That is absolutely brilliant!! We have been planning on creating a
'Cataloging Cheat Sheet', but linking specific portions of the manual would
be great. I think I may have to start playing with this first thing
tomorrow!
Thanks,
Diane
==========================================
Diane Lee, Collections Manager * 860-236-5621 x242
Connecticut Historical Society
_____
From: The Museum System (TMS) Users [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Smith, Jeffrey
Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 4:12 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Data Standards Manual
I have found it immensly useful to create the Freer-Sackler manual as web
pages within a simple frameset. This allows me to offer them throughout TMS
via the plugin feature. I just create a plugin called "Database Standards"
and link it to the main index page. As things shift, or new data elements
come into play, I update the various pages. Each page has the date it was
last updated at the top.
This way it's always available & folks have no excuse not to consult it. It
even runs inside of Citrix, for those working at home.
From: The Museum System (TMS) Users [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Milby, Jessica
Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 3:17 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Data Standards Manual
David-
We have many users with access to many TMS fields, so we've had a Style
Guide since we started using TMS. We rely on the curatorial staff to enter
their own cataloging information for instance, so the guide primarily
addresses cataloging.
We don't have a written guide for other fields like valuations, etc., but I
write all of our how-to manuals incorporating data entry style guidelines in
them. It sounds like a pain to write all this documentation, but it's
incredibly valuable to be able to send a pdf to someone who has forgotten
how to do their job ("I noticed you've been entering information as X
instead of x, please see the attached guide"). This is my version of Jeri's
smack on the back of the hand with a pencil (though I imagine the pencil is
more effective...thwack!...awesome).
Most of these manuals were written to address procedural changes, but in
some cases there were guides floating around that I was able to incorporate
and standardize to save myself some time. The Style Guide was created
before my time, and by a committee that did a lot of arguing, but it was
worth the time and. um..."collegial discussion": it's stood with only minor
changes for years. I would highly recommend having a guide and emphasizing
that standards lead to better search results.
--Jessica
______________________
Jessica Milby
TMS Systems Manager
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Phone: 215-684-7283
Fax: 215-235-0035
[log in to unmask]
_____
From: The Museum System (TMS) Users [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Aylsworth, David
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 4:11 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Data Standards Manual
Here's a two part (sorta) question for you all. How many of you have some
sort of data standards style manual that you use to control the types of
data entered in each field, and the style it is entered in? What I am
thinking of is something that would be institution specific that is based on
the Gallery Systems manual, but specific to your own style and methods.
I'm thinking both about points like "when do you use 'Object Name' or
'Title' fields?" as well as "do you capitalize more than the first letter of
the medium field?".
For those of you who do have such a manual, would you be willing or able to
share it with me?
Over time, we've made periodic attempts to make something like this,
assigning a "chapter" on "Valuation and Insurance" to one registrar;
"Medium" to another. The goal has always been to compile these individual
chapters into one huge bible for every field that we use in TMS, and how we
specifically use it here at MFAHouston. We're gradually opening the system
up to a wider circle of users who will be doing their own data entry, so the
need seems to be even greater to have a consistent, institutional approach
to every detail, but maybe I'm being overly dramatic and foreseeing chaos
and the end of the world as I know it if we don't have such a document
before we do this.
I know data standards are a rallying point for a lot of TMS Administrators.
But I don't know how you all have individually addressed the issue. Can you
let me know?
Thanks,
David
David Aylsworth
Collections Registar
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
tel: 713-639-7824
fax: 713-639-7780