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