We have gone round and round about the naming convention for the Locations Authority.

In general, we use the room number followed by the name "157 Crating" and then reiterate the name in the Description field "Crating and Uncrating". Generally the name used in the Room field is more the vernacular used, and the name in the Description field is the more formal name on the wall signage. The use of the room number does create a logical sort order.

Occasionally, we will group rooms together, in which case we do not use a room number in the Site or Room field, such as "Theatre Suite". This suite will encompass the stage, backstage, green room, recording studio, etc, which will be listed in the Description field for clarity.


Chad Petrovay  |  Collections Database Administrator
MIM-Musical Instrument Museum | 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard  | Phoenix, AZ 85050
480.478.6000 main  |  480.478.6058 direct | 480.471.8690 fax  | www.themim.org

Blog: www.petrovay.com/tmsblog

From: The Museum System (TMS) Users [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alexis Lenk
Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2010 10:18 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: "Site" naming conventions

Hello,

I have a question about the "Site" naming conventions people are using in TMS in their Locations. Are your museums indexing the actually room number ("7752") or do you use more familiar names such as "Vault A"? We are in the process of standardizing and I am weighing the pros and cons of our historical use of Site names, any security issues associated with having the room number present in the name, and the need for ease in quickly finding the right location in the building.

Thanks for any answers.

Alexis Lenk
Coordinator, Collection Documentation
Canadian Centre for Architecture
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