Hi Sara and other listers. We're working on an inventory project in our
historical society museum currently, and trying to guestimate how many years
it will take (with volunteers and I working on a very part-time basis), so
that we can tell the granters when to expect the job will be DONE. I have
been in discussion with another museum professional (Ron Kley), on the
"Connecting to Collections Online Community" discussion group - about
estimating and streamlining inventory projects, so that it goes more quickly
- and so I thought I'd like to get his take on your question. He is not on
Museum-L, but he offered this reply and agreed to let me post it. I found it
helpful, so hopefully you will too. Now, here's Ron:
This is an interesting discussion. It's certainly true that the rate of any
inventory/cataloging project can be very dependant upon the type and variety
of object(s) being processed, and upon the amount of data that's required or
desired for each object.
My business partner and I worked several years ago on a collection
relocation project for the Strawberry Banke Museum in Portsmouth, NH,
in which we inventoried a very diverse collection of some 7,000 objects,
packed the small objects (about 95% of the total), transported them to their
new location, unpacked them, re-shelved them and re-inventoried them -- all
in a bit less than 6 months. The very tight time frame was dictated by the
fact that the Museum's old storage building had been sold, and had to be
vacated by a fixed date. A key factor in making the process possible (aside
from lots of long hours and hard work) was keeping the inventory data to an
absolute minimum -- object number, object name & location.
Whenever we've approached a large cataloging or inventory project we've
always proposed making a start in an "experimental sample" fashion -- e.g.,
a day's worth of effort that (a) gives us some sense of the "stuff" to be
processed, as well as the physical and personnel setup in which work is to
be done, and (B) gives the prospective client some idea of how we work, and
what we can accomplish in a given block of time. The results provide some
basis for projecting the time and effort required for the complete job, and
for making some calculations regarding the time that might be saved by
recording fewer data fields, or the time that might be required if more
information is to be recorded.
Any contract agreement is then based upon the results of that initial
"experiment," and includes an understanding that total project time and cost
may vary if it turns out that the initial sample was not typical or
representative (or if, as sometimes happens, a client wants to "move the
goalposts" once the game is underway). So far, at least, that approach seems
to have worked satisfactorily for both ourselves and our clients.
--Ron
Kathie Gow
Oral History Producer
<http://www.wordspicturesstories.com/> http://www.wordspicturesstories.com
Curator, Hatfield Historical Museum
<http://hatfieldhistory.weebly.com/> http://hatfieldhistory.weebly.com
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Elizabeth Walton
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2013 6:15 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Museum contract positions
Length of time varies insanely by type of artifact and how much the person
knows about the pieces, 100 arrowheads can be catalogued and photographed in
no time if the date and location they were found is known, 100 dresses from
different eras however will take far more time, and require a degree of
expertise to be done correctly since they are complicated to
date/describe/pack/dress on a mannequin to photo. If you pay by the object
you will likely be encouraging the person to spend less time and be less
thorough on the more difficult objects. As a contractor I would prefer
contracts based on the collection and not on sheer numbers.
On Thu, Jan 31, 2013 at 3:47 PM, monique mcfarlane
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Sarah,
Slippery slope indeed!
I have completed many contracts working with collections teams on inventory
projects and I have never had a contract based on the amount of items
inventoried per hour/day. All of my contracts were based on specific
collections. I was to complete "Collection X" by such and such a date. I
feel this worked well as there is a learning curve like with any job when
you first begin. I have worked on collections that If you went by the first
week of employment my achievements would be grounds for dismissal by the
second week I am on track and even ahead of the game.
Not to mention that some days you can be on top of your game and others you
may not.
I feel the whomever you hire will average out and you will be able to see a
clear pattern.
Have you had the chance to do a dry run?
You can do a dry run and inform your staff of the minimum amount of items
per week in order to reach your goals.
By the hour seems a bit too much like an assembly line to me.
You also have to consider the nature of the inventory and best handling
practice. Is it worth more to have things handled properly or the number at
the end of the day?
These are just my comments.
Monique
McFarlane
On Thursday, January 31, 2013, Sara Phalen wrote:
Dear wise-ones,
Is there anyone out there who has ever done a collection position for an
inventory on a contract basis based on the amount of items to be processed?
I realize this is a slippery slope with tying someone to processing so many
items in an hour, but need the terms to be a little tighter than a straight
per hour fee and would love to know if anyone has done this before.
Feel free to contact me off list at [log in to unmask]
Thanks!
sara
Sara Phalen, Director
West Chicago City Museum
Warrenville Historical Museum & Art Gallery
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Monique McFarlane <http://about.me/mmcfarlane>
LinkedIn <http://ca.linkedin.com/in/moniquemcfarlane/>
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