G L O S S A R Y of TYPICAL MUSEUM

COLLECTION MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS

and DATA SYSTEMS SUITABLE for AUTOMATION

© 1989 by Robert A. Baron, Museum Computer Consultant
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I. MUSEUM MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS:

Accession
The act of entering an acquired object into the official collection catalogue. Broadly, a sequence of events following the process of establishing legal ownership. The registration of objects. Documentation of the most recent change of provenance. An accession may be connected to a list of stipulations and legal limitations regarding what may be done with the item, how it may be loaned, exhibited or reproduced. See acquire, and catalogue.

Acquire
To obtain legal ownership (but not necessarily custody) of a work via gift, purchase, or other means. Acquisition also includes events surrounding the negotiation to acquire. See accession, and obtain custody.

Analyze
To list the constituent materials or chemical makeup of an object. Also, to determine by scholarly or curatorial means the stylistic or iconographic sources of an object. To place an object in its historical, cultural, and geographical context, etc. See describe, and catalogue.

Appraise
To determine the current replacement value or purchase price of an object, usually for the purpose of insuring it. Similar to, but not the same as, determining value. Appraisal is sometimes defined as an estimate of the hypothetical current cost of acquisition. See insure and value.

Attribute
To name (or to suggest the name of) an object's maker(s) (even when the maker is known for certain). To connect an anonymous object to the school of, or influence of a known maker, or to associate an object with a named style or cultural entity. Attribution may also include establishing the role of the maker in the production of the work. Museum records will often identify the name of the person(s) or scholar(s) responsible for attributions, the date of the attributions, their circumstances and the published sources of attributions when possible. Attribution also includes the process of connecting the artifact to classifications not innate to the object, as for example, dates, periods and cultures. See publish.

Borrow
To obtain temporary possession of an object owned by another. The borrowing agent usually assumes fiduciary responsibility for an object when it takes custody of it. The act of borrowing usually puts into effect a checklist of events that includes arranging for insurance, transportation, couriers. Works may be borrowed from institutions from individuals and from vendors. In the latter cases, borrowed works may eventually be given to the museum. See Exhibit.

Catalogue
To determine the placement of the object within a predetermined and systematically organized filing structure. Also to describe an object according to established data classifications or areas of interest. To classify by establishing attributions. Before the use of database mnagement systems, collection catalogues were usually physically organized according to a classification scheme, and were often cross-indexed according to other principles by physically duplicating at least portions of the object records and rearranging them. Typically, accession cards were arranged in accession order, by artist, by historical style, by the object's physical location, by donor, etc. Computerized databases have made this kind of duplication redundant.

Conserve
To treat a work so to prevent it from deteriorating. This is a broad function that encompasses many activities of the conservator. Events such as lending and exhibiting may initiate conservation checks. Conservation may also be scheduled at regular intervals. See restore.

Deaccession
To remove a work from the collection. To give up legal title to a work. Deaccessioned works may be sold, traded, transferred, destroyed beyond repair, or removed. Stolen and missing works are usually not deaccessioned. Most institutions have well defined procedures for deaccessioning works. These may include commissioning independent evaluations and formal presentations to boards of directors outlining the reasons for deaccessioning. Deaccessioning is usually followed changing the status or disposition of the artifact. (Deaccessioning does not necessarily mean that the information on an object prepared during the accessioning process is also removed.) Unaccessioned works cannot be deaccessioned. See dispose.

Deposit
To place a work received via acquisition or loan in a location from whence it can be retrieved. To take possession of an object that may or may not be owned by the collection. Not all works deposited in an institution may be accessioned. See retrieve.

Describe
Usually part of the cataloguing process. To provide a narrative that identifies the object. Description may include stylistic analysis, iconographic description, physical description and condition reports. Successful object catalogue computerization depends, in part, upon how much of an object's narrative description can be rendered into structured data elements. See analyze and catalogue.

Dispose
To dispose of a work is to remove it from the collection, usually after deaccession. Disposition usually describes the state of ownership or current status of a work accessioned into the collection or a work in the custody of a collection. States of disposition may include: On loan, In storage, On display, In restoration, For sale, In study, Transferred, Traded, or Placed in a location outside of the collection, as in an office or in a department. Other categories may include: Stolen, Damaged beyond repair, Missing, Destroyed or Thrown out, hatched and died.

Exhibit
To show a work with others related to it or by itself. Exhibits may be permanent or temporary. An exhibition usually implies an intended audience. During exhibition an object is often removed from the collection. Exhibit management usually entails certification of the presence of proper visual documentation, a current condition report and inspection, authorized approvals, appraisals, insurance, shipping and/or arrangement for couriers. All activities required to get the object out and to get the object back are included in exhibit and loan functions. Exhibit tracking may include scheduling and analysis of public response, among other functions. Many museums commission contract exhibit designers, scholars and additional security. Exhibits are usually tied to a set of activities taken on by the education department that may include scheduling lectures, tours, and the production of didactic materials including but not limited to brochures, taped tours, catalogues. The media relations department will also have its own set of scheduled functions and tasks. Exhibit planning has much in common with project management.

