Today's DAR
Have you spent time exploring the DAR Museum collection in our online database? The information you read in each record was researched and compiled by the curators and the museum registration staff in a process known as cataloging. Why do we catalog objects the way we do, you may wonder? We follow standard museum practices that outline procedures, so we record information about each object in a consistent manner. The information we collect in catalog records enriches the entire collection’s cultural value and allows us to administer the collection responsibly and meaningfully. Within each record we add information on physical data, research, exhibition history, location history, conservation history, publication information and more. For a number of reasons, all of the information we record is not visible to the public online.
Cataloging the DAR Museum Collection
At the DAR Museum, we created a worksheet that provides curators, registration staff and interns with a checklist of fields to enter, and what information should be included in each field. We require that the objects all have a standard object name, category and classification. This sounds easier than it is! How do you decide if a cup is a cup, or a mug, a cann or something else? Like many museums, we use Chenhall’s Nomenclature. A nomenclature is a classification system. We use this guide to put objects into specific categories, and to select the most proper name. Categories and classifications are based entirely on the function of the item. If we use this cup to drink from, then its function is a tool for food service. We also use the most common names for objects so that everyone can find it when searching.
One of the most important fields in the catalog record is the physical description of the object. The object’s name and the material it is made from make up the first part of the description. Then we continue to describe its physical attributes, from largest to smallest. We should be able to visualize the object based on the description. We do not include history or interpretation here. We also need to know if it has any damage, so that we can track any changes over time, and so we can decide if it can be exhibited.
Provenance Narrative is an important field. This is where we tell the history and interpretation of a particular object. We don’t tell the history of cups, for instance. We tell the history of how this particular cup was used and by whom. If George Washington drank out of it, then we record that here. How it was made and by whom is included in Provenance Narrative as well.
Through careful and detailed cataloging we can accurately see what we have in the collection, allowing us to assess its strengths and weaknesses. By cataloging in a database we can better understand what we have, and how it fits into the context of the whole collection. For instance, if we want to know how many silver cups there are, we can search in specific fields and learn that we have ten. Each curator brings expertise in accurately describing and researching items. This makes the collection accessible and searchable, for staff and our online users. And it allows researchers to see the DAR Museum’s amazing collection, which we are always eager to share.
