diff --git a/src/app/core/cache/builders/remote-data-build.service.ts b/src/app/core/cache/builders/remote-data-build.service.ts
index 03f6e50444..f8b4694a89 100644
--- a/src/app/core/cache/builders/remote-data-build.service.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/cache/builders/remote-data-build.service.ts
@@ -185,7 +185,12 @@ export class RemoteDataBuildService {
             rdArr.push(this.buildSingle(href, resourceConstructor));
           });
 
-          links[relationship] = this.aggregate(rdArr);
+          if (rdArr.length === 1) {
+            links[relationship] = rdArr[0];
+          }
+          else {
+            links[relationship] = this.aggregate(rdArr);
+          }
         }
         else {
           // without the setTimeout, the actions inside requestService.configure
diff --git a/src/app/core/cache/models/normalized-item.model.ts b/src/app/core/cache/models/normalized-item.model.ts
index 6ed2ede8c2..a4e52110ff 100644
--- a/src/app/core/cache/models/normalized-item.model.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/cache/models/normalized-item.model.ts
@@ -48,9 +48,8 @@ export class NormalizedItem extends NormalizedDSpaceObject {
   /**
    * The Collection that owns this Item
    */
-  @autoserializeAs(String, 'owningCollection')
   @relationship(ResourceType.Collection, false)
-  owner: string;
+  owningCollection: string;
 
   @autoserialize
   @relationship(ResourceType.Bitstream, true)
diff --git a/src/app/core/data/remote-data.ts b/src/app/core/data/remote-data.ts
index 9c6cda96bd..7f0cf06979 100644
--- a/src/app/core/data/remote-data.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/data/remote-data.ts
@@ -2,10 +2,10 @@ import { Observable } from "rxjs";
 import { PageInfo } from "../shared/page-info.model";
 
 export enum RemoteDataState {
-  RequestPending,
-  ResponsePending,
-  Failed,
-  Success
+  RequestPending = <any> "RequestPending",
+  ResponsePending = <any> "ResponsePending",
+  Failed = <any> "Failed",
+  Success = <any> "Success"
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/app/core/data/request.effects.ts b/src/app/core/data/request.effects.ts
index 1fb325bb3c..dcfa4df66f 100644
--- a/src/app/core/data/request.effects.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/data/request.effects.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import { NormalizedObjectFactory } from "../cache/models/normalized-object-facto
 import { ResourceType } from "../shared/resource-type";
 import { RequestError } from "./request.models";
 import { PageInfo } from "../shared/page-info.model";
+import { NormalizedObject } from "../cache/models/normalized-object.model";
 
 function isObjectLevel(halObj: any) {
   return isNotEmpty(halObj._links) && hasValue(halObj._links.self);
@@ -29,6 +30,19 @@ function isPaginatedResponse(halObj: any) {
   return isNotEmpty(halObj.page) && hasValue(halObj._embedded);
 }
 
+function flattenSingleKeyObject(obj: any): any {
+  const keys = Object.keys(obj);
+  if (keys.length !== 1) {
+    throw new Error(`Expected an object with a single key, got: ${JSON.stringify(obj)}`);
+  }
+  return obj[keys[0]];
+}
+
+class ProcessRequestDTO {
+  [key: string]: NormalizedObject[]
+}
+
+
 @Injectable()
 export class RequestEffects {
 
@@ -49,85 +63,90 @@ export class RequestEffects {
     })
     .flatMap((entry: RequestEntry) => {
       return this.restApi.get(entry.request.href)
-        .map((data: DSpaceRESTV2Response) => new SuccessResponse(this.process(data.payload, entry.request.href), data.statusCode, this.processPageInfo(data.payload.page)))
-        .do((response: Response) => this.responseCache.add(entry.request.href, response, this.EnvConfig.cache.msToLive))
+        .map((data: DSpaceRESTV2Response) => {
+          const processRequestDTO = this.process(data.payload, entry.request.href);
+          const uuids = flattenSingleKeyObject(processRequestDTO).map(no => no.uuid);
+          return new SuccessResponse(uuids, data.statusCode, this.processPageInfo(data.payload.page))
+      }).do((response: Response) => this.responseCache.add(entry.request.href, response, this.EnvConfig.cache.msToLive))
         .map((response: Response) => new RequestCompleteAction(entry.request.href))
         .catch((error: RequestError) => Observable.of(new ErrorResponse(error))
           .do((response: Response) => this.responseCache.add(entry.request.href, response, this.EnvConfig.cache.msToLive))
           .map((response: Response) => new RequestCompleteAction(entry.request.href)));
     });
 
