Here are a few suggestions:

1) Sometimes it will depend on the learning style of your new employee. For
myself, I did have some cataloging experience before I began my current
position. However, I learn better by trial and error and less well with
formal training.  I now have a very intimate relationship with my database
program -- which I knew nothing about when I came in and no one to show me
how to use it.  I spent the first several months figuring out the set up,
and doing data entry.  Other people stumble when asked to do independent
learning and are much better if they have some formal explation or training
in the begining.  You might want to ask you new hire what she'd prefer.

2)If your program is new to your entire institution, you might consider
formal training for more than just the person doing the cataloging... will
anyone else need to access this information? If you choose to have only one
person with knowledge of the inner workings of your program, remember to
allow time for, or include in the job description of your new employee, that
she will need to pass on her knowledge to other staff or conduct training
for them.

3)Do you have a curatorial manual?  If yes, I would suggest taking time to
review this with your new hire or if no, spend time with your new hire
developing one... these are essential ground rules not only in the present,
but so that future cataloguers, curators, etc, will know the method behind
your, or others, madness in accessioning the collection.

4) I was talking recently with a colleague and we agreed that in graduate
school we learned a lot about how various institutions have chosen to use
different numbering systems. However, what we did not learn was how to
integrate new numbering systems, or fix errors in the old numbering systems,
"cleaning up others' messes" as it were.  I wished I had spent some time
understanding the "organic nature" of past numbering systems and determining
the best way to progress toward the future without losing the institutional
history behind the former way of doing things.  Museums are plagued by the
accumulated knowledge of past employees.  I even acknowledge my own
institutional memory and I've only been here three years. I have found that
it is important to really understand the curatorial and collections
management history of the collections or insitution I am working with.

5) I would also suggest patience.  I spent a lot of time on a lot of details
in the beginning and that knowledge has helped me be much speedier in
navigating the database now. I am glad I took a lot of time to understand
what was going on, rather than blindly trudging ahead.  As a supervisor of
interns, who I ask to develop new systems a do a lot of problem-solving, I
find that a slower pace in the beginning promotes more efficiency later.


Erin Crissman
Curator
Historic Cherry Hill
523 1/2 South Pearl St Albany, NY 12202
phone.   518.434.4791
fax.     518.434.4806
email.   [log in to unmask]
website. www.historiccherryhill.org



-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Mary Agnes Beach
Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2004 9:46 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: cataloguer training


We are hiring a new graduate from a museum studies program to do
cataloguing of a collection that includes art, artifacts, and archives.  We
also are purchasing Embark software for the cataloguing.  I would like to
hear suggestions as to how to minimize supervisory time and have her learn
the program and cataloguing process on her own. Her degree seems to give
her a good foundation but during school they did not do any actual
cataloguing or learn about any of the available programs.

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