This page is part of a handbook of documentation standards, developed by the International Council of Museums for use by museums in Africa. For an overview of the project, turn to the initial page.
Inventory information includes information concerned with the management and identification of the object as well as its ownership status. It reflects the minimum standard required for a museum inventory. (Fields indicated with an "X".)
Catalogue information includes a wider range of information fields concerned with the description, history and documentation of the object.
All of the information on an object can be used for exchange. However, the curator of the collection is responsible for deciding whether any of the information is confidential and cannot be disclosed.
Proposal for a list of common fields for the different inventories, classified by major fields of information:
This list of fields could be adopted as a minimal record for documenting collections.
In this list of fields we have indicated with an X those fields which should be given priority for entering data.
For new acquisitions, all the fields pertaining to the object should be completed.
Nota bene: When exchanging information, do not forget to indicate which calendar was used for entering dates.
The standard is arranged in four main sections:
Move to initial page about the Handbook or the first subsection of the standard, Object management
author: ICOM; updated June 1995