To Ruth Bryant Power about set records and shoes.

The "set records" is not common here in Sweden unfortunately, but I think
that it´s a very good way to deal with the problem with individuals/sets. We
handles every objekt as an individual and in a special field we make a note
about all the connected objects. This is working, but not very well. It is
almost impossible do update information on every item in a set if You make a
new aquisision.

The pair of shoes is treated as "shoe, pair" with the count "1" in our most
spread system. The pair of shoes is to be looked at as one funktional unit
in the same way as the sugar bowl with the lid. The single shoe is "shoe" "1". 

There is two things that I would hadle in another way.
For the coffee service, isn´t it more appropriate to give the set a count of
1 because it is one service?
You say that each item within the set would be count of 1. How about a dozen
of coffee cups? It must be one record and the count of 12 in my opinion.


Hans Rengman
Bohuslän county museum


Date:    Thu, 29 May 1997 20:28:37 -0400
From:    Ruth Bryant Power <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: CATALOGUING INFORMATION REQUEST

Alexandra,

My philosophy is, using a count field on every record, record the set as a
record and the parts of the set as individual records linked to the set
record.  Usually.  If it is a sugar bowl with a lid, I would use one record
with a count of 1.  If it is a coffee or tea service, I would create a set
record with a count of 0, and each item within the set would be count of 1
(except lids, which would be grouped with their significant other for a count
of 1 for the happy couple).

I'm curious to hear what your thoughts might be about a pair of shoes when
you have other instances of only one extant shoe.  Currently I count each
shoe as one, but I can easily remedy that when someone gives me a good
rationale to do so.

I work with a relational database with a table for associated, related and
parts.  I use that extensively.  In a set with parts, the "whole" set record
efficiently tells me how how many parts or related objects exist in the
collection, and what their accession numbers are, even when objects arrive
from different donors at different times.  It is very helpful too, when one
object takes a vacation from the rest of the set.  Whether the hard number
says 95.8.25 or 95.8J, I can turn to the set record to find out how many
other objects belong to the set.

I hope this helps.  In the meantime, I'm here to learn too and am open to
other ideas.

Ruth Bryant Power,
Registration Assistant
Brandywine River Museum
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Hans Rengman
Insam; Dataelementkatalog               Bohusläns Museum; IT-Chef
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