cause a conflict when searching a field with the `hierarchical` operator.
	Barcode / barcode (vb)	A unique ID for the location. Required for barcode scanners (such as Axiell Move).
	Status / status (ts)	Drop list of values. Select the status of the location: active: the location is used and its record can be selected when documenting an item's Normal location or Current location. candidate: the location has not yet been approved for use but its record can be selected when documenting an item's Normal location or Current location. obsolete: the location is no longer used and its record cannot be selected when documenting an item's Normal location or Current location. We describe how to specify an item's Normal location or Current location here.
	Description / description (sn)	Text field. Provide a description of the location (the field will expand to hold a significant amount of information). The Notes (notes (p6)) field that follows is provided for other details about the location.
Notes	Notes / notes (p6)	Text field for recording any details about the location, including any limitations or conditions in the use of the location (the field will expand to hold a significant amount of information).
Address		Available when Location or Container = location. Physical address details for the location. Tip: These fields are not `inheritable` by default; Application Administrators with access to Axiell Designer A tool for designing, creating, customizing and managing Axiell Collections applications and databases, broadly speaking, the Axiell Collections Model Application. As well as managing databases, including user access and permissions, Designer is used for such tasks as translating field labels, tooltips, values in drop lists, etc. could set these fields to be `inheritable` so that address details added to a parent record are automatically available in all child records.

Documenting locations: where Location or Container = location

The following panels are available:

Location details

This panel includes fields intended for recording physical details about a location, and two groups of fields used for building a hierarchy of locations, Is part of and Includes part(s).

As the purpose of many fields on this panel is self-explanatory and their use straightforward, we focus on those that are of particular note:

Field group	Field	Details
Location details	Location type / location_type (LT)	Text field. Document the type of location, e.g. Cold storage, Exhibition room, Warehouse, etc.
Location details	Level / location_level (nv)	Text field. Indicate the level of a location in a hierarchy of locations (suggested uses include descriptors like building, room, shelf, bay.
	Linear capacity / linear_capacity (LC)	A numeric field. Document the linear capacity of the location.
Environment measurements		Repeatable group of fields used to document a location's environmental conditions on a given date (temperature, humidity, light levels, or other factors that could affect the collections). Tip: Documentation of these details could conceivably be automated via the API.
Location hierarchy	Is part of / part_of (2A)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to other location records in Locations and containers. Is part of (part_of (2A)) links the current location to its immediate parent location (a room Is part of a floor, which Is part of a building for instance). Start keying the name of a location or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for and select the relevant location to link to it. Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here. In our example: National Museum>Ground Floor>Special Exhibitions Room>Shelf 1>Box 1 we could start with the National Museum locations record and use Includes part(s) (part (nt)) to record Ground Floor as its child in the locations hierarchy, or we could start with the Ground Floor locations record and use Is part of (part_of (2A)) to record National Museum as its parent: Barcode is auto-populated with details from the parent record; and Context is constructed as the hierarchy is built. In the Hierarchy browser we see the hierarchy of locations records: When we look at the (parent) National Museum locations record, we find that Includes part(s) is updated automatically to list Ground Floor:
Location hierarchy	Includes part(s) / part (nt)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to other location and container records in Locations and containers. Includes part(s) (part (nt)) links the current location to its immediate child location(s): a building can include one or more rooms; a room can include one or more shelves; and one or more containers can be included on a shelf, and so on. Start keying the name of a location or container or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for and select the relevant location or container to link to it. Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here. In our example: National Museum>Ground Floor>Special Exhibitions Room>Shelf 1>Box 1 we could use Includes part(s) (part (nt)) to document that the Ground Floorincludes the Special Exhibitions Room: In the Hierarchy browser we see the hierarchy of locations records: When we look at the Special Exhibitions Room locations record, we find that the Is part of group of fields is updated automatically to list Ground Floor (as its parent): Note: If a container contains another container, we document this on the Container details panel record using the Name (part (nt)) field in the Contains group of fields. Details below.

Documenting locations: where Location or Container = container

The following panels are available:

Container details

On the Container details panel we document a container's Normal location (where it typically belongs) and Current location (where it is currently located), movement planning and history.

Best practice: Normal and Current location

It is best practice to specify both a Normal location AND a Current location for containers (and collection items for that matter): if a container is currently in its Normal location, be sure to record this in Current location too.

If you provide a Normal location but no Current location, you will eventually have some records with a Current location as Current location is automatically updated when a container changes location, and others with a Normal location but no Current location (no relocation has occurred); if you then want to search for a container by its location, it will be necessary to search both fields as you cannot be certain whether a Current location has been recorded.

The key fields on this panel are:

Field group	Field	Details
Normal location	Name / location.default.name (NL)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref).. Links to the record for the location where this container belongs. This can be a fixed storage location or another container.
Container details	Container type / package_type (p2)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref).. The type of container. Details about different container types are recorded in the Container types data source.
Current location	Name / part_of (2A)	Where the container is currently located (use the Change locations Task to relocate a container).
Contains	Name / part (nt)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref).. Links to any containers stored within this container.
Location history		A history of a container's movement from one location to another is maintained in the Location history fields.