Lucy, 

Thank you for your response.  I am definately frustrated and advice
from those with more experience is appreciated.  

Becca


---- Original Message ----
From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Intergrating PastPerfect into old numbering
system
Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 21:08:48 -0700

>
>Hi Becca,
>
>I don't think I've seen any replies to your post yet. I don't have
>answers
>to all your questions, but some that might help. I'm sorry you're
>stuck
>using the old system.  I dealt first hand for years with the problems
>that a
>string of 5 digit numbers can cause. I was fortunate to be able to
>convert
>to trinomials, but of course had to live with the existing numbers in
>an old
>collection.
>
>It is absolutely no big deal to just start at the beginning of a new
>year
>(or even in the middle of one) to use trinomials, and if you ever are
>able
>to make the case again, there are a couple of really good reasons not
>to
>continue with the one-to-infinity numbers, particularly since you've
>gone
>over the 10,000 mark:
>  
>1) Mistakes due to transposed numbers. Like you, our numbers were up
>into
>five digits. When people were numbering the artifact, taking
>inventory,
>typing catalog cards (or computer), jotting down on pads to go look
>up etc,
>etc., inevitably there were transposed numbers in the 5 digit string 
>(at a
>rates that seemed to me to be far higher than transposed numbers in 4
>digit
>strings), leading to great frustration and waste of time and energy
>to find
>the correct number and fix.  And such transpositions often create
>duplicate
>number problems. 
>
>2) If you get a donation with numerous objects that will take a long
>time to
>catalog, you can't skip over it and catalog the five single item
>donations
>that came in after that. This can create frustrating backlogs.  It's
>one
>thing to have one or two large accessions backlogged that you are
>chipping
>away at -if other collections are getting done you can deal with
>that- but a
>large backlog of many accessions is depressing and even though you
>are
>getting the same amount of work done, it always makes you feel
>farther
>behind (and makes it look to others as though you are very far
>behind).
>Also, information can get lost in the 'sands of time' if later
>collections
>wait a long time to get catalogued after a big one.
>
>As for your questions, PP allows you a collection name, and that
>might be
>the way to connect items. Otherwise, only date of acquisition plus
>donor can
>provide the connection between items that you are trying to achieve,
>and may
>not be easy to find without file searches.  If it's a small number of
>connected items, you could put "see also's" in the text, or in a
>'related
>artifacts' data field, but if it is a large number of items it would
>be
>impractical to get them all cross-referenced.
>
>As for the old donations, you'll probably have to rely on old paper
>lists,
>donation records or card files to make the connections you want to
>make
>between items. If there were reasonably good paper records, you can
>get a
>lot of info from them.
>
>Bottom line, though, is that you are right.  It is much more
>difficult and
>time consuming to make connections between artifacts in a sequential
>number
>system than if you had used a trinomial number with the year, the
>accession
>number, and the item number. With the trinomials you know immediately
>which
>are from the same accession.
>
>Lucy Sperlin
>Butte County Historical Society
>Oroville, California
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
>Behalf
>Of Becca Hiller
>Sent: Saturday, August 19, 2006 2:27 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Intergrating PastPerfect into old numbering system
>
>Oh Wise ones, 
>
>I am relatively new to the Museum profession and I am in need of
>help.  The museum I work at has been using a chronological numbering
>system (ie. 1,2,.....100,101...10000,10001...ect)for each object.
>This number does double duty as the accession number and the object
>number.  When I first joined the museum I approached the Director
>about switching to the system recommended by Rebecca Buck's book The
>New Museum Registration Methods.  (2006.1.1) I felt it was a good
>time to switch if it was ever going to happen...No objects had been
>accessioned in 2006 and the number 10,000 was next.  I was told that
>we had to stay with the old system so...how do I integrate this
>numbering system into PastPerfect and make the neccessary connections
>between objects from one donation, using one accession record? These
>objects may be spread across the 3-D collections, archives, library,
>or photo collection. I am sure there is a simple way staring me in
>the face but I just can't see it.  Also, how about old donations? 
>How do they fit into what I am asking?  Will I be able to make
>connections between the objects of donations from ten, twenty, thirty
>years ago? 
>
>We currently have PastPerfect 2.6 but it was not really used before I
>arrived.  I really like the system and we are upgrading to 3.5. 
>
>Thanks in advance for all the help, 
>
>
>Becca Hiller
>Curator/Archivist
>Santa Fe Trail Center
>
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Becca Hiller
Curator/Archivist
Santa Fe Trail Center

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