What's new in ArchivesSpace v3.3.1
Tips on preparing for ASpace updates are available in this presentation titled Embracing a Culture of Change (17 minutes) from the 2022 ASpace Member Forum.
ArchivesSpace v3.3.0 was released on September 7, 2022 with a subsequent point release v3.3.1 on October 5. The official release notes are available here. Atlas highly recommends that users always read the official release notes in their entirety, as this article will only highlight specific changes.
Are you skipping over versions?
If this is your first time moving into a version of ArchivesSpace past 3.x, please note that there are two ArchivesSpace webinars detailing the new Agents module. The first, An Introduction to ArchivesSpace v3.0.0 and the Expanded Agents Module provides an overview of the changes associated with v3.0+. That webinar featured explanations around the origins of the re-design including a presentation from the SNAC Project. A later webinar, Understanding the Changes to the ArchivesSpace Agents Module repeated some of the info in the first, but with more detail and examples. Atlas recommends watching both webinars, but if you only have time for one, we recommend the second.
Changes to ASpace are cumulative so remember to read the official release notes for any versions you are skipping over. Here are convenient links to Atlas articles on previous versions. Staff at ArchivesSpace Member Institutions are encouraged to reference the ArchivesSpace Help Center for additional documentation corresponding to new and previous releases.
Improvement Highlights for v3.3.x
Accession Spawning and Linking!
Accessioning archivists rejoice! There were a number of improvements for Accessions in 3.3.x:
1. Default values respected in spawning
Do you have default values set up for Resource records? To determine this, navigate to the staff side, click Browse > Resources and then Edit Default Values > Resource.
In the past, if you had default values but spawned from an accession, the defaults for the Resource were not used. Now ASpace will combine the accession information with the default Resource values for more efficient spawning! Give it a try!
2. Spawn an accession directly to a Resource Component
You can now spawn directly from an accession straight to an archival object and then place that archival object exactly where you want it. To try this, navigate to an Accession record > click Spawn > click Archival Object > select the destination Resource record > select the exact place in the tree to spawn your new AO.
3. Link accession records to archival object records at any level in a resource
This functionality was formerly available only as a plugin, but with this release it has been officially added to the core code! If you had the as_accession_links plugin enabled, Atlas will remove the plugin and your pre-existing links will be preserved.
Update container indicators in bulk
Similar to updating barcodes in bulk, this new functionality is available under the gear ⚙️ menu > Manage Top Containers > search for and select multiple containers > Bulk Operations > Update Indicators.
Manage your own password
Have you had password frustrations when you realized only a Sys Admin could change your password for you? No more! Users can manage their own password starting in 3.3.0.
URIs in Browse Columns
The author of this article is a huge fan of the Browse column settings available under Preferences. v3.3.0 includes the option to add the record URI to Browse menus.
New labels for Preferences menus
Are you confused by which Preferences menu does what? The labels have been changed to give more context to each set of preferences. The Preferences menu where your username appear apply only to you. Please note that there were no changes to the menus or functions themselves, only the labels.
From this:
To this:
New Background Job to Remove Legacy ns2 Namespace References
Did you migrate into ArchivesSpace from Archivists' Toolkit? If so, you may be interested in the new background job that removes the ns2 namespace references from legacy finding aids. See this ticket and its comments for more information.
FAQs for v3.3.x
Are there new requirements?
There are no new required fields or actions for the 3.3.0 release.
Do I have to do anything upon updating?
There are no required actions for the 3.3.x release, though Atlas always recommends users test the functionality of any installed plugins after any update, including branding and theming plugins. Atlas Systems does not support third party plugins.
Anything else?
Performance improvements for the PUI
The PUI is expected to load and react a bit faster after some performance enhancements made in this release. These enhancements are in place by default and require no action.
3.3.0 versus 3.3.1
There were two minor bugs in v3.3.0 that resulted in the release of 3.3.1. There is no difference in functionality between these two versions other than the resolution of these two bugs. More information about what's in the 3.3.1 release is available at https://github.com/archivesspace/archivesspace/releases/tag/v3.3.1.
Configurations for v3.3.x
New configurations as well as any configurations that are being removed are available to view in the official ASpace Release Notes for 3.3.0.
Configuration Highlights for v.3.3.x
| Configuration Setting | Explanation |
|---|---|
AppConfig[:pui_expand_all] = true | This setting is new to v.3.3.0 and controls whether the additional information blocks at the bottom of PUI record pages expand by default. true expands all blocks automatically, while false collapses all blocks by default automatically. This configuration is set to true by default. |
AppConfig[:pui_display_facets_alpha] = false | The filters on the right side of the PUI currently display based on the number of matching records, i.e. the most often used. Starting in 3.3.0 you can configure Aspace to display this list alphabetically. Please let Atlas know if you'd like the facet list to display alphabetically on the PUI. |
AppConfig[:prune_ark_name_table] = false | This configuration triggers cleanup of the ARKs table based on a known issue. It is only relevant if you have AppConfig[:arks_enabled] = true. Atlas will alert you if this situation applies to your instance of Aspace. |
AppConfig[:include_pui_finding_aid_urls_in_marc_exports] = false | If the PUI is enabled, add resource finding aid URLs to MARC exports. |
AppConfig[:use_slug_finding_aid_urls_in_marc_exports] = false | If enabled, use slugs instead of URIs in finding aid links (856 $u) |
AppConfig[:enable_representative_file_version] = false | Though present, this configuration is still in development as of this release. ArchivesSpace has indicated that not only should this feature not be enabled but doing so has no effect. |
Please let Atlas know if you would like to modify any of the above configurations as part of your update. All values listed above are the defaults.