Hello TMSUSERS -

We have at MFA Houston our own collection of accessioned objects, but are 'home' also to another collection of over 750 works that are accessioned objects of the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation.  It is a totally separate collecting and loaning entity with its own program director and curator, but is housed, exhibited, and managed here.

All of these works are in our TMS database within their own Department and a unique accession number prefix that identifies them.  While all MFAH accessions have that status (Accessioned Object), these are considered 'Temporary Receipts' as the Curator/Director and Registars felt very strongly, and wanted it clear in TMS, that they are not part of the MFAH collection.

For ease of searching in Advanced Query and Query Assistant, checking 'Accessioned Objects Only' is often used and dropping out all of Blaffer in the process.  It seems like we could make it clear enough to users that Blaffer accessions are not MFAH accessions and give them the Accessioned Object status, but there are reasonable arguments for not doing that also.  Again, for the purposes of querying, and separating out objects by status, all seem in favor of changing from Temporary Receipt to something else.

Any other of you with collections parallel to each other like this who might have the same issue?  If you know of some solution you've developed I'd be glad to hear more about it.

I think of something like a 'Collection Level' where you could indicate as accessions of a different entity that might even have Departments of its own and still have the ease for users of clicking 'Accessions Only' and have results across both collections.

Working on our ugrade to 2010 R3.  Users here very excited.


david pearce
collection database administrator
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
PO Box 6826  Houston, Texas  77265-6826
713.353.1509  office


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