At Mystic River, Noank Historical, and Stonington Historical, in Mystic, CT, we use a mixture of worksheets and working from the items, depending on the material. If the person who's doing the entering can also analyze the material, then the worksheet may be an extra unnecessary step. You can download data entry forms from the Museum Software website which are helpful. We found that they're so detailed, though, that we created our own more simple versions for each category. We've also found that we needed to decide on using only a few of the basic fields for entering information at the outset, in order to get to a basic inventory of the collection. We're organizing the work in phases based on the fields to be used, and the type of digital image to be created. We're starting a PastPerfect user group locally in CT to work in common on developing a uniform cataloging and business system. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who's doing the same thing in another state, or who would like to be on the distribution list for information about what we're doing. Louisa Watrous Intellectual Property Manager MYSTIC SEAPORT The Museum of America and the Sea 75 Greenmanville Ave., P.O. Box 6000 Mystic, CT 06355 USA T: 860-572-5383, ext. 4703 F: 860-572-5328 www.mysticseaport.org www.rosenfeldcollection.org -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kathy Haas Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 10:03 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Documentation Worksheets Here at the Rosenbach we have PastPerfect and I have cataloged thousands of objects into it and taught numerous interns to do likewise. If it is possible to be looking at the object while typing in PP, then there is no need for worksheets. However if it is impossible to have computers in the storage areas or to bring the objects to a work area, then worksheets are helpful to make sure that a standard set of data is collected from each object. I think 90%+ of our cataloging was done without worksheets--I have used worksheets only for very large objects, or those that are too fragile to removed from storage. Kathy Katherine Haas Curatorial Assistant Rosenbach Museum & Library 2008-2010 DeLancey Place Philadelphia, PA 19103 Tel: 215-732-1600 X129 Fax: 215-545-7529 Email: [log in to unmask] Web: http://www.rosenbach.org -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kristin Mravinec Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 10:27 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Documentation Worksheets I wanted to ask how many of the listserv members use a Artifact Documentation Worksheet. We are beginning a massive cataloguing project in two weeks, approximately 17,000 object over the next two years. We are trying to decide if we should enter directly into PastPerfect or complete a Worksheet and then enter into PastPerfect. We have a 3-person staff for this project (1 FT, 2 PT). The person completing the worksheet will probably be the one who would enter the information into our database. Also, would anyone be willing to share their Documentation Worksheets? Thank you advance for the advice. Sincerely, Kristin Mravinec -- Kristin Mravinec, Curator Greater Southwest Historical Museum 35 Sunset Drive Ardmore, OK 73401 Phone: 580.226.3857 Fax: 580.226.3857 [log in to unmask] ========================================================= 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). ========================================================= 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). ========================================================= 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). ========================================================= 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).