Standard Documentation Practices of

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Standard Documentation Practices of Philippine
Museums An Analysis by Francisca
Flores-Caberoy ___________________
_ A paper presented to the International
Council of Museums (ICOM)-Committee on Museum
Documentation (CIDOC) Collecting Ideas,
Connecting Ideas, August 25, 2000, during the
conference held in Ottawa, Canada from August
22-26, 2000
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Acknowledgment
Alberta Museums of Canada National Commission for
Culture and the Arts National Museum of the
Philippines ICOM-CIDOC Organizing
Committee Philippine Embassy in Ottawa,
CanadaAmbassador Francisco l. BenedictoConsul
General Susan O. Castrenceand the Zabala
Family, Scarborough, Canada
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Standard Documentation Practices of Philippine
Museums An AnalysisbyFrancisca
Flores-Caberoy

• O U T L I N E
• I. Introduction
• A. Profile of Philippine Museums
• B. Background of the Study
• II. Standard Documentation Practices
• A. Registration and Record Keeping
• Standard Tools Needed Registration
  Book, Deposit/Loan Form,
• Glossary of
  Selected Documentation Terms
• 1. Basic
• 2. Intermediate
• 3. Advance
• B. Cataloguing
• Standard Tool Needed Guideline in
  Cataloguing
• 1. Basic
• 2. Advance
• III. Recommendations and Challenges

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Profile of Philippine Museums

• Types of Museum/Collections
• Historical/Memorabilia -
• garments, documents,
• paraphernalia, etc. used
• by heroes and personages
• in history.
• Ethnological - material
• culture of ethnic groups
• Archaeological - rare,
• outstanding archaeological
• artifacts retrieved through
• land and underwater archaeology
• Ecclesiastical/Religious -
• religious articles, images,
• vestments, altars, church
• decors, chandeliers, etc.

• First Museums
• National Museum of the Philippines -established
  in 1901-
• University of Santo Tomas (UST) - 1897 but opened
  to the public in the early 1990s
• Museums According to Funding Source
• Government/Public - 40 (68)
• Private - 45 (75)
• Semi-Private - 15 (25)

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• Art Gallery -
• significant paintings, sculptural works,
• etc. worthy of museum study,
• exhibition and conservation
• Science and Technology -
• materials explaining
• scientific principles
• and phenomena
• including natural
• history collections
• Other S T museums zoo botanical gardens,
  parks and
• wildlife sanctuaries, theme park
• University/School Museumbooks,
• documents, photos of founders, equipment,
  furniture, art and other collections like natural
  history

• Military, Police and Veterans - materials and
  equipment
• used by military, police
• Money Museum -
• old money-bills
• and coins, artworks
• used in making money
• Stamp Museum -
• rare/unique,
• important stamp
• artworks used in
• making stamps

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Background of the Study

• National Survey Conducted 1993-1995
• Questionnaire - 44 items Basic -26 Intermediate
  - 12 Advance - 6
• Self-Evaluation Checklist for Standard
  Documentation Practices
• of Alberta Museums of Canada used as model
• Methods of Research - Survey, Descriptive,
  Delphi analysis for the result
• Delphi- 1st round - refinement of Cataloguing
  Form
• 2nd round - identification of
  necessary tools for documentation and final
  
• selection of standard
  practices appropriate for Philippine Museums
• Museum Respondents - 71 (42.01 ) Total museums
  169
• Results
• 23 Philippine museums found high to moderate
  similarity with the Alberta Museums
• UPLB Museum of Natural History had the highest
  similarity at 93.18 (41 yes responses)
• Philippine Museums in general have moderate
  similarity at 54.00 ( n 1687 )
• Registration and Record Keeping - most similar at
  58.13 ( n 1073 )
• Cataloguing - moderately similar at 49.88 ( n
  425 )
• Loans, inventory,de-accessioning - second
  moderately similar at 44.3 ( n 189 )

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Necessary Tools for Documentation

Registry Book - log book upon entry of object in
the collection
(both for temporary and
permanent), sequential record listing
each accession as it is accepted
to museums permanent
collection, contains
some important data only Catalogue Form -
written record of object,
data in ink, contains
all important data
including negative and
photo/sketch Deposit Form -
receipt for outgoing museum object
relative to loan of collection to
other people or
institution, contains date, name
and signature of person/institution,
description and present
condition of object,
insurance value Loan Form - record containing
agreement for loan,
important data of relevant object(s) for
loan, signed by both parties
(loaning/
borrower)

• Glossary of Selected Terms - listing with
  description of selected terms commonly used in
  museum documentation appropriate for each museum
  type , i.e. historical, ethnological,
  archaeological, art, etc.
• Guidelines in Cataloguing - a set of standard
  rules and guidelines in accessioning,
  classifying, objects, and where to put the
  accession number, etc.

