<div dir="ltr">On Thu, Aug 14, 2014 at 10:18 AM, Bentley, Andrew Charles <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:abentley@ku.edu" target="_blank">abentley@ku.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br><div class="gmail_extra"><div class="gmail_quote">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)">The first is numbering systems... The only one that works effectively is a simple number. The more complex a number becomes (adding delimiters or sub numbers or sub-sub numbers) the more error prone the possibilities become. Not only
that, but it is no longer a number (in digital jargon) but is now a string which has all sorts of other implications in the digital world.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black" lang="EN-AU"> </span></p></div></div></blockquote><div>Thanks for your response, Andy. In support of simple numbering systems, it is worthwhile to take a step back and remember that we use numbering systems to identify specimens (be it individuals or lots)--specimen numbers no longer need to convey information, just serve as identifiers.<br>
<br>Historically, complex numbering formats conveyed information about the objects or specimens by incorporating dates, accession numbers, and so forth (e.g., 2014.11.3) or linkage (e.g., 2014.11.3.a). These numbering schemes were very useful at the time they were developed. However, now that we have good electronic databases, it is no longer advantageous to use complex numbers to show linkage between specimens as the database can do that for us better, more completely, and more accurately. <br>
<br>There are many advantages to using a simple, sequential numbering system, including the reduction of errors (as Andy mentioned) but also to reduce the size of the label (complex numbers require more space on a label or tag).<br>
<br></div><div>Despite the decades of use of electronic databases in museum collections, we still have an annoying tendency to try to duplicate our old pencil and paper systems, rather than to use electronic systems to help make collections management easier and with fewer errors.<br>
<br></div><div>--John<br></div><div> <br>John E. Simmons<br>Museologica<br>128 E. Burnside Street<br>Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823-2010<br><a href="mailto:simmons.johne@gmail.com" target="_blank">simmons.johne@gmail.com</a><br>
303-681-5708<br><a href="http://www.museologica.com" target="_blank">www.museologica.com</a><br>and<br>Adjunct Curator of Collections<br>Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery<br>Penn State University<br>University Park, Pennsylvania<br>
and<br>Instructor, Museum Studies<br>School of Library and Information Science<br>Kent State University<br>and<br>Lecturer in Art<br>Juniata College<br>Huntingdon, Pennsylvania<br></div></div></div></div>