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AtoM Heratio — Accession Management V2: User Manual

Version: 2.0.0 Date: February 2026 Author: The Archive and Heritage Group (Pty) Ltd

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Getting Started
  3. Intake Queue
  4. Checklists
  5. Attachments
  6. Timeline
  7. Appraisal
  8. Valuation
  9. Containers
  10. Rights Management
  11. Numbering
  12. Configuration
  13. CLI Commands
  14. Troubleshooting

1. Introduction

Accession Management V2 provides a comprehensive accession lifecycle management system for GLAM institutions. It extends the standard AtoM accession records with:

  • A structured intake queue with status-based workflow
  • Formal appraisal with weighted scoring criteria
  • Heritage asset valuation tracking (GRAP 103/IPSAS 45)
  • Physical container tracking with barcode support
  • PREMIS-aligned rights management with inheritance to child records
  • Full audit trail via immutable timeline

2. Getting Started

Accessing the Intake Queue

Navigate to Manage > Accessions and click the Intake Queue button, or go directly to: 

/admin/accessions/queue

Accessing the Dashboard

The accession dashboard provides KPIs and recent activity: 

/admin/accessions/dashboard

Permissions

  • View queue and timeline: Any authenticated user
  • Submit/Review/Accept/Reject: Users with Editor or Administrator credentials
  • Configuration: Administrator only

3. Intake Queue

Overview

The intake queue is the central hub for managing incoming accessions. Each accession progresses through a defined workflow:

draft → submitted → under_review → accepted
                                  → rejected
                  → returned (→ submitted again)

Queue Dashboard

The queue dashboard displays: - Filter bar: Filter by status, priority, assigned user, or search text - Statistics cards: Count of accessions by status, overdue items - Queue table: Sortable table with identifier, title, status, priority, assignee, and action buttons

Status Transitions

Current Status Available Actions
Draft Submit for review
Submitted Begin review, Return for revision
Under Review Accept, Reject, Return for revision
Returned Resubmit
Accepted (Final state)
Rejected (Final state)

Assigning Accessions

Click the user icon in the actions column to assign an accession to a staff member. The assignee will appear in the queue table and timeline.

4. Checklists

Intake Checklists

Each accession can have a configurable checklist of items that must be completed before submission. Checklists are populated from reusable templates.

Using Checklists

  1. Open an accession's intake detail page
  2. Go to the Checklist tab
  3. Click checkboxes to toggle completion (saves automatically)
  4. View progress bar showing completion percentage

Applying Templates

Select a template from the dropdown and click Apply Template to populate the checklist. This replaces any existing checklist items.

Default Template

A default "Standard Intake" template is provided with common items: - Donor agreement signed - Preliminary inventory completed - Physical condition assessed - Restrictions identified - Storage location assigned - Accession number assigned

5. Attachments

Uploading Files

  1. Open an accession's intake detail page
  2. Go to the Attachments tab
  3. Select a file, choose a category, and click Upload

Categories

  • General
  • Deed of Gift
  • Photo
  • Correspondence
  • Inventory
  • Other

Storage

Files are stored on the filesystem at: 

uploads/accessions/{tenant}/{accession_id}/

6. Timeline

The timeline provides a complete, immutable audit trail of every action taken on an accession. Events include:

  • Created, Submitted, Assigned, Reviewed
  • Accepted, Rejected, Returned
  • Appraised, Containerized, Rights Assigned
  • Notes and attachment uploads

Each event records the actor, timestamp, description, and optional metadata.

7. Appraisal

Creating an Appraisal

  1. Navigate to an accession and click Appraisal
  2. Select an appraisal template (optional) to pre-populate criteria
  3. Choose type, significance, and recommendation
  4. Click Create Appraisal

Scoring Criteria

When a template is applied, the scoring grid appears with: - Criterion name: What is being evaluated - Weight: Relative importance (0.00–1.00) - Score: 1–5 radio buttons (click to score) - Weighted score: Automatically calculated

Scores update in real-time via AJAX. The weighted average is displayed in the sidebar.

