Dear C.
I can sympathize with you.  My first collections position was at a historic
Site that had a total of nine various numbering systems and thousands of
non-marked items (collection total was 70,000+ objects).  If I understand
what you have said, some of your problem is not that terrible.  Are your
objects already listed in your database and tied to your object files as
they currently are marked?

The first two numbering systems you mentioned are really easy to fix because
all of the information to form the trinomial number is already there.  You
only need to add the rest of the year to the object, database and object
files.  This will be time consuming but not hard.  You may want to begin a
project to change these over as you have time (a few each week perhaps) or
have an intern or volunteer that you trust work on it.  Most databases will
allow you to use any unique numbering system and does not require a set four
digit year, so you can work with what you have for now.

As for your "Found in Collections" items that were located during your
inventory.  It is perfectly acceptable to have a large batch of objects
sequentially numbered as you described to number found in collections items.
In your database, note that they were found without identification so you
can track them from this day forward.  If you find the documentation and the
objects actually number you can fix that in the future, but if not you can
still track it as a found piece.  If you have documentation that you think
might link to those objects you will need to research the pieces to verify
that the described pieces (from your document) matches this unknown object
and match them up.  If you find a found in collections piece, just make a
note in the found in collections file that you have matched that object to
its original file and is no longer a "John Doe" so to speak.  Also, make
sure that you remove the found file from your database record, so you do not
have the object(s) accounted for twice.

From the sounds of it, you are doing fine.  Just continue as you are, breath
deeply and take it one step at a time.  Unfortunately, if you want them to
all have four digit year notations you will have to physically change them,
but it is not a necessity as long as each number is unique.

Good Luck
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need other assistance
Tracie Evans
Collections Manager
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
[log in to unmask]
PO Box 2570 Waco TX 76702
254/750-8631



> -----Original Message-----
> From: CYANDERSON [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Monday, December 08, 2003 12:56 PM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Accession Numbers
>
> Hello:
>
> I need some help with objects which have been incorrectly accessioned 4
> different ways.
> The first way is by using the last 3 numbers of the year "942.0.0," the
> second
> way is using
> the last 2 numbers of the year "42.0.0," the third way is "0.0.0" (In this
> case, over 300
> objects which did not have accession number during an inventory were
> assigned
> a
> number starting at 0.1.1), the fourth way is the whole year "2000.0.0",
> which
> someone
> started to write out and I am following that method.  Are their any
> suggestions on how to
> go about dealing with the objects and then uniting them with the object
> files
> and
> database (the objects number in the thousands)?  (P.S.  I am the first
> Registrar at this
> gallery).
>
> Thank you
>
> C. Anderson
>
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