Thanks Jeffrey! That’s a really
interesting spin on the situation… Once we get it written, I like that
approach.
Of course, at this rate, by the
time I have this written for us, we may be using mind melds to communicate the
information, so there won’t be any need for a plugin…
Thanks, though. I really
appreciate your input.
David
From: The Museum System
(TMS) Users [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Smith,
Jeffrey
Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 3:12 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