Description
Cataloging may not be the most exciting museum task, but it is among the most important. Without a clear knowledge of your holdings, you can’t protect, care for, research or exhibit them. Without knowledge of an item’s history, you can’t properly appreciate its value to your museum. Cataloging Your Collection covers all details needed to catalog a collection. Procedures for handling, measuring and describing all types of objects and materials are discussed in detail. Participants receive sample forms and learn the best practices for numbering artifacts, performing inventory and assessing the condition of objects. Participants practice describing everyday objects and cataloging items from their own collections or households.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction: Policy and Mission
2. Cataloging: Why Do We Catalog Our Artifacts?
3. Forms
4. Numbering
5. Handling
6. Conservation and Storage
7. Inventories
8. Cataloging
9. Considerations for Specific Objects
10. Summary