We code all of our installations (which we keep in the Exhibitions Module) - and that code is stored in the Mnemonic field (which we renamed "Exhibition Code"). Most institutions use this field for the short-hand of an Exhibit: ie, "Untamed: the Art of Antoine-Louis Barye" was often referred to by staff simply as "Barye" - which became the Mnemonic.

Mnemonics have to be unique - so it sounds like your coding system would probably be matched to the Mnemonics field quite nicely. It ensures that there is only ever one "EX1.2010" Exhibition Record in your database.

Chad Petrovay  |  Collections Database Administrator
MIM-Musical Instrument Museum | 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard  | Phoenix, AZ 85050
480.478.6000 main  |  480.478.6058 direct | 480.471.8690 fax  | www.themim.org


From: The Museum System (TMS) Users [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Suzanne Stephens
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 12:45 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Need Advice on Exhibition Mnemonic Field

I am still cleaning up junky data that was mapped from Argus into the Exhibitions Module, so I don't have any experience with what a good clean exhibition record would look like. However, we are almost ready to start using Exhibitions, and I have one question:

We have always assigned numbers to our exhibitions. The format is very simple (EX1.2010, for example). It looks like the best place to put our number is to use the Exhibition Mnemonic Field. Before we enter a bunch of records, I need to know if other people  use the Mnemonic field for the Exhibition Number or if there is a better place to put the number?

Any thoughts or examples would be greatly appreciated.

Suzanne Voce Stephens
Database Administrator
Birmingham Museum of Art