We keep our in-house TMS documentation on a shared server so that all our
users can access it, and we have to keep reminding our users at TMS user
meetings that it is available there. We did also made the documents
available on our intranet site, but users tended not to remember they
were there either. When I train new staff and interns, I give them
physical binders with the basic docs in them to keep by their computers,
because this seems to be the most effective way of doing it. When I do
more advanced data entry, I give them more documents, punched and ready
to add to their binders. Very low tech.
One thing that has helped is that I have created custom data views along
the lines that Linda Pulliam mentioned (MFA, Boston). There is one called
"Data Entry with Instructions" which has little instructional
labels under each of the fields. There is also a special view with all
the fields that need to be filled for new acquisition forms, with
reminders about where to put provenance, bibliography, etc. These seem to
be quite effective.
Our bi-weekly TMS User Meetings are designed to update our users about
the database, to discuss cataloguing issues, and to answer all kinds of
questions about our database and the way we use it. Often we do
mini-tutorials on features like "How to enter Media and Support in
TMS 9.35". Only a limited number of people show up at these
meetings.
When we need to communicate something to all our users we send an email
to our in-house TMS user list. We hope they all read it, but we don't
know whether they do or not!
Gillian
________________________________________
Gillian McMullen
Collections Information Specialist
Harvard University Art Museums
32 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Tel. 617-496-5136
Fax. 617-495-9936
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