Leonard Will wrote:
*******************************
As Richard said, some of the problems should be overcome if you have a
properly structured relational database system. Then each item which is
worth describing separately can be catalogued as an object in its own
right (the fullness of the record may vary according to need).

You should then be able to specify relationships between objects, e.g.
that B "is a part of" A, or that X "is a reproduction of" Y. These
relationships should be able to be changed without changing the object
records, and any one record should be able to have many relationships;
for example B, which is a part of A, may itself have parts C, D and E.

Some relationships may imply inheritance of attributes. If B "is a part
of" A then it may be assumed that, e.g. production and acquisition
information for B will be the same as that for A, _unless_ they are
specifically recorded as different in the record for B.

(That is the theory; does anyone have software in which this type of
structure has been implemented fully and effectively for use in
practice?)
<snip>
********************************************

I do. I use Collection by Vernon Systems of Aukland, New Zealand (USA
contact, Thom DiGregorio) Part and whole relationships can be handled in
several ways including the aforementioned "set records" or by linking
related or associated records together and specifying the nature of the
relationship. The table structure allows for recording seperate acquisition
information or even complex levels of location information. For example,
the teapot is in storage while the lid is in the conservation lab and the
creamer is on exhibit.

Gutenkauf
______________________________________________________________________
Diane Gutenkauf
Chair, Midwest Registrars Committee
Curator, Elmhurst Historical Museum
120 E. Park Avenue
Elmhurst, IL 60126 USA

Voice: +(630) 833-1457
  Fax: +(630) 833-1326
Email: [log in to unmask]
       
My opinions are my own and do not reflect those 
of any institution with which I am affiliated.