Museum Catalog Record – CR, Form 10-254 Rev. (Figure 3.1) for cultural resources records for archeology, ethnology, history, and archival/manuscript collections
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Chapter 3: Cataloging Page A. Overview 3:1 What is cataloging?.. 3:1 What is the purpose for cataloging?. 3:1 Who uses catalog data?.. ..3:1 Who must follow this chapter?. ..3:2 B. General Information on Cataloging .3:2 What are catalog records?.. .3:2 What is a catalog number?.. .3:2 When do I catalog objects?. .3:3 How do I plan to reduce or eliminate my cataloging backlog?3:3 How can I prevent a future catalog backlog from occurring?.3:3 Where do I get the information for cataloging?.. 3:3 How much time should I spend researching information for the catalog record?3:4 How do I prepare to catalog a collection?. 3:4 Should I develop site-specific cataloging guidelines?. 3:4 What is the National Catalog of Museum Objects?. 3:5 Do I need to restrict access to catalog data? ..3:5 How do I provide access to the park™s catalog data? ..3:6 C. Cataloging Procedures 3:6 Should I use a worksheet when cataloging collections?3: 6 What is a catalog folder?.. .3:6 How do I complete a catalog record?. .3:7 How can I gain preliminary control for new accessions?..3 :7 What if I have unverified data?.. .3:8 What if I need to add or change information on the catalog record?..3:8 Can I catalog objects that are alike on the same catalog record?3:8 How do I catalog objects with detachable parts?. .3:8 Should I photograph objects while I’m cataloging?.. 3:8 Are there times when I don™t need to photograph collections?..3:9 When do I mark an object with a catalog number?. 3:9 What do I do with catalog data that I receive from centers, contractors, and other sources outside the park?. ..3:10 What is the relationship between the NPSpecies database and my catalog records?.3:10 D. Tracking Catalog Numbers 3:10 Can I release catalog numbers in advance?.. .3:10 When should I release catalog numbers outside the park?3:10 How should I track the catalog numbers I release?.. ..3:11 How can I find the last catalog number I used?.. ..3:11 May I reuse catalog numbers?.. .3:11 What if I have missing catalog numbers? .3:12 What if I have duplicate catalog numbers?. .3:12 How should I cross-reference catalog numbers with the accession records?..3:12 E. Cultural Resources (CR) Catalog Data Fields ..3:12 Where do I find the data fields for CR catalog records? 3:12 What are the data fields for CR catalog records?. 3:12 What are the discipline-specific fields for archeology records?.3: 14 What are the discipline-specific fields for ethnology records?3 :14 What are the discipline-specific fields for history records? ..3:14
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What are the discipline-specific fields for archival/manuscript records in the Collections Management Module? 3:15 What is the Archives Module in ANCS+?.. 3:15 Must I catalog archival/manuscript collections in the ANCS+ Archives Module?.3:15 Where can I find information about the CR discipline classifications?..3:16 F. Natural History (NH) Catalog Data Fields 3:16 Where do I find the data fields for NH catalog records? 3:16 What are the data fields for NH catalog records?. 3:16 What are the discipline-specific fields for biology records? .3:17 What are the discipline-specific fields for geology records? 3:17 What are the discipline-specific fields for paleontology records?.3:1 8 Where can I find information about the NH classifications and cataloging?..3:18 G. Making Changes on the Catalog Record .3:18 How do I make and track changes to a catalog record?..3:18 How do I change manual records that are not in ANCS+?..3:19 What is recataloging? ..3:19 Do I submit the records I changed to the National Catalog?..3:2 0 Does the National Catalog print archival copies of recataloged records?3:20 Does the National Catalog print archival copies of records with minor modifications?.3:20 Can I make changes to the NPS classification systems?.3:2 0 Can I make changes to the object name lists?. .3:20 H. Submitting Catalog Records to the National Catalog .3:20 Must I submit catalog records to the National Catalog?3 :20 Why must I submit my catalog records to the National Catalog?.3:21 When do I submit my database to the National Catalog?3:21 What do I submit to the National Catalog?. ..3:21 How do I prepare the data for submission?. 3:22 How do I prepare the receipt for property? 3:22 Where do I send my submission? .3:22 What happens to my records at the National Catalog?.3: 23 What should I do with the blue copies of my catalog records?..3:23 Does the National Catalog print white cardstock classification copies of catalog records?3:23 I. List of Figures 3:24
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BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR NPS CATALOGING Catalog all objects, specimens, and archival and manuscript collections that are part of the park™s museum collection. Accession objects before you catalog them. Refer to Chapter 2: Accessioning. Catalog museum collections as soon as you are able. Make sure that contracts and permits that produce museum collections include the requirement to catalog the collections. Classify museum collections by discipline: archeology, ethnology, history (including archival and manuscript collections), biology, geology, or paleontology. Refer to the appropriate appendix in the handbook for information on each discipline. Enter all catalog records into ANCS+. Paper catalog records are optional. To complete a catalog record, follow the: guidelines in this chapter and Appendix C of this handbook instructions in Chapter 2: Cataloging, in the ANCS+ User Manual on-line field help in ANCS+ regional and/or park-specific cataloging guidelines, if applicable Make sure the catalog record is accurate and understandable to someone looking for information about the object. Use lot cataloging