Our current model is this.  We have a cataloging manual that is kept in
three places: 

(1) Hard copy in a binder.  Everyone is welcome to one.  Some users love
it and use it all the time.  They have pages bookmarked, add things to
it, etc.  Others put in on their bookshelf and ignore it.

(2) In PDF files on our Intranet.  We have an Intranet link called
"Collection Activity & TMS."  All of the manual chapters and appendices
are there in PDF format, with the pdfs bookmarked.  I created a separate
PDF for each section and appendix (description, title, maker,
provenance, etc., our appendices are all examples).  I also have
non-cataloging help texts here, such as how to search and how to make
object packages.  These pages are not available anywhere in hard copy -
just on the intranet.  

(3) My personal favorite and the most used - each PDF that is on the
intranet is also linked in plug-ins.  So if a user is in TMS and wants
to see examples of other descriptions, the PDF with description examples
is right there under plug-ins.  I have also added other helpful
documents here like our Alt keystrokes cheat-sheet, and our common
photography mediums cheat-sheet.  I also add plug-ins in all of the
places where they might be used - including the bibliography module,
constituents' module, and exhibitions module.

I have also added help texts to the field-level help that Gallery
Systems provides.  These are the yellow boxes that come up when one hits
Shift+F1.  A user here coined these as crib notes.  I keep these really
basic and easy.  The module that gets the most use from these fields is
the bibliography (how to say Volume, how to say Edition, "skip this
field," etc.)  

Of course, the best is to communicate and keep tabs on users who are
inventing their own style.  And having help-texts, manual chapters,
documents, style-sheets, whatever you use, in as many places as possible
also helps.


Ella Rothgangel
Collections Database Administrator
Saint Louis Art Museum
[log in to unmask]


-----Original Message-----
From: The Museum System (TMS) Users [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Ariana French
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 3:12 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: In-house TMS knowledge base?

Hello all,

I'm interested in hearing from anyone who has developed an in-house TMS
knowledge base or similar resource. For example, a collection of
documents,
email or discussion board threads, web site pages, etc. which contain
guidelines for TMS record entry that may be unique to your institution.
We
are finding duplicate efforts and similar questions being asked across
different departments, so I'm interested to know if anyone has had
success
with developing an internal system for communicating TMS-related issues.

My question is this: What has worked for you, & what hasn't? Do you use
an
intranet, a file share for documents, an offline (i.e. paper) resource,
a
combination of these, or another solution? Does a particular application
or
software meet your needs for this purpose?

Many thanks,

Ariana

--
Ariana French
Database Administrator
Yale University Art Gallery
341 Crown Street
New Haven, CT 06520
phone: (203) 432-7914