Discussion

Used to identify, measure, value, and locate our artifacts, there are few collections management debates as interesting and frustrating as those around numbers. While standards may be agreed on in principle, in practice they can be difficult to maintain. The CollectionSpace project team is mindful of these issues, and so is striving to create a system that:

• Adapts to support the user, rather than requiring the user to adapt to it
• Lessens operator error through intelligent user interfaces and system customization
• Supports the management of legacy and alternate numbering systems
• Is extensible, adapting to new descriptive needs

Types of Numbers

Contact Information

Dates

Extent

Identification Numbers

Locations (GIS)

Measurements

Reference Numbers

Unique ID Numbers

Values