In article <[log in to unmask]>, Perry <[log in to unmask]> writes >This is to inquire about the status of the Accession Book in museum >record keeping. It has been recommended by one of our staff to abandon >keeping this book in favor of computerized records with a hard copy work >sheet. The worksheet information would be entered into the computer. >I would like to get some feedback as to making a fundmental change such >as this. > You need a record of accessioning that cannot be changed, without leaving visible trace of the change being made. For example, if I were to donate to your museum an object worth a lot of money, and then decided I'd rather have the money, you'ld need some way of proving that I gave it, and didn't loan it. with a computerised record, I could simply break in (or exploit my position as a volunteer or employee), alter the 'method of acquisition field in that object's computer record, and bobs-your-uncle, I own it again. A way around this is to print-out an acquistions register (use laser- jet, or bubble-jet with waterproof ink), on pH neutral paper (important, as the ink is acid). The person who would normally sign-off each page of the accession register needs to sign off each page of the print out. Then the print-out has to be bound (so that I don't simply remove the page with my object on it, leaving no trace that I donated it!). Numbering each page is a good precaution, too, especially if you only have a few aquisitions, and only bind annually. Print-outs should be ideally done each time you reach a page-worth: you could put the date of print-out onto the header for each page, so that any delay between accessioning and the printing-out to the register is recorded. This depends partly on your local legal framework: you need to know what you need to prove title to your objects. Best wishes, -- Pat Reynolds [log in to unmask] at home [log in to unmask] at work Keeper of Social History, Buckinghamshire County Museum "It might look a bit messy now, but just you come back in 500 years time" (T. Prattchet)