Hi Lauren, As Diane suggested, you may get more responses by posting to the Conservation DistList, but here are my thoughts on the matter.
I added a field for a list of materials used in treatment to the Conservation Module at Shelburne Museum primarily to conform to the American Institute for Conservation's Guidelines for Practice when I write my reports directly into the database. The Guidelines require as a minimum practice that treatment reports must include a list of materials used in that treatment by manufacturer, proprietary name, and, if known, the chemical composition. I also include where I purchased the material. The advantage is that I can use a short name for a material within the treatment summary or detail without having to include all that other stuff. I've got all of my materials in an authority list for the Treatment Materials field so it's a simple search and click to enter them. Speeds up report writing. Having the materials in a separate section means that they're consistently searchable so that we'll be able to track a material's use within the collection. Best, Nancie Ravenel Object Conservator Shelburne Museum Shelburne, VT 05482 (802)985-0889 nrave...@shelburnemuseum.org -----Original Message----- From: mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu] On Behalf Of Lauren Robinson Sent: Monday, April 06, 2015 3:38 PM To: mcn-l@mcn.edu Subject: [MCN-L] Conservation module in database Hello, We are looking at a proposal for the conservation module in our database. The proposal currently separates the following into four fields: Proposed Treatment, Proposed Materials, Treatment, and Treatment Materials. I'm wondering what other institutions follow the practice of separating treatment from treatment materials, and how they find it useful. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks! LAUREN ROBINSON CATALOGING COORDINATOR Museum of the City of New York 1220 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10029 TEL: 917.492.3373 lrobin...@mcny.org NOW ON VIEW Everything Is Design: The Work of Paul Rand<http://www.mcny.org/exhibition/everything-design> Through July 19, 2015 Logos, books, ads & more by a master of American design _______________________________________________ You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu) To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l@mcn.edu To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l The MCN-L archives can be found at: http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/