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Standard Documentation Practices

• Registration and Record Keeping
• Standard Tools Needed Registry Book, Catalogue
  Form, Deposit/Loan Receipt, Glossary of Selected
  Terms
• Registration and record keeping assigned to a
  specific individual
• Registration and record keeping are written in a
  Registry Book as defined in the Collections
  Management Manual
• Museum has written loan policy
• Maintain registration of all loans
• Deposit receipt issued for incoming materials on
  loan
• Method of identifying incoming objects on loan
• Each donated object has signed loan/donation
  agreement
• Records containing loan information kept in a
  separate loan file
• Accession register is written in permanent ink
• Second copy of museum accession register kept
  off-site,ideally in a fire-proof vault
• Assign a unique number to every object acquired
  in the collection
• The unique number applied to an object is
  attached consistently according to conservation
  practices
• Source of each object noted in a registry book
• Master file made for each object
• Files kept for each artist/maker represented in
  the collection
• Nomenclature adopted to maintain a controlled
  vocabulary
• All de-accessioning instances recorded

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• Registration and
• Record Keeping
• Intermediate Standard Practices
• Registration unit established
• Separate index by object source or donor list
  maintained
• Advanced/specialized Standard Practices
• Tools needed Computer/relevant program
• Records computerize

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Cataloguing Basic Standard Practices Tools
needed Guidelines in Cataloguing Objects
catalogued as fully as possible, according to
outlined procedure Cataloguing system provides
for ready retrieval of information Museums
curatorial staff and volunteers trained in
cataloguing and in retrieval of data Museum
records kept secured, maintain controlled access
to records that included confidential
information Provision made for updating
records Object classification system used in
registration and record keeping Conduct basic
inventory periodically Advanced Standard
Practices Tools needed computer/program
Catalogue records computerized
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• Recommendations
• Dissemination of the standard practices to all
  museums through publication
• Institutionalization of the standard
  documentation practices to Philippine museums
  including the standard registry book,
  catalogue/deposit/loan forms, glossary of
  selected terms and guidelines in cataloguing in
  the future
• Writing and publication of books on selected
  documentation terms and guidelines for cataloguing

• Challenges
• Perennial budgetary constraint to conduct
  research, writing of necessary publications and
  skills training to museum staff doing
  documentation work
• Lack of museum professionals interested to
  conduct research and skills training on
  documentation since cultural institutions do not
  have funds for these activities, more so for fees
  of qualified museum professionals
• Not much support from the government cultural
  agencies and other museums for the
  institutionalization of the said standard
  documentation practices among Philippine museums
  

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• R e f e r e n c e s
• Ambros T. (1987) New Museums A Start Up Guide.
  (First Publication)
• Scottish Museums Council, Country House
  Edinburgh. Edinburgh.
• Caberoy, F.F. (1995). A National Survey on
  Standard Documentation Practices
• of Philippine Museums. (unpublished)
• _______ (1997). Standard Documentation
  Practices of Philippine Museums.
• NCCA. Manila, Philippines.
• Cabuay, A. (1993) Museum Forms and Records.
  Lecture delivered in
• in Intramuros, Manila in June 1993.
  (unpublished)
• Cato, P.S. (1993) The Relationship Between the
  Type of Institutional
• Characteristics, Museum Curatorship and
  Management. Vol. II No. 2
• Davis, A.A. (Ed.)(1991). Standard Practices
  Handbook for Museums (Self
• Evaluation Checklists).
  Canada Alberta Museums Association.
• Horvat, M. (1993). Museum Documentation and
  Information System. CIDOC
• Newsletter. Vol. 4 pp. 22-24. July issue.
• Peralta, J.T. (1993).
  Handbook for Small Museums. NCCA, Philippines.
• Perkins, J. (1992).
  Computers II Computer Interchange of Museum
  Information
• (CIMI). Museum Curatorship
  and Management. Vol.II No.2 pp.206-207.

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