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Accession Number Issues, including Inventory Control To: museum-l@unmvma.unm.edu On Thu, 27 Jul 1995 Suzanne
Quigley <squigle@PANIX.COM> said: The history of museums and collections is often complex. Careful design of how accession numbers are entered into a database can produce useful collection management benefits. Suzanne's note brings to mind one museum I worked for that was composed of multiple collections assembled from varying sources, each with their own set of accession numbers. The only practical way to create an integrated collection management system for these collections was to add collection identification prefixes (letters) to distinguish one collection from another. This would insure that there were no duplicating numbers in the system. Adding a prefix is always better than changing numbers. Instead of putting each accession number into a single field, the database was constructed with four or five fields each holding one segment of the accession number, i.e. one for prefix, one for date, one for sequence, one for parts, etc. This made it easy to sort the collection by any accession number criteria and made it easy to format lists so that accession number parts appeared in structured columns. The database used had a feature that allowed any set of fields to be treated as one field for purposes of indexing and relational joins. Thus the four accession number fields could be indexed as a unity for uniqueness and could be joined as a group to other files based on accession numbers. A separate "lot" number identified related objects that did not necessarily have sequential numbers -- as when engravings from a portfolio had disparate accession numbers because they were donated in yearly batches. Such a structure would permit several interesting usages: A multi-part item could be described part by part while an accession number without a part indicator could be used for a general description. Each accessory, boxes, frames, etc. could receive a number that easily linked to the items to which they belonged. The most interesting application of the four-field/unique indexing structure came during data entry. The first data entry task was to obtain a complete list of accession numbers and align these numbers to the filing categories used for the accession cards. Using a simple macro program (Superkey, I believe) it was possible for a single operator typically to enter over 1000 records per day. In a little over a month all 33,000 museum objects were represented by a brief record. At the same time, because many errors had crept into the manual cards, the database, insisting on unique accession numbers, caught most of these errors. They could be fixed on the spot or flagged for future correction. While this project was in full swing the museum began its new-wing expansion, and every object from storage and on display had to be moved and listed. A similar database was set up to record the accession numbers and destination of each moved object. The intention was to compare the two lists: the moving list and the accession card list. By subtracting list A from B and B from A it would have been possible to develop a list of accessioned objects not accounted for in the physical inventory and a list of found object that had no accession card. Found objects with no accession number received a temporary identification. These would form the pool of objects to be compared to the list of accessioned, but missing objects. Museum-l readers of the "Ex Post Facto Accession Numbers" thread should be aware that the structure and control of accession number registration schemes may provide one of the most important tools a registrar can have for collection control. Indiscriminate manipulation of accession number forms and content can be quite destructive. Databases can be set up to add significant value to the object numbering and registration system already in place. Readers of the above note may be interested in a short article I wrote on computerized accession ledgers. I'd be happy to e-mail a copy to anyone who requests it or to post it to museum-l if enough requests come in. [See, instead, hyper-link to the paper, above.] ______________________________________ Robert A. Baron [ Home Page | E-mail Menu ]
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