I recently became curator of a small historic site and museum in
Washington, DC.  My predecessor was in the position for two or three
years, and she was the first curator.  She did a wonderful job of
organizing and properly storing the museum's largely archival collections.
(It is my understanding that she arrived to find nothing but piles on the
floor!) She also began the process of formally accessioning materials and
keeping records.

Here's my problem:  The collections are not cataloged, and if it's the
last thing I do, I intend to institute a cataloging system.  However, it
seems to me that the collection is really two or three different kinds of
collections currently jumbled together.  The following distinctions are
intuitive, not based on any kind of academically accepted divisions:

1.      An "object collection" that includes scrapbooks, brochures, pamphlets,
textiles, original photographs and three dimensional objects.  These
objects are significant both for the information they contain and for
their physical composition.

2.      An "archival collection" that includes institutional papers, family
papers, press releases, onion paper duplicates, letters, photographic
reproductions and etc.  It seems to me these objects are mostly important
for the information they contain.  However, In the case of an original,
signed letter or an original birth certificate or immigration document,
the line is blurred between "object" and "archival."

3.      A "research collection" that includes transcripts of oral
histories, crumbling newspaper clippings, essays and similar papers.

Because these distinctions fall apart pretty easily, I am not sure how
detailed my catalog records need to be.  What should be listed piece by
piece?  What can I list as a folder of information on a common topic?  What
kinds of deed of gift and accession records are necessary for an archival
vs. an object collection?

When I talk to archivists, I get one set of answers.  When I talk to
fellow curators, I get a second set of answers.

I would appreciate any direction I can get.  Does this situation sound
familiar to anyone?  Any good books I can read?

Please respond to me directly in care of [log in to unmask]

Many, many thanks -- Denise D. Meringolo