Container List

Enter the starting title and ending title of the contents of each container. Separate each container entry with a line break. List the container, followed by a colon and one space, before the title of the contents. Do not list all of the contents of the container, and do not include narrative annotations.

Usually, container list information is transcribed exactly as it appears on the container. If the information contains acronyms, best practice is to spell out the acronym in brackets after the acronym. Describers are encouraged, but not required, to do this.

Bound Volumes
Bound volumes are treated as individual containers and, as such, the starting and ending titles or pages may be listed here.

Container List vs. File Unit Level Descriptions
Only enter the start and end of the contents in each container. Do not enter all the folder titles in each container. To create a complete list of folder titles, each folder may be described individually at the File Unit Level.

Container List (data element) vs. Container List (Finding Aid Type)
The term "container list" is used twice in this document. As a data element, Container List should be used to actually indicate the range of archival materials within the containers. As a term in the Finding Aid Type Authority List, "Container List" can be selected to indicate the existence of a container list in addition to the current description. In that case, Finding Aid Note can inform users where to find the container list.