Hello, I am a trustee for a small historical society in upstate NY that is just beginning to formally accession the various items it has acquired since its establishment in 2000. I am spearheading the process and hope I might get some advice from the get-go on the best way to number our objects. I thought it would be a no-brainer to go with the simple 3-number system I have read about and seen in use. But, in pondering (perhaps too much!) about it, I have been considering a couple of options for the middle number referring to the donor/source, especially. It made sense to me, initially, to have a unique number for each donor/source that would be used again and again in future years (if or when they donated other artifacts). Has any other small institution tried this and found success/failure? From what I can tell, it seems most institutions wipe the slate clean and begin with #1 again each year. Any thoughts are much appreciated! Thanks very much, Traci Langworthy Sheridan, NY Historical Society ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).