I am cross posting this to both the History and Museum lists.  I know that a
lot of time was spent on using whiteout (??!!) for a base in numbering
objects on the museum list 6 or 7 weeks ago.  I really am not too concerned
about how to number the old, time tested way.  I want to investigate ways to
make our computerized cataloging sustem as good as possible.  I am a new
subscriber since that time and wonder about some other possibilities in
numbering objects.
 
The State Agricultural Heritage Museum is has a very diverse collection
ranging from 4,000 postcards to 8,000 farm equipment manuals on the small
side to 20 tractors, 75 horse drawn implements, and a homesteaders claim
shack on the large side.  We have all that household stuff inbetween.  We
started using Chenall early on -- in fact we used key punch operators and the
campus central computer when we first started.  Students did much of the
actual cataloging and numbering.  Some cataloging is great, some is not so
great.  The same applies to numbering of objects -- some simple can not be
read.
 
We now have a 486DX66v running the computer catalog of collections and a
certainly more user friendly data base program.  Our curatorial team
discussions lately have turned to BAR CODED COLLECTION ACCESSION NUMBERS.
Has anyone worked with bar coded numbers in collections ?  The concept makes
intuitive sense to the computer lovers on staff -- you can guess the other
side's opinion.
 
A bar code can have the real, easy to read, HP laserjet number actually
readable next to the line code.  Certainly a duplicate set of bar coded
numbers actually ON the box of carefully stored objects would assist in quick
searches for Auntie Maude's hat pin.
 
In museology class -- no hanging tags, no paper labels...  Is it time for a
change ?  Has anyone any success stories, or other stories ?  Thanks in
advance.
 
John Awald
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State Agricultural Heritage Museum
SDSU Box 2207C
Brookings, SD  57007-0999
 
605/688-6226
605/688-6303 FAX