to catalog like objects in groups, rather than cataloging them individually. Refer to Appendix I in this handbook for guidelines on lot cataloging. You must catalog all archival and manuscript materials at the collection level. Assign only one catalog number to the entire collection. Don™t individually catalog the pieces of the collection. Further describe the collection at the series, file unit, and item level in the Archives Module, if recommended by the archival survey. Assign a catalog number to each object or group of objects. Mark the catalog number on the object as part of the cataloging process. Refer to Appendix J in this handbook for marking techniques. Keep track of the catalog numbers you use, including those you release in advance to NPS repositories and contractors. If possible, photograph objects as part of the cataloging process. Refer to Appendix K in this handbook for basic instructions on record photography. Make changes to the catalog record as needed to keep the data on the record accurate and current. Submit a copy of your ANCS+ database to the National Catalog each year. Submit the database even if your park had no cataloging activity during the year. Include any new or recataloged records in a tag file within the database.
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NPS Museum Handbook , Part II (2000) 3:1 CHAPTER 3: CATALOGING A. Overview 1. What is cataloging? For National Park Service (NPS) museum collections, cataloging is the process of recording detailed information about individual items or groups of related items. Cataloging also includes assigning a unique identifying number to the item or group of items. You must have museum catalog records for all objects, specimens, and archival/manuscript collections in your park’s museum collection. The information on the catalog records may be as important as the items themselves. Note: You can catalog some objects and specimens in lots. Refer to Appendix I: Lot Cataloging, for guidelines on how to determine which items you can lot catalog. 2. What is the purpose for cataloging? Catalog records give you access to information about your museum collection for research and interpretation. They are also the primary property accountability records for museum objects. Catalog records tell you what objects you have, their condition, and where they’re located. They provide physical and intellectual access to your museum collection. 3. Who uses catalog data? Numerous people and institutions use data from your catalog records, including: NPS staff, (curatorial and interpretive staff, cultural and natural resource managers, archeologists, scientists, ethnographers, archivists, and the superintendent) exhibit planners conservators students researchers general public regional and Washington office staff educational, cultural, or scientific institutions (such as, museums, historical societies, and universities) You must catalog all archival and manuscript materials at the collection level. This means that you assign one catalog number to the entire collection. Don™t individually catalog the pieces of the collection. You can further describe a collection at the series, file unit, and item level by using the ANCS+ Archives Module. Archivists generally describe very few collections at the item level. See Appendix D in this handbook for additional information about cataloging archives.
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3:2 NPS Museum Handbook , Part II (2000) 4. Who must follow this chapter? The staff person or persons responsible for the museum collection must follow this chapter to catalog museum collections. You must catalog all objects that are part of the park™s museum collection. Note: You don™t have to catalog short-term incoming loans that are at the park for less than a year. You must accession all incoming loans and track them using an incoming loan agreement. Refer to Chapter 2 in this handbook for information on incoming loans. Objects at a park for less than thirty days are in temporary custody and don™t require a loan agreement. Refer to Section B.10 in Chapter 2 of this handbook. See Section A.6 of Chapter 1 in this handbook for information on staffing requirements for museum collections. B. General Information on Cataloging 1. What are catalog records? Catalog records are both paper and electronic records. The NPS uses Form 10-254 to print catalog records. The form has two formats: Museum Catalog Record Œ CR, Form 10-254 Rev. (Figure 3.1) for cultural resources records for archeology, ethnology, history, and archival/manuscript collections. Museum Catalog Record Œ NH, Form 10-254B Rev. (Figure 3.2) for natural history records for biology, geology, and paleontology. The electronic catalog record is part of the cultural resources and natural history databases in ANCS+. Note: The electronic catalog record has more fields than the paper record. The Form 10-254 contains basic catalog data. The electronic catalog record includes separate screens for discipline-specific and park-specific data. You can print all the data in the record using the All Fields report in ANCS+. This report is not the official catalog record. 2. What is a catalog number? A catalog number is the unique identification number for a particular item or group of items. You mark the catalog number on the object, and create a catalog record for each number. The number links the object and the documentation. Refer to Section C.11 in this chapter for information on marking the catalog number on the object. Note: The catalog number identifies the object or group of objects. The accession number identifies the transaction that established NPS ownership of the object or group of objects. You must enter all catalog records into ANCS+, the NPS collections management software program. The use of paper records at the park is optional. The National Catalog prints and archives paper copies o f all catalog records.
