Hi Chuck and all,
I think greater *access* to information -- whether via in-house collections
information systems and/or public access systems and/or a system that
aggregates data from museums, libraries, and archives -- calls attention to the
way information moves in and out of museums.
This might be information about objects, creators, events, related objects,
etc. Information that is collected, mused over, changed/amended, and
communicated by curators, educators, registrars, information managers,
directors, conservators, and so on. Museums have been musing over, collecting,
and communicating information about their collections for a long time, yes?
Many departments in medium to large museums are responsible for managing the
activities of selection, description, cataloguing, contextualization, and
documentation. Can you map responsibilities for these activities directly to
areas of specialization within libraries and archives? For example, can you
map museum cataloguing to library cataloguing? It probably depends on the
museum and the library.
My point is that it's complicated. It requires expertise. It means
understanding content, context, standards, and audiences. It means working
with colleagues in many different departments to build and share information.
What did I leave out?
My two cents...
Layna White
Head of Collections Information and Access
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
-----Original Message-----
From: Chuck Patch [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Fri 4/23/2004 1:53 PM
To: [email protected]
Cc:
Subject: What's the difference between a registrar and a cataloger?
Sorry, this isn't a joke. But if you have a punch line I'd like to hear
it.
I'm interested in whether there is common agreement among museums where
the
implementation of content and data standards occurs, which prompts a
number
of questions that I'd like to pose to folks who work in museums or
institutions that include museums:
How many people does your institution employ?
Does your institution include library services? If so, are they open to
the
public or only staff?
Does your museum or museum division have a cataloger? If so, what is the
name of the department this person is a part of? Who does he/she report
to?
If your museum does not have a position that is clearly labeled
"cataloger,"
then where does descriptive cataloging take place? In the Collections
Manager's/Registrar's office? In the curatorial departments? Somewhere
else?
Is the person responsible for descriptive cataloging a full-time
cataloger
(regardless of title)? If not, what proportion of their time are they
engaged in creating cataloging records or other descriptive
documentation?
To what extent does your institution implement vocabulary and content
standards such as AAT, ULAN, Nomenclature etc... In other words
standards
that are known to be used in more places than just your own?
I know it's Friday afternoon and I may have to send this out again
Monday
morning to keep it from being buried in weekend spam, but I'd love to
see
some discussion on the list of this topic.
___________________________________
Chuck Patch
director of systems
The Historic New Orleans Collection
(504)523-4662
(504)598-7108 (fax)
www.hnoc.org
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