CIDOC Guidelines for Museum Object Information: Object Collection Information Group

This page is part of the International Guidelines for Museum Object Information: The CIDOC Information Categories: a description of the Information Categories that can be used when developing records about the objects in museum collections. For an outline of the Information Groups and Categories in the Guidelines, turn to the introductory list.

Object Collection Information Group

Purpose:

Origin information supports Security, Accountability, Access, and an Historic archive. It can be applied to collections management areas as well as object history and description areas. It supports the documentation of the collection or the discovery of natural science specimens and archaeological and ethnographical objects and can be recorded for all types of collection disciplines.

Information categories:

Collection place
Collection date
Collector
Collection method

Examples:

Collection place: Nebraska
Collection date: 1992-03-01
Collector: Smith, C.S.
Collection method: excavation

Notes:

• Additional detail may be required by natural science and archaeological collections in order to describe more precisely the details of collection or excavation.

Collection place

Alternate names:

Excavation place

Definition:

The name of a place associated with the excavation or collection of the object or specimen.

Examples:

Karystos/Evia/Greece/Europe
Spurn Point/North Humberside/England/Europe

Notes:

• To record information about specific places, separate each component of a place using the same character, such as a slash.
• It is recommended that controlled terms are used for this Information Category. Refer to the "Content and terminology control" section in the Introduction for further guidance on sources of controlled terminology.

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Collection date

Definition:

The date or date range associated with the excavation or collection of the objector specimen.

Examples:

c.1883
1956-01-21

Notes:

• Always use the same format when recording dates.
• Always record all four digits for the year of a date, e.g., 1994, not '94.
• Be as precise as possible when recording dates. It may be necessary to record ranges of dates or to otherwise qualify the date recorded in some way. If so, always use the same method of indicating any qualification.

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Collector

Alternate names:

Excavator

Definition:

The person, group, or organization associated with the excavation or collection of an object or specimen.

Examples:

Iroquois
Heals Ltd
Jones, I

Notes:

• It is recommended that a controlled list of authorized names is used for this Information Category. Refer to the "Content and terminology control" section in the Introduction for further guidance on sources of controlled terminology.

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Collection method

Definition:

The means by which an object or specimen was collected.

Examples:

excavated
found
trapped

Notes:

• It is recommended that controlled terms are used for this Information Category. Refer to the "Content and terminology control" section in the Introduction for further guidance on sources of controlled terminology.

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Move to outline of the Information Groups and Categories or the next section of the Guidelines, Object entry

file: guidecol.htm; author: CIDOC; updated June 1995