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NPS Museum Handbook , Part II (2000) 3:3 3. When do I catalog objects? If possible, catalog objects when you accession them. Parks frequently have backlogs of cataloging to complete. Make a plan for reducing or eliminating the backlog, since it™s hard to access and account for uncataloged collections. You must report the number of objects that you cataloged and the number of objects in the backlog each year on the Collections Management Report (CMR). Refer to Section VIII in Chapter 4 of this handbook for information on the CMR. 4. How do I plan to reduce or eliminate my cataloging backlog? Planning for cataloging projects is part of the normal planning, programming, and budgeting process for any park. Be sure to include projects for cataloging the museum collection in the park™s Resource Management Plan and Project Management Information System (PMIS). You will have to estimate the size and cost of the project and the time it will take to complete. You will also have to justify why the work needs to be done. Note: Your current Collections Management Report (CMR) will have the number of items, by discipline, in the backlog. You may need to make adjustments to your CMR figures if you find additional items that you need to catalog. To get an idea of the size of the job, locate all the materials that you need to catalog. Make sure that you have accessioned all items. Remember to include: archival collections that may be in offices or storage spaces large, mobile items that might be outside, such as farm machinery representative pieces of historic building fabric or architectural material Give an estimate of the number of items in each discipline (such as biology or archives) that you need to catalog. The cost of cataloging varies by discipline. Refer to Appendix B in this handbook for information on estimating cataloging costs. 5. How can I prevent a future catalog backlog from occurring? It™s important to keep your backlog from growing larger in the future. This may not be possible if you receive a large accession of materials. However, you can address the backlog of project-generated collections. Make sure all contract agreements and permits include the requirement to catalog all collections that the project generates. 6. Where do I get the information for cataloging? Cataloging museum objects involves gathering and recording information from: physical observation accession records associated documentation
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NPS Museum Handbook , Part II (2000) 3:5 lists of eminent figures and organizations that are relevant to the park standard descriptions for various types of materials Some regions provide regional guidelines for cataloging certain types of materials, such as archeology. Note: Site-specific cataloging guidelines may supplement, but not replace, the NPS cataloging procedures in this handbook and the ANCS+ User Manual. Appendix C in this handbook has information on uniform ways to describe and measure objects. 10. What is the National Catalog of Museum Objects? The National Catalog of Museum Objects is one of the required NPS inventories and databases. It includes all catalog records for cultural objects, archival and manuscript materials, and natural history specimens in NPS museum collections. The National Catalog office is part of the Museum Management Program, National Center for Cultural Resources. The office is in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. It serves as an off-site repository for your park™s paper catalog records and electronic catalog record databases. The National Catalog helps provide accountability, security, and preservation for electronic and paper catalog records and access to catalog data. The data would otherwise only be located at parks. The National Catalog protects park data during emergencies, disasters, or computer crashes. Refer to Section H of this chapter for information on submitting catalog records to the National Catalog. 11. Do I need to restrict access to catalog data? You should make most catalog data available to the public. However, you must restrict access to some types of location data. You are required by law to restrict access on the location data for: archeological excavations, including shipwrecks Œ Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) of 1979 (16 USC 470) cave and cave resources Œ Federal Cave Resources Protection Act of 1988 (16 USC 4301-4309) historic resources at risk of harm, theft, or destruction ŒNational Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (16 USC 470-470t, 110) You should also place restrictions on the following location data. However, these data may be subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Indian sacred sites ŒExecutive Order 13007 Œ Indian Sacred Sites (May 24, 1996) nesting sites or specific habitat on threatened and endangered species Œ Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 USC 1531-1543)
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3:6 NPS Museum Handbook , Part II (2000) You may withhold the following information from a FOIA request unless the Secretary approves release. information concerning the nature and specific location of mineral or paleontological specimens or objects of cultural patrimony within units of the NPS or resources that are endangered, threatened, rare, or commercially valuable Œ National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998 (16 USC 5937) Use common sense when providing catalog data to the public. You should exclude current location and value data from general viewing. 12. How do I provide access to the park™s catalog data? ANCS+ has a public search function that allows researchers or non-museum staff to search the park™s catalog data. You can choose which data fields on the catalog record are visible. Refer to Appendix C in the ANCS+ User Manual for information on using the public search function. C. Cataloging Procedures 1. Should I use a worksheet when cataloging collections? Use of a worksheet is optional. You can enter catalog data directly into ANCS+. Catalog worksheets for each discipline came with your ANCS+ User Manual . Contact the National Catalog office if you need additional copies. 2. What is a catalog folder? A catalog folder is an archival folder that holds information that isn™t contained on the catalog record. File the folder in numerical order by catalog number. Mark the catalog number on the folder using permanent ink. You can also write fiCatalog Folderfl on the tab. Note: The ANCS+ catalog record includes a Catalog Folder field to tell you if you there is a catalog folder corresponding to the catalog record. Typical contents of a catalog folder may include: research notes or reports on a specific object that is not part of a systematic collection Note: Catalog the notes and reports from systematic collections as part of the associated records for the project. For example, a large archeological project may have a research report or chemical analysis for thousands of objects. In such cases, catalog the information as archives. conservation records, such as an object treatment request, condition report, treatment proposal, and conservation treatment report chemical analysis appraisals exhibition documentation Proof of ownership and accession-related documentation always remain in the accession folder.