Inspect
Inspection reports are usually made when objects are received for acquisition or loan, before they are restored and conserved, before a loan is made, and after a loan is returned. Inspection reports may be required at specific stages of a travelling exhibition or before insurance is renewed. Inspection is also a function carried out on live and organic specimens during their life cycle and on exhibit and displays that may deteriorate with use. Museum guards inspect items on display and fill out incident reports to identify and record abnormalities.

Insure
To secure an indemnity on an object against decrease of value due to loss, or damage. Appraisals for insurance may be required at specified timed intervals or required when an object changes its state, as when it is placed in exhibition, lent, or moved to a less secure location. Insurance policies may be written on single artifacts and on lots. See appraise and value.

Inventory
To prepare a list of objects owned by, or in physical possession of a collection or collector. The inventory may produce a list of objects or may check the presence of objects against a prepared list. The list may, or may not be the same as the accession list. Computerized inventory lists are usually made from the accession list, but are sorted and arranged by storage location. Commonly inventories are created when store-rooms and galleries must be transferred to new locations. Many automated collection catalogues began with such an inventory. If properly developed, a collection inventory may serve as the authorized list of the collection holdings and serve a function analogous to a librarian's shelf-list.

Label
Labels are made for exhibition and to identify objects, whether they be on exhibit or not. Each object is customarily given a label bearing the accession number. Exhibition labels may be produced by the computerized catalogue if fields are specifically designated to hold label copy. Labels may be produced for groups of objects, as when a set of items is stored in a case, or when a number of items are boxed for transfer. The above process is sometimes called "scripting". Labelling also includes the act of affixing identifying tags or writing accession numbers onto objects. Registrars usually prescribe that labelling be carried out with specific materials and defined techniques.

Loan
Usually to lend an object from the collection to another entity for a specified purpose and predetermined (or indeterminate) period of time. Loans are usually made in conjunction with exhibitions, but may be made for long term based on other criteria. Databases used for loan management may oversee the loan process, producing the necessary receipts and documentation. Lists of stipulations may be entered into the loan documentation and contracts as specified in the database. See borrow, for loans to you.

Move
To change the permanent or temporary location of an object and/or any of its constituent parts. Some collection database programs permit moving part of an accession. Objects may be moved from storage to exhibition, to curator's offices, to shipping, to conservation, etc. Movement of objects within an institution is often accompanied by a trail of paper permissions and documentation detailing the reasons for movement, the agent who moves it and the current destination. Object management databases often can produce work-orders to accompany each object movement. See Order.

Observe
To record changes in live or changing specimens.

Obtain Custody
To obtain physical possession of an object. The moment at which an institution assumes legal responsibility for an object. Automated management programs distinguish between works owned by the collection, on loan to the collection, or in deposit in the collection -- even as they are recorded in the same object database. Works not owned but in custody may be documented in just the same way as accessioned works are. Not every object in the database must be or have been in the custody of the museum. Some objects may be entered for comparative reasons.

Order
A directive that some action be taken, as when permission is granted for an object to be removed from permanent exhibit to be taken to conservation, to be placed on loan, accessioned, moved, purchased or removed from the collection. See Move.

Pack
In museums, packing an object for transfer follows accepted guidelines for proper packing and crating procedures. Many automated systems will not issue packing or other orders unless a predetermined set of conditions have been met and permission granted by authorized individuals. Insurers may require that certain packing and transfer procedures be followed. Some database management systems track the inventory and location of packing crates. Exhibit systems often can produce crate lists.

Prepare
Preparation is an activity usually preceding the process of loaning an object, shipping it or placing it on exhibition. Preparation may include a list of tasks to complete before an action can take place or an order for that action be generated. Some of work is done by the preparator, some by the conservator, and some by the curatorial department. See order.

Publish
To refer to a work in a catalogue, a scholarly or popular publication. Museums and collections usually keep a citation file on each of their objects. Automated collection management systems may connect each citation to an entry in a bibliography file, which in turn may be linked to the museum library records. Collection administrators generally cannot control published reference to known works. In contrast, by control of copyrighted illustrations, they may be able to regulate the publication of images and the uses to which they are put. It is common practice to charge fees for commercial use of images.

To prepare publishable lists directly from the collection database. Some exhibition catalogues draw their materials directly from the object records. Such publications make use of "display fields," and special text fields dedicated to holding a publishable object commentary. In addition, some data sets (history of attribution, citation history, etc.) can be output to serve as a basis for catalogue entries and object documentation. For publishing and other uses it is convenient to be able to save a query list and have edit control over the records it contains.

Many museums by themselves or in conjunction with publishers, publish collection catalogues, exhibition catalogues, scholarly materials, and popular or technical journals. Many of these products are edited, promoted and distributed in-house.

