In our
catalogue raisonné database we have the equivalent challenge
with ex-collection constituents. We have been
handling it by putting "Private Collection" (or whatever
identification the anonymous owner wants) in the DISPLAY NAME of the constituent
record. This allows us to use the various search fields (e.g. KEYFIELDS,
LAST NAME, FIRST NAME, INSTITUTION) while effectively hiding the name in all
"public" screens and reports.
We
also take the extra precaution of adding a status flag to objects whose current
owners want to remain anonymous. This isn't very good practice from a
database "normalization" standpoint, as it requires extra clerical diligence to
keep the object and constituent data in synch. If the current owner
deaccessions the object we have to clean up the status flags when we change the
role to "previous owner". It's probably just cosmetic, but
we go to the trouble because we are sort of paranoid about
accidentally revealing the name of someone to whom we have promised
confidentiality.
-----Original Message----- From: The
Museum System (TMS) Users [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Ella Rothgangel Sent: Friday, August 06, 2004 8:41
AM To:[log in to unmask] Subject: anonymous
donors
We are looking at the issue of
whether to add the names of anonymous donors into acquisition
constituents.On one hand, we
want to make the donors’ names as anonymous as we can and we have some
trepidation about the anonymity of acquisition constituents.On the other hand, we don’t want to
lose the ability to search for all objects given by a particular donor if all
or some of that person’s donation was anonymous.
Do others include anonymous donor
names in acquisition constituents?