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NPS Museum Handbook , Part II (2000) 3:7 publicity or other photographs (see Appendix K: Photography, for filing documentation photos) in protective enclosures material samples, such as upholstery, fabric, or paint publication citations If possible, items in the catalog folder should be on acid-free paper. Store catalog folders in a separate drawer in the same, or similar, insulated and fireproof locking file as the accession file. 3. How do I complete a catalog record? Refer to the appropriate section in Chapter 2: Cataloging, in the ANCS+ User Manual . The chapter contains a section for each discipline. ANCS+ also contains on-line field help for each field on the catalog record. To save a record, you must enter data in all the mandatory fields. Refer to Sections E and F of this chapter for a list of the mandatory fields. You will probably not have enough data on most objects to complete every non-mandatory field on the catalog record. Enter data in the fields for which you have information. The types of data that you record will vary between disciplines. Cite the sources of your data as needed. Be accurate and thorough. Proof your work. Inaccurate or incomplete cataloging can result in unnecessary confusion in later years. Spelling errors make your work look unprofessional. Remember that other people, such as researchers, internet users, or park staff, may eventually see your work. Make sure the catalog record is clear and understandable to someone looking for information about the object. Refer to Appendix C: Cataloging Guidelines, in this handbook for information on: how to record dimensions and weight in a consistent format the types of questions to ask when cataloging an object uniform techniques for description terms to use when describing condition 4. How can I gain preliminary control for new accessions? You may not have time to do detailed cataloging when you accession an object. However, you can gain basic accountability for the object by completing the mandatory fields on the catalog record. Refer to Sections E and F of this chapter for a list of mandatory fields. If you have a catalog record in ANCS+, the program will: do searches for the data get automated data from the record for the Automated Inventory Program (AIP) automatically include the data in the CMR
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3:8 NPS Museum Handbook , Part II (2000) use the data in reports Note: You will have to go back to the record to complete the full cataloging at some point. You can™t use Backlog Cataloging (BACAT) funds for partially cataloged items. 5. What if I have unverified data? It’s important to note when data are unverified. Use a question mark fi?fl or attributed fi(att)fl to show data that are probable but not certain. 6. What if I need to add or change information on the catalog record? Cataloging is a continuing process. You may receive additional information about an object, or discover that information on the record is incorrect. You can add, change, or delete information on the catalog record at any time. The Catalog Notes supplemental record in ANCS+ allows you to keep track of changes to the record. Refer to Section II in Chapter 3 of the ANCS+ User Manual for information on the Catalog Notes supplemental record. Refer to Section G in this chapter for information on recataloging. 7. Can I catalog objects that are alike on the same catalog record? This depends on the objects. Refer to Appendix I: Lot Cataloging, in this handbook for guidelines on when to lot catalog similar objects. Refer to Appendix C: Recommended Cataloging Guidelines, in this handbook for information on cataloging pairs and sets of objects. 8. How do I catalog objects with detachable parts? Catalog detachable parts as components of the object. Refer to Appendix C: Recommended Cataloging Guidelines, in this handbook for information on cataloging objects with component parts. 9. Should I photograph objects while I’m cataloging? Yes. Photograph most objects as part of the cataloging process. You should have a permanent space in the cataloging area for photographing objects. However, you may have to set up photography sessions as time, staff, and funding permit. Photographs can aid you in: describing an object recording condition recovering a lost or stolen object preserving the object by reducing the need to handle it A complete record of an object generally requires both a photograph and a catalog record with a cross-reference between the two. It is highly recommended that you photograph all controlled property: items with a value over $1,000 firearms type specimens incoming loans (with the exception of incoming loans to NPS repositories) items especially vulnerable to theft, loss, and damage
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