Afternoon all - 

I've got a bit of a dilemma regarding a time capsul that just came into
our possession. It was origianlly encased in a column in 1993, but that
column came down during new construction about three years ago. Last
week, the capsul (it appears to be a sheet steel box sealled with
silicone caulking and signed in black magic marker) came over to us from
the office where it had been sitting for the last three years. We've
already managed to keep our over-eager volunteer registrar from opening
it to inventory the contents (there's still 33 years to go before its
scheduled opening; I'm hoping that paperwork we have from its creation
will satify her need to look), but now I need some opinions re. whether
or not to accession it and if so, when (I'm not sure if it will ever be
encased again). I know the contents would be part of the general
accession number (i.e. 20XX.1.10A, B, etc..), but I'm stumped re. the
case itself - part of me is inclined not to accession it period as it
will be opened and its current integrity destroyed, but then again we
have at least one old, opened time capsul in our collection that has
been accessioned. I may or may not be here by the time its opened, but
I'd need to be able to give our registrar some sort of answer before she
runs off on her own and creates another problem unitentionally. 

Thanks in advance and apologies for the length - 
Kathleen

Kathleen Emerson Britton
Interim Director/Curator of Collections 
Rochester Medical Museum and Archives
333 Humboldt Street
Rochester, NY 14610
(585) 922-1847 / [log in to unmask]

Please note new email address

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