AndoverDataEntryProjecT HandbookFor the Andover Historical Society Current 21 July 2011 Sponsored by Mark A. Turdo, Project ManagerWith Peter Barbas, Brittney Buckland, Jane Cairns, Jackie Caldwell, Theresa Conlon, Joshua Dallal, Kyra DeStefano, Ani Geragosian, Robin Grossman, Holly Heinzer, Marilyn Helmers, Barbara Hodgeman, Vecenza Johnson, Roberto Leon, Sarah Lynch, Rachel Macauley, Nikki Manning, Ellen Marcus, Robert Marcus, Cord Ohlenbusch, Joan Patrakis, Rachel Penner, John Powers, Erin Sheehy, Michael Simo, Alex Specht, & Valerie Lavoie
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A ndover D ata E ntry P rojec T at a Glance We are responsible for transferring collections information from paper files to the
PastPerfect database, while addressing relevant curatorial challenges.
We…
• are a temporary, parallel IMLS grant-funded project• are focused solely on the Society’s objects collection
• realize that our work also affects the work of the rest of the Society
• are information curators (not object or research curators)
• balance the quality of each record with the need to finish a quantity of records
• complete each record to the best of our ability within the confines of the source material(s)
• work closely with the collections committee and data entry sub-committee to address
curatorial questions, challenges, and needs
• recognize that collections research is a perpetual pursuit and is never complete, and by
extension neither is a collections database• understand this process is an evolutionary one, which will continue to evolve long after the
project’s conclusion
• understand that the PastPerfect database is not similar to a Google or wiki tool or a
Microsoft product and are mindful that the database’s potential end users may be
Trained Users: who are very familiar with PastPerfect
Experienced Users: who have worked with PastPerfect before
Inexperienced Users: who have not worked with PastPerfect
Goals• To provide increased & efficient access to the Society’s collection for staff, volunteers, and
the Andover community
• To provide a maximum amount of data through a minimum number of fields
• To capture collections information that might otherwise be lost
• To assemble all of the paperwork for each object into a single file while decreasing the
Society’s dependence on paper
• To leave the collections better organized than we found them
• To protect the collection by reducing the need to handle objects
• To create a mission-focused collections review and refinement tool• To create a data entry manual and a user’s manual for the benefit of future staff and
1. Don’t Update Deed of Gift or Thank You Letter: Check box (next to change # button)
2. Received As: Gift (donation), Purchase, or Found in Collection (unknown source)
3. Source: aka donor; From Gift Receipt or Gift Agreement
• Format as Last Name, First Name Middle Name/Initial
• Use “Unknown” when donor information is unavailable
4. Contact: If Source is a company, enter name of the contact person; otherwise leave blank5. Address, City, State, ZIP, Phone Number: From Gift Receipt or Agreement
6. Received By: Staff name on Gift Receipt
7. Accessioned By: AKA Cataloged By, from Worksheet.
• If more than one full name and the other’s initials
• separate with a forward slash (/)
8. Received: From Gift Receipt (field can take one-, two-, or three-part date)
9. Accessioned: From Worksheet
• For two part date enter “01” for day (e.g. MM/01/YYYY)
• For year only enter “01/01/YYYY”10.Deed of Gift Sent: From Gift Agreement (top near donor’s name & address)
11.Deed of Gift Returned: From Gift Agreement (next to donor’s signature)
12.Description of Accession: From Gift Receipt or Agreement
1. Object ID#: Check that number follows format XXXX.XXX.X (e.g. 1992.035.1)
• use leading zeros in second part when necessary (no leading zeroes in third part)
• Use leading zeroes for numbers with four digits in second field
• Some numbers will include four-part numbers (1911.022.2.3)• For multi-part objects (that share one catalog record) with 2 parts use “ab”
• For multi-part objects with more than two parts use a dash between letters use (e.g. “a-d”)
• remove any R, P, or C (click CHANGE ACCESS#,OBEJCT ID, or LOAN button)
2. Home Location: From Worksheet or Index Card
• Use authority file
• Keep pound sign (#) and key in number next to it (do not add a space)
• Delete unnecessary information from authority file entry
3. Date OR Year Range: From Worksheet
•Format circa dates as “1955 c.” (use a single space between date and “c.”)• Use numeric centuries – 1900s instead of 20 th century (no space between date and “s”)
• Place descriptors after date – 1900s early; 1940s mid
• Do not use “c.” if only century is listed – 1900s
• For decades without descriptors use numeric date in date range field – “1950s”
formatted as “1950 – 1959”
• Format three part dates as YYYY/MM/DD (i.e. 1954/07/04)
• For early or late date only use appropriate field in date range
4. Catalog Date: From (original) Worksheet
• For two part dates, use “01” for day (e.g MM/01/YYYY)
• For year only enter “01/01/YYYY”5. Cataloged By: From Worksheet
• For more than one cataloger use Authority File for first cataloger name, add a
slash, and key in second cataloger’s intials (e.g. Pearce, Clark/MCR)
6. Description: Detailed physical description only – from Worksheet or Index Card
Appendix A – Multiple Condition Reports & Conservation Reports
1. Conservator: Person or Company who did the work
2. Report Created By: Person who did the work
3. Date: Date work was created or done
4. Type of Report
• Condition – used like the general condition report to describe the physical
description of the item
• Treatment Proposal: An estimate of the work to be done and or a proposal for
future work
• Treatment Report: Report on work done
5. Description of Condition: Put information here if it is a condition report6. Overall Condition: Pull down menu to set the condition (same as found on condition
report subscreen)
7. Work Required: Put information here if this is a treatment proposal or report
8. Estimated Cost: Put the dollar figured associated with report here