Appraisal Types

Type Description
Archival Standard archival value assessment
Monetary Financial value assessment
Insurance Insurance valuation
Historical Historical significance assessment
Research Research potential assessment

Recommendations

Recommendation Meaning
Pending Not yet decided
Accept Recommend acceptance
Reject Recommend rejection
Partial Accept portion of accession
Defer Defer decision

8. Valuation

Recording Valuations

Navigate to an accession and click Valuation to: 1. View the current (most recent) valuation 2. See the full valuation history 3. Add a new valuation entry

Valuation Types

Type Use Case
Initial First valuation at accession
Revaluation Periodic reassessment
Impairment Value reduction (damage, loss)
Disposal Value at deaccession/disposal

Valuation Methods

  • Cost, Market, Income, Replacement, Nominal

Portfolio Report

The Valuation Report (accessible from the browse page) shows: - Total portfolio value by currency - Number of valued accessions - Recent valuations with links to accession records

9. Containers

Adding Containers

  1. Navigate to an accession and click Containers
  2. Click Add Container
  3. Fill in type, label, barcode, location, dimensions, weight, condition
  4. Click Save Container

Container Types

Box, Folder, Envelope, Crate, Tube, Flat File, Digital Media, Other

Managing Items

Expand a container to view and manage its items. Each item has: - Title, quantity, format, date range - Optional link to an information object (created during arrangement)

Barcode Lookup

Enter a barcode in the lookup field to find its container across all accessions.

10. Rights Management

Adding Rights

  1. Navigate to an accession and click Rights
  2. Click Add Right
  3. Select rights basis, holder, dates, restriction type, conditions
  4. Toggle Inherit to children if rights should cascade to linked IOs

Rights Inheritance

Click Inherit to IOs on a right to push it to all information objects linked to this accession (via container items or the relation table). Inheritance is tracked in the accession_rights_inherited table.

Rights Basis Options

Copyright, License, Statute, Policy, Donor, Other

Restriction Types

None, Restricted, Conditional, Closed, Partial

11. Numbering

Auto-Numbering

When enabled, accession numbers are automatically generated using a configurable mask pattern:

Token Description Example
{YEAR} Current 4-digit year 2026
{MONTH} Current 2-digit month 02
{DAY} Current 2-digit day 28
{SEQ:n} Zero-padded sequence (n digits) 00042
{REPO} Repository identifier code PSIS

Example mask: {YEAR}-{SEQ:5} produces 2026-00001, 2026-00002, etc.

Sequences reset annually and are tracked per-repository.

12. Configuration

Navigate to Admin > AHG Settings > Accession Management to configure:

Setting Description
Numbering Mask Pattern for auto-generated accession numbers
Auto-Assign Automatically assign new accessions
Require Donor Agreement Enforce donor agreement before submission
Require Appraisal Require appraisal before acceptance
Default Priority Default priority for new accessions
Default Checklist Template Template applied to new accessions
Default Appraisal Template Template applied to new appraisals
Allow Container Barcodes Enable barcode field on containers
Rights Inheritance Enable rights inheritance to child IOs

13. CLI Commands

Intake Management

# View the intake queue
php symfony accession:intake --queue

# Filter by status
php symfony accession:intake --queue --status=submitted

# View statistics
php symfony accession:intake --stats

# Assign accession 123 to user 5
php symfony accession:intake --assign=123 --user=5

# Accept accession
php symfony accession:intake --accept=123

# Reject accession
php symfony accession:intake --reject=123 --reason="Incomplete documentation"

# View checklist
php symfony accession:intake --checklist=123

# View timeline
php symfony accession:intake --timeline=123

Reporting

# Status summary
php symfony accession:report --status

# Portfolio valuation report
php symfony accession:report --valuation

# Export to CSV
php symfony accession:report --export-csv

# Export with date filter
php symfony accession:report --export-csv --date-from=2024-01-01 --date-to=2025-12-31

# Export for specific repository
php symfony accession:report --export-csv --repository=12345

14. Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
Queue shows no accessions Run install.sql to create V2 tables. Existing accessions won't have V2 records until opened or created anew.
Checklist not appearing Apply a checklist template from the dropdown on the checklist tab.
Cannot submit accession Check that the current status is "draft" or "returned".
Rights inheritance shows 0 Ensure container items are linked to information objects first.
Numbering not working Check that auto_assign_enabled is set to 1 in configuration.
Settings section not visible Ensure ahgAccessionManagePlugin is enabled in the plugin manager.

The Archive and Heritage Group (Pty) Ltd https://theahg.co.za