I agree that barcoding is a great tool for inventory control and makes a
lot of sense for tracking large moves and processing data.
Perhaps this is the area of barcoding you might reexamine. As a former
registrar, I'm always sensitive to issues of what materials are used to
label artifacts. Certainly this is an area of labeling that has received
much attention for many years. I'd be extremely wary of sticking the
labels directly to any artifact. The adhesive is probably propriatary
(meaning the manufacturer won't tell you what's in it) and non-reversable.
Many of these adhesives bleed over time and most (probably all) will stain
what ever they touch. Many sticky labels become quite brittle over time
and will peel away.
Please rethink how you attach the labels.
One method that you might consider is to place the barcodes like you might
any other paper label. This involves a barrier layer of B-72 then adhering
the paper label with more B-72 or B-67. For furniture, or any treated
surface, be certain to understand how compatible the carrier (solvent) is
with your surface. It is as important to understand the properties of
these materials as it is to understand the properties of the adhesive
labels.
Do remember that the barcode DOES NOT replace properly numbering the
object, it is simply an inventory tool. As such, it does not need to be
stuck to the object. Sticking it to a tag and tying the tag on the
artifact will work just as well or better.
There are some really great publications available that deal with marking
objects and barcoding. I recommend starting with the New Registration
Methods and going from there. Buy the book from the AAM bookstore.
Best of luck,
Diane Gutenkauf
[log in to unmask]
On Mon, 22 Aug 2005 15:02:11 EDT, Pamela Silvestri <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
>
>
>CMS,
>
>I want to try the barcodes in order to better, accurately and quickly
record
>and retrieve data
...snip....
>
>As far as the barcodes and the protectors - it is not one or the other,
the
>protectors (clear) go over the labels to protect the barcode. As far as
the
>adhesive - I simply do not see any issue with placing these labels on
the back
>cover of a book, the back of a reproduced photo, the underside of a
chair, a
>proper placement of a barcode label on the bottom of an aluminum pitcher
>(not covering the maker's mark), the inside cover of a footlocker, a
>grindstone...just to name a few objects I am contending with. For other
objects, the
>labels can go on tags and on enclosures, and even in the object (i.e., a
jar as
>someone else on the list has done). If I am missing an issue regarding the
>adhesive on objects such as these, I (am not being facetious at all)
please
>bring it to my attention.
>...snip...
>
>Pam
>
>
>
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