101.8 Create Boxes

Containers

The Containers section in OpenSpecimen shows the freezers or any other ‘parent’ structure that holds boxes of specimens. Parent containers include freezers, liquid nitrogen tanks, or lab shelves where boxes are stored. Each parent container can have its own unique structure

Most freezers are split into 4-5 shelves. Each shelf can hold multiple 2 dimensional racks. Boxes are stored in racks or, occasionally, directly on shelves.

Navigate to the containers menu via the main navigation bar or by choosing a specific freezer from the Containers widget on the home page.

How to Create a Box in a predefined rack

In the following example, I will create a box that will hold plasma samples from my collection protocol, titled ‘Demo Study'. The box will be placed in slot 2 of Rack 1 on Shelf 4 of my freezer called 'DEMO -80 Freezer’.

1. Navigate to the rack or other container into which the new box will be created.

   1. Select the “+” in the space that represents the location where the box will be placed.

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2. Click “Single Container” in the ‘Create’ field on the Create Container.

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3. Complete the remaining fields:

   1. Selecting a predefined ‘Type’ will prepopulate the fields for dimension, position labeling, labeling scheme, and position assignment. Typically boxes are 9x9 and are populated horizontally, top down, left to right. Each of these fields can be edited to reflect your individual box.

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   2. If you do not choose a type, select ‘No’ for ‘Dimensionless?’ and the fields above will appear blank and you must select or enter the box characteristics to describe your box.

4. Container Names: there are two name fields available. Every container must have a ‘Unique Name’. This standard naming structure is determined by your biobank. The ‘Display Name’ is an optional field and can be used to reference your commonly used language for finding containers.

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   1. Enter a Display Name for your box: optional.

   2. Enter a ‘Unique Name’ according to your laboratory naming convention. Note that the unique name is like a barcode in that it must be unique across all protocols in OpenSpecimen, even those you do not have access to. So the unique naming should include your freezer designation or other unique characteristics of your biobank. If you enter a name that is already in existence, the system will let you know that name is already in use.

5. Click ‘Yes’ to store specimens in the box. Then specify the Collection Protocol(s) and specimen type(s) that can be stored in your box.

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6. If you don’t see your protocol listed in the dropdown list, ensure that the parent container in which it is being placed can hold specimens in that protocol. For instance, if Shelf 4 is set to only hold samples from Collection Protocol ‘Lung Cancer Demo’, then I will not see my ‘Demo Study’ as an available option.

7. Choose ‘Create’. You will be navigated to the location overview of the rack or other container in which the box was created. This screenshot shows the location of my box in slot 2 of Rack 1 on shelf 4 of the DEMO -80 Freezer.

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How to Create a Multiple Boxes

In this example, I have 5 positions available in Rack 1, so I will create 5 containers. Enter the container details and types per your storage needs. Click “Next”.

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8. The site, parent container, number, and name will be filled out automatically. Click “Create”.

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   You will be brought to the map of the previous secondary storage container to see your newly created box(es).

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