Hello Eileen,

First off I'm not a trained Curator, my specialism is
museum computing, so I'll leave thoughts on whether to
re-mark objects etc to the pro's. These comments below
are from an IT perspective. However I have been
responsible recently for restructuring a small museums
photo collection (4000+ items) which like yours had a
variety of different number systems, none of which
worked well.

Our solution was to follow the UK's Museum
Documentation Association (http://www.mda.org.uk)
guidelines. We switched to an single accession number
based system, but didn't try to erase the old numbers
where they appeared. The MDA's web site has lots of
useful advice, including publications, museum
documentation standards (including the freely
downloadable Spectrum
http://www.mda.org.uk/spectrum.htm) and free
information sheets.

From the IT perspective, when you come to digitize
your collections management system (inevitable at some
point), having a system where a proportion of
artifacts have no accession number (if I read you
correctly), would cause major problems. Most museum
collection software requires at least one numbering
system (usually the accession number) to be complete,
although most will also handle alternative and partial
number systems alongside the main one. 

Personally, I'd grab the bull by the horns, and
(assuming a not massive size of your collection and a
limited budget) I'd download some free standards based
collection management software such as Adlib Museum
Lite (http://www.adlibsoft.com/) and start inputting a
complete set of data from the earliest to the most
recent artifact, adding retrospective accession
numbers for artifacts without one, and collating,
scanning and filing paper admin documents by accession
number as you go. 

(For artifacts with one of the old numbers marked on
them, maybe leave these in place if they can't be
safely removed, and create a field in the database to
relate the old catalog number to the artifacts
existing or new accession number.)

Two caveats, firstly never change existing accession
numbers, and secondly if you have a complete, hand
written, accessions register then you should also
continue adding new accessions to it and include the
new restrospective accession numbers there as well, so
that the written register is as complete as possible.
Also you should always keep earlier copies of all
current and earlier documentation for future
reference. Don't throw anything away!

I'm not suggesting the software should totally replace
your paper records any time soon, but only that you
could use it as a catalist for organizing your records
by generally accepted standards. It would be loads of
work, and probably take ages, but you'll be fully
up-to-date when you're done.

Re the person moving objects. You need to lay down the
law that any object movements either shouldn't happen,
or if they are unavoidable than an object movement
ticket like this one  http://www.mda.org.uk/man_mt.jpg
needs to be filled in each time. Later, when the
database is up and running that can handle object
locations, with suitable restrictions on who can
access the database and update the location field.

Good luck!

Jeremy.






--- Eileen Sears <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I have recently begun working at a museum where the
> collections are a 
> confusing mess.  Currently the museum assigns an
> accession #(2004.2) and a 
> catalog #(9788). The Acc# is attached only to the
> Deed of Gift and each item 
> that is accepted receives a catalog number.  This
> double numbering started a 
> few years ago.  The objects are marked with the
> catalog number and an index 
> card is created using this number. Additionally a
> card is created for 
> subject and if the donor has previously donated the
> object is added to that 
> card, if not, a card is created. There is also no
> folder created for each 
> object.  The Deed of Gift is put in a folder where
> all of the years 
> donations are kept-no particular order.  In
> addition, there are objects that 
> have been accepted by the collections committee that
> have been waiting for 
> several years to actually receive an accession
> number and be placed on 
> shelves.  There are also objects that have been
> waiting for a determination 
> since 2004.
> 
> If I want to know the information about an object I
> have to get the catalog 
> # off the object, go to the file and get the
> accession number, then go to 
> the yearly file and flip through until I find the
> Deed of Gift.  There is no 
> real file where I can look at accompaning letters,
> condition reports, ect.
> 
> I have only recently become a curator and as such I
> have to have a solid 
> argument for any changes I propose, I am hoping for
> some input. Pro's and 
> Con's.
> 
> Starting now--
> *Assign only an accession number  ie) 2006.10.2 
> year/Sequence of the 
> transaction/2nd object in that transaction
> *For all previousely accepted objects use the
> catalog number that is already 
> assigned...including the ones accepted during the
> time when both catalog 
> numbers and acc#'s were assigned.  All of these
> objects are already marked 
> with the catalog number.
> *Complete a condition report.
> *Create a folder for each accession number-file Deed
> of Gift, Condition 
> Reports, relevant provenance, ect.
> 
> Lastly, there is a fellow employee who has found it
> necessary to 
> occasionally take objects from the shelves, without
> noting it...this 
> concerns me because it is haphazard and as the
> curator I feel that only I 
> and the Director should handle the objects without
> an OK from at least one 
> of us.  I want to know, with relative ease, where
> everything is.
> 
> Thank you in advance for any help you can give me.
> 
> Elaine
> 
>
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