SPEC Collections

SPEC Collections are intellectual entities consisting of a group of objects, which are usually described by collection-level catalog records and finding aids.

To find a collection navigate to the Collections Search interface by clicking on Search all collections in the Collections section of the SPEC landing page.

Use the available search fields at the top of the Collections Search interface individually or in combination. Using multiple fields creates a Boolean AND search, narrowing down your results.

Search Field Use to search for:
Collection Creator or Title keywords that appear in the collection title or creator fields
Division curatorial division code, select from drop down
ID / Classmark SPEC assigned collection id (unique identifier) or collection level classmark
Center research center, select from dropdown

The search results list groups collections by research center and curatorial division. Click on the collection title to navigate to the Collection Summary interface to view or edit the collection record.

Clicking on the collection title anywhere it is clickable in SPEC will navigate to the collection record.

Creating and Editing Collection Records

Collection records can be created by clicking Create collection record in the Collections section of the SPEC landing page or by clicking the + button in the upper right of the Collections Search or Collections Summary interface. This opens the Edit Collection Record pop-up window. This window can also be accessed to edit an existing collection by clicking the pencil and paper icon in the upper right corner of the Collection Summary interface.

Add or update the repository, catalog bnumber, classmark, creator, title field, and notes (optional) in the editing interface. If known, a link to the “collection dossier” folder can be added in the collection file URL field.

Inactive date can be added to deactivate the collection record.

Click the X button in the upper left of the pop-up window to return the the Collection Summary interface, all updates are saved automatically.

Collection Summary

The Collection Summary interface displays collection record data. Use the icon buttons in the upper right of the interface to navigate the collection’s finding aid in the archives portal, catalog record, or “collection dossier” folder, if available.

The SPEC Records section lists the number of acquisitions containing objects that are part of the collection, the number of projects targeting objects in the collection, and the number of objects that comprise the collection (see below for additional information on related objects). Clicking on the number navigates to the related record or a list of the related records.

Navigating to the related objects from the SPEC Records section of the Collection Summary opens the Object Search interface showing all active objects associated with the collection. Clicking on the magnifying glass icon next to the Object count opens a pop-up window with the option to search by object type, id number prefix, id or sequence number, and/or title or label within the collection. Click Perform search to see the filtered results in the Object Search interface.

The collection record also summarizes Object Counts by Format Category. These totals include object records and their content estimates, if any. Click on View to the right of the format category count to see the subset of objects in the Object Search interface; click on List Edit to see those objects in the List Edit - All interface. See Object Search and List Edit Interfaces for more information.

When navigating to the Object Search from the Collection Summary the green new object button will read +Create new object in [Collection title] and will auto-populate the new object’s division and associated references based on the collection. If there are no objects associated with the collection use the +New button in the SPEC Records section of the Collection Summary to create the first object, this will also auto-populate the new object’s division and associated references. See Creating Object Records for more information on new object records and SPEC Objects / References for more information on SPEC acquisition, acquisition delivery and collection reference logic in relation to object records.