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
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