Kelli,
I would definitely use the catalog (object) number.  As others have
said, that is your unique number. 

I would discourage you from putting both the accession and catalog
number on each object unless you have a really good reason.  In the
future, will someone always be able to tell which number refers to
which?  The point of the catalog number is to identify that object
therefore no need exists for the access number to be on the object also.
Your database should interconnect your catalog numbers with an accession
number. 

I have worked at a site with lots of multiply numbering systems and each
object had several numbers.  It gets very confusing when an object has
more than 1 number attached to it. Especially when a number of years
down the road, the person marking the objects with both of these numbers
is no longer around, part of a number become unreadable or only one
number is still on the object.  

Tracie Evans
Collections Manager
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
PO Box 2570, Waco, TX 76706
254/750-8631
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Kelli Bacon
Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2007 9:16 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: object labeling

Hello Museum-L members,

Here's a question for all of you.  If you could label an object with
only
the accession number or the catalog number due to the object's small
size,
how would you label it and why?  We're already using an extremely small
font
for labeling and can't make it any smaller.  FYI-These objects are being
put
into plastic bags with paper tags inside them.  Both the paper tag and
the
bag are labeled with both the accession number and the catalog number.
Thanks so much for your help.  We're wrestling with the idea right now
and
aren't sure which is best.

Kelli

*********************************
Kelli Bacon
Nebraska State Historical Society
1500 R St.
PO Box 82554
Lincoln NE 68501-2554
402-471-4766
[log in to unmask]
www.nebraskahistory.org

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