Documentation – How much is enough? Dr Penny Berents Head of Natural Science Collections

1. Documentation – How much is enough? Dr Penny Berents Head of Natural Science Collections Australian Museum 9th Australasian EMu Users meeting, 21 July 2010

2. Documentation • Documentation is the proof of • what a collection object is, • where it came from, • what has happened to it, • and who owns it.

3. Documentation How much is enough?

4. Documentation • Scientist • Documentation is the proof of • what a collection object is, • where it came from, • what has happened to it, • and who owns it.

5. Documentation • Auditor • Documentation is the proof of • what a collection object is, • where it came from, • what has happened to it, • and who owns it.

6. Documentation • Collection Manager • Documentation is the proof of • what a collection object is, • where it came from, • what has happened to it, • and who owns it.

7. Classification ‘The Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge’

8. Those that tremble as if they were mad ???? Those that have just broken a flower vase ????? Others Those included in the present classification ???

9. Example of picture positioning, full page

10. Australian Museum Collections

12. Example of picture positioning

14. ICAC Report 2003

17. Example of picture positioning

18. Documentation How much is enough?

19. Conclusions • The balancing act • Use of the collection vs bean counting • Sharing data vs quality and accuracy • Future requirements

20. Acknowledgments • Dr Sandy Ingleby - Collection Manager, Mammalogy • Dr Walter Boles – Collection Manager, Ornithology • Simmons, JE, Things Great and Small – Collection Management Policies. American Association of Museums, 2006. • www.icac.nsw.gov.au/

21. Thank you www.australianmuseum.com.au