Reproduce
Either to produce a facsimile of an object or to publish its image. Reproduction rights are determined by the object's owner, and sometimes by its maker. The photographer of a published photograph may claim rights of publication, too. Automated object management systems can help administer rights and permissions. Lists of stipulations, schedules of fees, availabilities of photographs and negatives can be controlled.

Restore
To return a deteriorated work to its original condition (or to a condition simulating its supposed original state). See conserve.

Retrieve
To take a work from storage to show to an interested observer, to place on exhibit, or to send out. To remove a work from exhibition (usually prematurely) or a permanent display. The computer may store an object's permanent location and its current location. When a work is removed from its usual location, the computer may aid in the production of proper documentation and permissions. See store.

Schedule
Project Planning and Management programs may be used to schedule the loan and exhibition of objects and the processes necessary to make them suitable for loan and travel. All events, including loans, lectures, openings, gallery tours, etc. can be scheduled.SCRIPT

Shelve
To move a work from exhibition or other location to storage. Informally, to stop an action or activity before completion. See store.

Ship
To send a work from the collection to another address. Shipping forms, permissions, insurance and courier service may be recorded and administered by the collection management system. See pack.SOLICIT

Store
To place a work into storage. Object management systems record the permanent location of a stored object, designating, room, shelf number, or drawer. Similarly they may register the warehouse or other external storage facility given custody of the object. When it is time to inventory the collection, lists can be drawn up arranged by storage location. See inventory and retrieve. Storage lists can also be useful in damage assessment and damage control strategies.

Study
To provide direct and/or indirect access to scholars and other interested parties to the collection and/or the collection records. Object management systems can usually be set up to keep certain types of information secure from public access and provide easy means by which non-staff can query the collection database without damaging it or compromising its security. Protected items may include current location, permanent storage location, cost, provenance, value, donor, stipulations, even specific objects, etc. Large collections find that video disk access helps prevent deterioration of objects that may occur with frequent handling. Some systems can monitor the types of questions asked of the collection and report on the use of the information collected by the museum. Visiting scholars are sometimes given the right to record their comments in the collection database. See Survey.

Survey
Provide summary reports of the makeup of the collection. Reports sorted by donor, accession criteria, school, country of origin, size, value, maker, object type, source, even subject matter are permissible. Survey reports may be created on the basis of missing data, or return date of objects out on loan. Some systems compare the catalogue to an inventory to produce lists of objects in need of description or appraisal. Surveys may document and monitor the use of certain exhibits and didactic materials and record information concerning collection usage and museum store sales. "Tickler" reports can survey the dates of object scheduled for loan and produce weekly or daily task lists for staff.

Value
Collection value can be determined from previous appraised valuations by adjusting for factors determined by the elapsed time since the last appraisal, and by considering other intangibles. Valuation reports can be produced and sorted by object location and other fields. The value of an object is generally held to be the sum it could fetch if sold -- as opposed to the appraised value -- which usually estimates the current cost of acquiring an object. The value of a collection may be less than its appraised value. See appraisal and insure.

II. DATA SYSTEMS FOR COLLECTION MANAGEMENT:

Object action history
Some data systems maintain the complete record of what has happened to an object, including where and when and why it was lent, and who authorized it. Action history facilities may keep records on every authorized physical move of an object as well as the history of conservation and treatments.

Exception reporting
When data is not validated on entry or when non-standard values are accepted, it may be necessary to produce lists of data that do not conform to the conventions defined for the database.

Action history by person
A list of every event a particular person or department has authorized, or all data a person has entered or changed.

Location reporting
Report utility that lists permanent and current locations of objects.

Loan step tracking
Each event in a specified sequence must be accomplished and the required permissions granted before an object can be processed for loan. Usually none of the paperwork can be generated that permits a work to be loaned until each predefined task has been performed and the appropriate permissions granted.

Notification of action due dates
When predefined dates are reached, reports are run automatically. "Tickler" reports can remind the collection administrator that specific works are due for return, must be re-appraised, should be inspected, etc.

Index of physical documents
Ownership documents and miscellaneous correspondence not entered into the database can be indexed by subject and reference made to their physical storage location.

Policy statements
Database of collection policies, restrictions and legal requirements can be integrated into production reports and can be made to condition and control the entry of operative data.

Third party histories
History of transactions with shippers, insurers, appraisers, restorers, photographers, curators, and borrowers may be maintained. Accounts may be kept for costs of contracted services.

Part/whole relations
Databases should know when an object is part of one or more larger groups, be they sets determined by accession, acquisition, temporary or permanent exhibit. Sets may include objects not belonging to the museum collection, as when the museum owns one of several chess pieces belonging to a partial set, or one wing of a lost diptych. Loans and other object activities should be able to report on the completeness of any such sets.

adapted from D.Bearman AITR 1,4, p. 63 (1987/88)

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