We do not have a policy for dealing with backlog as such, probably because people hope it will never happen!  I have, however, dealt with and am dealing with a backlog situation of a similar nature.  We are not backlogged in cataloguing, but with locations, inventory, and a host of other things.  It is really important to make sure that you do whatever you can to keep yourself from being overwhelmed by a large project like this.  You have to break it down into manageable pieces.

First of all, keep up on all of your new accessions.  No matter what, that should be your first priority.  

Second, I would create a checklist for accessioning so that you make sure that everything that needs to be done gets done.  That way you always know where you left off if you can't work on it for awhile.  I can e-mail or snail mail a copy of ours to you if that would help.  Get your gift paperwork done first so that you don't lose track of the donor.  I don't know what the laws are in your state, but here in Colorado it takes 7 years for something without paperwork to become ours. 

Third, I would devise a way to keep track of what you are accomplishing.  Statistics are a great way of making you feel a sense of accomplishment, to see your progress and show the higher ups all that you have done come evaluation time.

I would probably tackle them donation by donation in order of their accession number, since that is how you would have done it if it had been done on time.  Then as you go, you may see patterns that make more sense to you.  For example, you will probably want to do your marking of objects in large groups if you have the space for it, that way you don't have to wait for things to dry.  And cataloguing is often easier if like items are catalogued together.  Alternately, you could start out with marking everything, then you could assign the nomenclature terms to each item and divide them up that way.  That would make rehousing and storing items later easier.  You need to figure out what will make the most sense for you.

I don't know if I have helped you too much, but I would definitely start with getting a checklist for each donation so that you really know where each one is in the process.  Breaking things into smaller pieces is essential so that you don't get overwhelmed.  

Let me know if I can help any further.
Erin


_______________________________________________
Erin Quinn
Collections Coordinator
City of Greeley Museums
919 7th Street
Greeley, CO 80631
(970) 350-9218
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