Acquisition numbers are also used in botany by institutions with living collections such as Arboreta, botanical gardens, etc. to identify plants or groups of plants that are of the same taxon, are of the same type of propagation (or treatment), were obtained from the same source, were received at the same time. [2] Seagrass beds and other botanical establishments that collect non-living material also use acquisition numbers. [3] There are two common approaches: a simple numbering system: for example 14603; 14604; 14605; 14606; 14607 A more common system is the use of the year of membership followed by a serial number: e.g. 1991.3; 1991.4; 1991.5; 1991.6; 1991.7 Ownership transfer numbers are used during the acquisition and membership process. These are the figures on the transfer of the form of ownership that records the transfer of legal title to the object to the museum. The transfer of track numbers can be a simple execution sequence preceded by a “T” that is not added to the object. From a behind-the-scenes perspective, “an access number is essentially a link between an object and its documents,” said Kathryn Press, the museum`s deputy registrar for collections. It also ensures a unique identifier for each item and avoids confusion that could come from familiar or secondary titles or the ever-popular nickname “Untitled”. This is often the best option for long-term curation, as it integrates with existing museum systems and means you don`t have to notice the objects. This is perhaps the preferred method of museums that regularly receive archaeological archives from various sources.
Retention numbers are assigned when an object is retained. If your museum deals with multiple conservation organizations, you can pre-attach an institution code to the assigned number to avoid the risk of duplication. As a general rule, however, renumbering a collection is not worth the time and effort required. It is best to start a new numbering system for new acquisitions and work with existing systems for objects that have already been numbered. Basically, a numbering system should simply aim to provide a unique number for each object. This number associates the object with the information stored about it. If the object can be identified and the accompanying information can be found, it does not matter if the numbers do not run in order or have different shapes. All decisions regarding formats should be recorded in your documentation procedure manual.
The museum accreditation system requires that spectrum “primary procedures” be present in accredited museums – see Accreditation Standard, Requirement 5.2. The primary procedures of the spectrum are the basis of a basic museum documentation system. Numbering systems are used in all major procedures, and you must record top-level policy decisions about your numbering systems in your documentation policy. Museum accreditation also requires that a museum has a documentation process in place that reflects how your museum applies key procedures. You will need to record your museum`s numbering systems and their use in your procedure manual. For more information about how to use how to guide them, see Developing a Documentation Procedure Guide. Temporary numbers are assigned to objects when it comes to backlogs during the inventory process. This is usually a sequence of running numbers, usually preceded by a letter indicating that they are late and temporary, such as B376; B377; B379.
There are two ways to assign access numbers for archaeology: acquisition numbers are used during the acquisition process and when dealing with backlogs in the inventory process. The membership number is the unique number assigned in the accession register and is only used for objects that the museum has officially acquired for long-term collections. Access numbers are assigned by indicating the following number in the order used by the museum. They are always physically attached to or associated with the object, using standard marking and marking techniques. Photo numbers are the numbers given to an image, such as a print, slide, negative or digital image, resulting from the photograph of a museum object during the collection management activity, such as acquisition, conservation, exhibition or condition check. Photo numbers are often determined by the format of the photo and how they are stored. In older institutions, simpler numbering systems are sometimes retained or integrated into newer systems. If the objects are unique, institutions usually have to keep the original number in one form or another, as it has been used in old references that are still useful in science. In particular, manuscript collections use the prefix “MS”, and many well-known manuscripts are known by their older MS numbers, which often contain a prefix for a particular collection within a library. These collections can be divided by former owners, as in the case of several “closed” collections of the British Library, or by language, as in Froissart by Louis de Gruuthuse (BnF MS Fr.
2643-6), indicating a manuscript in two volumes in French at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Between 1960 and 1962, WCMA acquired 396 works of art, including ancient Egyptian amulets, vases from china`s Qing Dynasty, William Morris Hunt`s majestic painting of Niagara Falls, and more. As with all objects included in the collection, upon arrival, the museum assigned them a code – a so-called access number – that recorded both the year and the order in which they were acquired. With the embrace of numbering as an advertising strategy, the access number raises various questions: What has the museum prioritized, why, and what has it overlooked? What works of art do we still enjoy today? And finally, how can we make sense of this archive or any other archive? We explore this last question in a nearby facility that allows the public to organize a digital advertisement. Photos taken for collections management should not be confused with original images that are part of long-term collections. These are always numbered with access numbers, which represent the connection between the object, its documentation, and the associated collection management images. External numbers must be recorded in the object`s catalog entry, even if the museum`s own numbers are used as a reference for the object and applied to the object. In libraries, this numbering system is usually added in addition to the library classification number (or alphanumeric code) and the ISBN or international standard book Number assigned by publishers. Objects acquired by the museum from different sources must be given separate unique access numbers. For example, 4 objects acquired in 1991 from various sources would be numbered: 1999.1; 1999.2; 1999.3; 1999.4.
Entry numbers are used during the procedure for entering spectrum objects and the lending procedure in (loan objects). The admission number indicates a unique first number for each object or group of objects entering the museum – this is the number assigned on the registration form, and it is always added (usually written and bound on a label) to the object when it enters the museum. It identifies objects until they are returned to their owner or officially acquired by the museum. If it is not possible to number each object in a group, assign numbers to groups of objects and note the number of objects in the group on the input form. Starting with Theodore Roosevelt and Howard Taft, the number of messages led by career diplomats increased. From the visitor`s point of view, the access number (also simply called the object number) can offer the opportunity to play detective in galleries. This is because each issue provides clues about how and when each object was added to the collections. Here`s how to decipher access numbers to the Harvard Art Museum: Jett sees this number as a marker of how much the president allows professionals to get the job done. In rare cases, objects may have multiple access numbers. This is the case of 1899.9+1932.49 (Sarcophagus Sections with Men Fighting Amazons), currently exhibited in one of the art galleries of the ancient Mediterranean and the Middle East. What is the significance of the double number of memberships? We can assume that different parts of the object were included in museum collections at different times, once in 1899 and once in 1932. Entry numbers are assigned using the following number in the order used by the museum.
They can be pre-printed on the registration form. When an item is removed from the collection, its number is usually not reused for new items. A membership number can include the year of purchase, sometimes the full date (as at the British Museum) and a sequential number separated by a period. [1] In addition, departments or classifications of works of art within the collection or museum may reserve section numbers.