(Based on a guide initally developed by April Payne, Northern Michigan University)

Every cryovial must have its own unique barcode before assigning them to a position in a freezer box. This guide provides the steps needed to install (i.e., scan) barcoded vials into a freezer box.

• The freezer box must already exist with a barcode in Arctos (see How to Create a Freezer Box Container).

• In Arctos, go to Manage Data > Object tracking > Find Container.

• Scan the freezer box’s barcode into the Barcode field. Click Search.

• Click on the little box next to your container, and a list of details will pop up in the right of the page.

• Click on “Positions”. This is equal to the number of positions in the box, usually 81 or 100. If the positions were not created when the freezer box was made, then you will be prompted to create them at this time.

• You are now ready to scan the barcodes into the box positions.

• Put your cursor in the position where you want to install a cryovial, and scan the barcode. Make sure that the correct barcode is scanned (sometimes the scanner misreads the barcode). The scanner also may scan adjacent barcodes by mistake, if you are scanning from something that has multiple barcodes; you can prevent this problem by using a piece of paper with a barcode-sized hole to block all neighboring barcodes except the one that you intend to scan.

• Click the tab key to save and move to the next position. The user may need to highlight the target slot by clicking the “Tab” or positioning the cursor in it.

• Once scanned, the position will show both the scanned barcode and the associated label for the cryovial, which may or may not be the same as the barcode (e.g., the label may also be the collector’s initials and number as written on the vial).