Todd,

Here at the Museum of Victoria, Australia, the majority of our barcodes
are attached to the objects acid free tag.  With documents the barcode
is attached to the poly envelope that the document is stored in.

If a tag cannot be tied to an object then it is stored with the object.

Janet Pathe
Assistant Collection Manager,
History & Technology Collections
Museum of Victoria, Australia


> ----------
> From:         Todd Ellison[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent:         Wednesday, 2 July 1997 4:53 AM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Object marking (permanent or not?) & attachment of bar
> code labels
>
> We are in the process of associating each of our artifacts with a
> unique bar
> code number.  How would you recommend attaching the bar code label to
> the
> object?  We don't intend to actually tape the label directly onto an
> object,
> but we're wondering which option to pursue.  Ones we've considered
> are:
>         (1) attaching the bar code label to the outside of the box in
> which
>                 we store the object when it's not on display, or
>         (2) sticking the label onto a piece of acid-free cardstock
> which is
>                 either stuck inside the object or attached to it using
> a wire
>                 or a string.  But what if the object is too small to
> contain
>                 a label or has nothing to tie a string to?
>
> Also, we're wondering if museum registrars still recommend permanently
> marking
> objects with an accession number (cf. *Museum Registration Methods*,
> p. 51-53)?
> Coming at this from an archival perspective we're wanting to abide by
> the
> principle of never doing something that's irreversible.  "Do no harm."
>
> We appreciate any help and advice you can send us.
>
> *********************************************************
>
> Todd Ellison, Archivist and Associate Professor
> Center of Southwest Studies             Ph.: 970/247-7126
> Fort Lewis College                      FAX: 970/247-7422
> 1000 Rim Drive, Durango, CO  81301-3999
>
> e-mail:    [log in to unmask]
> Web site:  http://academic.fortlewis.edu/~ellison_t/
>