Museum Basics - Documentation
Nigel Monaghan
National Museum of Ireland
Cabinet of Curiosties 1599
Ferrante Imperato’s museum, Naples
Cabinet of Curiosities 1655
Olaus Worm’s museum, Leiden
Systematic Collecting
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World Travel
19th Century Growth
Increasing focus
Classification
Access for researchers
Public Access
Documentation for Museums
• Large Collections
• Grave to Cradle Process
• Many Uses
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Obtain Resources
Plan Resources
Security
Care
Services
Object Life Cycle
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Entry
Acquisition
Accession
Catalogue
Move
Loan
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Condition Report
Conservation
Photography
Exhibition
Disposal
Exit
Object Life Cycle - Policies
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Entry
Acquisition
Accession
Catalogue
Move
Loan
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Condition Report
Conservation
Photography
Exhibition
Disposal
Exit
Entry
Write it down NOW!
Acquisition
• The process of taking possession of property
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Why have you got it?
Should you have it?
Who owns it?
Is it insured?
Are you keeping it?
Is it a “museum object”?
Accession
• The process of adding an object to the museum
collection
• Transfer of Title
– Secure the ownership
• Register the Object
– Issue a number
– Record basic details
– Capture information
• Issue receipt
– Terms and conditions
– Copyright
Numbering your Accessions
• Museum code
– Puts you in control of your own
unique set of numbers
• NMINH = National Museum of
Ireland Natural History
• One main number per item
• NMINH : 2005.34
– Sub-numbers for parts of an object
• NMINH : 2005.34.5
• Mark the number on the object
Documentation - Registers
• Permanent record
• Filed safely
• Copied
• Copies
– Microfilm
– Photocopy
– Store off-site
Documentation - Marks
• Direct on object
• Ink, pencil, chalk
• Issues
– Permanence
– Adherence
– Handwriting
Documentation - Labels
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Stay with objects
Hold most data
Catalogue number
Links to other data
Label Types
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Tags - tied to object
Labels - loose
Labels - glued to object
Tablets - object glued on
Materials
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Paper and card
Acid free
Buffered
Testing
• Inks
• Wet (Indian ink)
• Dry (laser copier)
Publications & Archives
Inventory/Moves
• Has it got a home?
– Accommodation
• Is it at home?
– Inventory
– Movement control
• It’s not there!
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Loan?
Conservation?
Loss?
Temporary/Permanent?
Report, to whom?
Loans
• Loans-in/out
– Policy
– Form(s)
• Dates in/out
• Terms
• Conditions
– Condition Reports
– Who is in charge?
– Facilities Reports
• Facilities Reports
– Security
• Personnel
• Alarms
• Locks
– Environment
• Monitored?
• Managed?
• Stable?
– Specific to Object
Condition Reports
• What state is it in?
• Static
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Broken
Complete
Faded
Dirty
• Active
– Infested
Conservation
Before
After
Conservation
• What does it need?
– Environment
– Treatment
• What has been done?
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Cleaning
Repair
Mounting
Replication
Photography
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Reference No.
Date
Person
Format
Image store
• Copyright
– Photographer
– Permission
Exhibition
• Increases demand
for information
– Published catalogue
– Publicity
• Activities
– Location control
– Measurement
– Photography
Deaccession, Disposal, Exit
• Have we got a clear
written policy?
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Make submission
Clarify reasons
Clarify ownership
Record object details
Offer to other
museums
– Sell/skip
Documentation - Catalogues
• A catalogue is a structured set of data that describes
a museum collection
• The purpose of a museum catalogue is to convey
information about objects to a variety of users.
– General public
– Learned public
– Staff/managers
Documentation - Catalogues
• Item entry
• Catalogue numbers
Catalogues - Records
Catalogues - Fields
Number
NMIAA : 1940.1
Locality
Balline, Co. Limerick
Period
Iron Age
Date
late fourth century BC
Manufacture
Romano-British
Inscription
EX OFFI ISATIS ; EX OFC VILIS ; EX O NONT
Publication
Ó Ríordáin 1947 ; Macalister 1949 ; Bateson
1973 ; Raftery 1994
Description
Four cow-hide-shaped silver ingots and cut plate
Number of items
5
Catalogues - Terminology
How did we
get it?
bequest
gift
loan
purchase
transfer
untraced find
Catalogues - Terminology
Gift
Bequest
Contribution
Donation
Endowment
Offering
Presentation
Present
Terminology - Room Codes
Catalogues - Syntax
Dates:
today
28 Sep 2013
28th September 2013
28/9/2013
9/28/2013
2013.09.28
2013-09-28
Catalogues - Automation
Find it fast
Multiple copies
Sharing
Security
Safety
Permanence
Documentation - Backlogs
• Step by step process
• Mark, label, record
• Reconcile
Collections Trust
• Was MDA until 2008
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The UK
Museum
Documentation
Standard (now free)
• Guides
• Thesauri
Collections Trust
WC2 09 Natural History
Museum
Cromwell Road
London SW7 5BD
HELP
http://www.collectionstrust.org.uk
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Pre-entry
Object entry
Loans in
Acquisition
Inventory control
Location movement
control
• Transport
• Cataloguing
• Object condition
checking and technical
assessment
• Conservation and
collections care
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• Risk management
• Insurance and
indemnity management
• Valuation control
• Audit
• Rights management
• Use of collections
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Object exit
Loans out
Loss and damage
Deaccession and
disposal
• Retrospective
documentation
Documentation: A
Practical Guide
By Margaret
Harrison and
Gordon McKenna
Price: £24.99
ISBN: 978-1-900642-16-3