In article <[log in to unmask]>, David Dawson
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>I have been asked for information about extensions to MARC for recording
>objects. They are working on a project where a library has a small
>collection of museum-type objects, and is thinking of using their
>existing system to record them.

The following copy of a message I sent to MUSEUM-L on 14th September 1996
might be of interest. You could also ask Patricia Davis-Perkins how she got
on.

========================== Start of quoted article ==========

In article <9831191410091996/A01757/VAX2/11A953931D00*@MHS>, "Patricia
Davis-Perkins (Tel 776 8442)" <[log in to unmask]> writes

>I am interested in hearing from anyone out there, who has  had experience in
>operating, coping and perhaps flourishing in the use of a Library Information
>system for the documentation of material culture collections. In particular,
>what are the pleasures or pitfalls of  using MARC format Coding to document
the
>objects to standards similar to our Library colleagues.

It would be worth your while talking to Patsy A. Gerstner <[log in to unmask]>
at the Dittrick Museum of Medical History in Cleveland, where they have been
cataloguing historical medical artifacts using MARC and the library
cataloguing cooperative, OCLC. They had completed about 20,000 object
records when I last heard from her, in January 1996.

There is an article about this by Patsy Gerstner and Jennifer Compton:
"Public access to museum collections: MARC and OCLC - the experiences of an
Ohio group . . ." _Spectra_, vol.22, no.4, Summer 1995, p.25-28.

This is the same issue of _Spectra_ as contains the article by Robert Baron,
which he referred to in this thread.

I agree with Robert that MARC is not a suitable medium for handling or
communicating museum data in a modern relational structure. If you already
have a library system set up, if you have a comparatively small number of
museum objects, and if you are mainly concerned with "cataloguing" rather
than "collections management" then it might be sensible to put the museum
objects into the library system. Otherwise I think you would do best to use
one of the systems which have been built for museum applications.

=========================== End of quoted article ===================

Leonard Will

--
Dr Leonard D Will                    Information Management Consultant
Willpower Information, 27 Calshot Way, Enfield, Middlesex, EN2 7BQ, UK
Tel: +44 181 372 0092                            Fax: +44 181 372 0094
[log in to unmask]           http://www.willpowr.demon.co.uk/