Hello to you all fellow "post, ante, present" numbered registrars...

I found the discussion very interesting and I just like to post my
view about it. So here it is...
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You have to *think relational*, no, eh ?
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in your case:
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your numbering system should remain consistent with what it had
been until now (i.e.: year-lot number-sequence number)

BUT FIRST: it has to be simple, unique and significant
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In a simple example, imagine you found an object which was hidden
somewhere in the museum and you have no ID number, and no idea of
when it was acquired (even of whom and on which conditions).

Imagine we are today, july 27 1995. (that easy enough) :-)

Imagine your registration book is waiting the 334 th acquisition of the
year.

What would you do ?

give a number like : x-1995-344-1  ?

                     x for "before"
                  1995 for "year 1995"
                   344 for "344 th acquisition"
                     1 for "object 1 of the 344 th acquisition "

Uh ?

N-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o !  :-)

It was good in the old days, before the computer !

Now you may use a relational database system with a structure
where every type of information (including the info on WHEN the object
was really acquired). Your numbering system do not have anymore to do
the job "all by itself"... We are only asking it to identify in unique way
the object of the collections. That's all !

As you probably have a system based on the ICOM system, continue with it,
but, please, be sure to give the complete year number (i.e. 1995 and not
995 or 95) and drop everyting which is put somewhere else in the database,
in it's own field.

So, if there is a field for the date of acquisition, and you indicate
in it the fact that the object was acquired before the present date
(which is the registration date), you don't have to repeat that in
your numbering system !

Except if you need it because you are using a manual system, not a
computerized one (and I hope you're using computer in 1995)

In a relational database you would have tables and fields for each type of
information:

- date of entry
- date of acquisition
- date of registration
- type of acquisition

In your case

- date of entry: 1995 07 27 AN  (AN stand for ANterior)

- date of acquisition: 1995 07 27 AN (after all you don't know the precise date)
                        you may leave that space blank also, as you do not even
                        know if the object belong to your museum...

- date of registration: 1995 07 27  (which is today, when we actually put it
                                        in the registration book)

- type of acquisition: UNKNOWN (you don't know if it was given, sold etc...)


In such a way you keep track of everyting, without having to
torture your registration book (after all yo can't go back and
add an acquisition to an old registration book, closed and sealed)

You don't have to play with "x" or anything else which will only be
a problem for indexation with you computer.

(you may keep suffixes to help identify different parts of an object)
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You should look for the "titanesque" work done by the Canadian Heritage
Information Network and the different provincial museums associations for
the establishment of a data dictionnary and all the tools used for
standardisation.

Check the WWW site at: http://www.chin.gc.ca

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Remember : think relational  :-)

and excuse my english...

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Jean-Paul "there is a field for that !" Viaud

museum consultant

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