Archive Trails
An Archive Box Number Organises Storage, Not Necessarily Historical Sequence
Use an archive box reference to locate material without assuming its storage order reproduces the order in which events or documents were created.
A closer look at material history
Archive Trails
Follow documents and catalogue references into the wider story of an object.
Archive Trails
A Photograph’s Subject Date and Print Date May Be Different
Distinguish when a scene was photographed from when a particular print was produced, and preserve uncertainty when a catalogue gives only one date.
Archive Trails
An Accession Year Is Not Automatically the Year an Object Was Made
Keep acquisition information separate from manufacturing dates when reading an object record or interpreting a number that appears to contain a year.
Archive Trails
A Museum Identifier Is Not a Number to Round or Reformat
Copy museum object identifiers as text, preserving punctuation and prefixes so your notes continue to point to the right collection record.
Archive Trails
A Handwritten Price in a Printed Catalogue Adds Another Layer
A handwritten note on a catalogue page is evidence of an addition, not automatically a corrected published price. Describe the printed and added marks separately.
Archive Trails
Transcribe an Old Label Before Quietly Correcting It
An unusual spelling on an old label may be part of the evidence. Keep a faithful transcription separate from your modern explanation and uncertain readings.
Archive Trails
A Catalogue Price Needs Its Selling Unit
An old catalogue price may apply to one item, a pair, a dozen or a boxed set. Read the selling unit before comparing numbers across entries.
Archive Trails
A Display Caption and a Catalogue Record Have Different Amounts of Room
Read a museum display label beside its catalogue record to separate a concise visitor explanation from the fuller fields and qualifications behind it.