On Mon, 22 Dec 2003 14:17:58 -0500, Steven Stewart <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

>Our general museum is revamping our Collections Managament Policy.
>According to our mission, we collect, preserve and interpret items of a
>historical, artistic, and scientifc nature.  I am from an Anthropological
>background and was taught to diffrentiate material items according to
>whether or not they are modified by humans.  I.E. ARTIFACTS are objects
>that are altered by human activity and an ecofact is an item that is
>unaltered by human activity.  Due to the fact that we collect plant and
>animal remains and rocks for the science part of our misison, I am thinking
>that in our Scope of Collections area that this distinction should be made.
>
>To those of you who are part of a general museum, what are your thoughts?
>
>Steven Stewart
>Customs House Museum and Cultural Cetner
>
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Good Morning Steven,
I like to use the word "specimen."  It has utility in anthropological,
geological, zoological, botanical,technology.....and historical
collections.  Tom F.S. McFeat once wrote, "Object+data=specimen, where
by "data" means notes, measurements, drawings, charts, graphs, photographs
and models." (Tom F.S.McFeat, "The object of research in museums," National
Museum of Canada, Bull. No. 204, Contributions to Anthropology, 1963-4,
Paper No. 4, pp. 119-127, Ottawa 1965, p.121.
Best Wishes and.....
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Wesley S. Creel
Administrator of Programs
Pink Palace Family of Museums
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
www.memphismuseums.org

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