-  protected process(data: any, requestHref: string): Array<string> {
+  protected process(data: any, requestHref: string): ProcessRequestDTO  {
 
     if (isNotEmpty(data)) {
       if (isPaginatedResponse(data)) {
         return this.process(data._embedded, requestHref);
       }
       else if (isObjectLevel(data)) {
-        return this.deserializeAndCache(data, requestHref);
+        return { "topLevel": this.deserializeAndCache(data, requestHref) };
       }
       else {
-        let uuids = [];
-        Object.keys(data)
-          .filter(property => data.hasOwnProperty(property))
-          .filter(property => hasValue(data[property]))
-          .forEach(property => {
-            let propertyUUIDs;
-
-            if (isPaginatedResponse(data[property])) {
-              propertyUUIDs = this.process(data[property], requestHref);
+        let result = new ProcessRequestDTO();
+        if (Array.isArray(data)) {
+          result['topLevel'] = [];
+          data.forEach(datum => {
+            if (isPaginatedResponse(datum)) {
+              const obj = this.process(datum, requestHref);
+              result['topLevel'] = [...result['topLevel'], ...flattenSingleKeyObject(obj)];
             }
             else {
-              propertyUUIDs = this.deserializeAndCache(data[property], requestHref);
+              result['topLevel'] = [...result['topLevel'], ...this.deserializeAndCache(datum, requestHref)];
             }
-
-            uuids = [...uuids, ...propertyUUIDs];
           });
-        return uuids;
+        }
+        else {
+          Object.keys(data)
+            .filter(property => data.hasOwnProperty(property))
+            .filter(property => hasValue(data[property]))
+            .forEach(property => {
+              if (isPaginatedResponse(data[property])) {
+                const obj = this.process(data[property], requestHref);
+                result[property] = flattenSingleKeyObject(obj);
+              }
+              else {
+                result[property] = this.deserializeAndCache(data[property], requestHref);
+              }
+            });
+        }
+        return result;
       }
     }
   }
 
-  protected deserializeAndCache(obj, requestHref: string): Array<string> {
-    let type: ResourceType;
-    const isArray = Array.isArray(obj);
-
-    if (isArray && isEmpty(obj)) {
-      return [];
-    }
-
-    if (isArray) {
-      type = obj[0]["type"];
-    }
-    else {
-      type = obj["type"];
+  protected deserializeAndCache(obj, requestHref: string): NormalizedObject[] {
+    if(Array.isArray(obj)) {
+      let result = [];
+      obj.forEach(o => result = [...result, ...this.deserializeAndCache(o, requestHref)])
+      return result;
     }
 
+    let type: ResourceType = obj["type"];
     if (hasValue(type)) {
       const normObjConstructor = NormalizedObjectFactory.getConstructor(type);
 
       if (hasValue(normObjConstructor)) {
         const serializer = new DSpaceRESTv2Serializer(normObjConstructor);
 
-        if (isArray) {
-          obj.forEach(o => {
-            if (isNotEmpty(o._embedded)) {
-              this.process(o._embedded, requestHref);
-            }
+        let processed;
+        if (isNotEmpty(obj._embedded)) {
+          processed = this.process(obj._embedded, requestHref);
+        }
+        let normalizedObj = serializer.deserialize(obj);
+
+        if (isNotEmpty(processed)) {
+          let linksOnly = {};
+          Object.keys(processed).forEach(key => {
+            linksOnly[key] = processed[key].map((no: NormalizedObject) => no.self);
           });
-          const normalizedObjArr = serializer.deserializeArray(obj);
-          normalizedObjArr.forEach(t => this.addToObjectCache(t, requestHref));
-          return normalizedObjArr.map(t => t.uuid);
-        }
-        else {
-          if (isNotEmpty(obj._embedded)) {
-            this.process(obj._embedded, requestHref);
-          }
-          const normalizedObj = serializer.deserialize(obj);
-          this.addToObjectCache(normalizedObj, requestHref);
-          return [normalizedObj.uuid];
+          Object.assign(normalizedObj, linksOnly);
         }
 
+        this.addToObjectCache(normalizedObj, requestHref);
+        return [normalizedObj];
+
       }
       else {
         //TODO move check to Validator?
diff --git a/src/app/core/dspace-rest-v2/dspace-rest-v2.service.ts b/src/app/core/dspace-rest-v2/dspace-rest-v2.service.ts
index 9107d51bb7..400a5c851e 100644
--- a/src/app/core/dspace-rest-v2/dspace-rest-v2.service.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/dspace-rest-v2/dspace-rest-v2.service.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ export class DSpaceRESTv2Service {
    * @param options
    *      A RequestOptionsArgs object, with options for the http call.
    * @return {Observable<string>}
-   *      An Observablse<string> containing the response from the server
+   *      An Observable<string> containing the response from the server
    */
   get(absoluteURL: string, options?: RequestOptionsArgs): Observable<DSpaceRESTV2Response> {
     return this.http.get(absoluteURL, options)
diff --git a/src/app/core/shared/item.model.ts b/src/app/core/shared/item.model.ts
index cb488ab0a8..e57c6aec4e 100644
--- a/src/app/core/shared/item.model.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/shared/item.model.ts
@@ -40,7 +40,11 @@ export class Item extends DSpaceObject {
     /**
      * The Collection that owns this Item
      */
-    owner: RemoteData<Collection>;
+    owningCollection: RemoteData<Collection>;
+
+    get owner(): RemoteData<Collection> {
+      return this.owningCollection;
+    }
 
     bitstreams: RemoteData<Bitstream[]>;