Blake Museum
Bridgwater
Documentation Plan
Interim Statement
September 2009
Compiled by
Dr P E Cattermole [Honorary Museum Co-ordinator]
Contributors
J C Robins
A P Woolrich
1 Background
Sedgemoor District District Council (SDC) transferred the ownership of the Blake Museum buildings and collections to Bridgwater Town Council (BTC) with effect from 1 April 2009.
A Documentation Plan had been issued in October 2005 and remained in use at the time of transfer. It is attached hereunder as Appendix I, as found, with manuscript post-it annotations.
A Documentation Procedure Manual from October/November 2005 was inherited by the new owners.
The former SDC Museums Officer provided a brief report in relation to the Documentation Plan in July 2009 (extract at Appendix II hereunder).
2 Review April - August 2009
2.1 Incoming management has found it difficult to establish the status of the inherited documentation procedures, owing to paperwork being scattered over several locations, and many computer files being left on a central server to which it had no access.
2.2 Offices had been left in a bestrewn state (Appendix III), with little guidance being given by departing employed staff as to the systems that might have been used to maintain compliance with SPECTRUM standards.
2.3 A team of three volunteers experienced in Museum Administration and Office Procedures, assisted by others, has been methodically working through the inherited material during the five month period covered by this review.
2.4 BTC has funded a new LAN and Apple iMac computer to support the Museum Administration. Two redundant PCs were donated by SDC together with a copy of licensed MODES software and associated database files copied from archived backups on their central server.
2.5 Approximately five MODES database files were found to be in use, apparently with different purposes and fields. The largest database was found to be corrupt (containing DOS-disc content and structures), yet apparently still current. In the principle database, each record employed 251 fields, mostly blank. Items belonging to other museums, notably Axbridge, appeared in the database without annotation or comment. Descriptions of some accessioned items are poor e.g "a brick" "a cannon ball" (of which a great many have been found without accession marks) .
2.6 The databases mostly complied with suggested SPECTRUM standards field descriptors, but were mutually inconsistent in field use, order and data entry.
2.7 Significant inconsistencies stemmed from the use by previous management of a central server-archive system for file sharing by multiple users. Data entry procedures for the MODES database seem not to have been well-defined and no evidence of audit or systematic verification could be found. The Documentation Procedures Manual does contain guidelines for Cataloguing (Section 2.4) but we could find no indication that these had been followed.
2.8 The locations of objects were not adequately recorded. A goodly number of objects have been found in stores with entry forms attached dating back four or more years; we presume that these have not been accessioned. Storage locations such as cupboards are not labelled unambiguously and are often secured by low-grade locks.
2.9 A sample visual inspection of circa 30 items in a display case was made in March in the presence of a member of staff. Only two items carried identification marks. It seemed likely that this small proportion of marked objects might well apply to other samples.
2.10 A number of items (particularly from the extensive Brick & Tile Collections) appear to have been loaned out to the Somerset Brick & Tile Museum. Discussions with Curatorial Staff at that Museum indicate that precise matching of the two Museum's records has not been achieved.
2.11 Certain items are believed to have been deposited in temporary storage at the Blake Museum by other organisations, but records are not clear as to detail.
2.12 The important and extensive collection of photographs and negatives, making up the bulk of the whole Museum Collection is largely uncatalogued.
2.13 Entry, Exit form procedures existed, and appeared to be in better order than other physical files. However, many entry forms have been found loosely associated with artefacts in various locations.
2.14 Two filing cabinets largely containing Object History files were inherited. One cabinet had been damaged and its contents were found to have been partially disordered during refurbishment activities in Spring 2009.
2.15 The team soon concluded from its initial investigations that the documentation of the Blake Museum Collection was in disarray, and has been for some years. The collection is currently only usable in part for meeting the Purposes of the Museum.
2.16 The team therefore rapidly identified and implemented a set of priority key actions to stabilise and safeguard the collections and the existing documentation records..
3 Implemented Priority Key Stabilisation Actions (achieved by 31 August 2009)
3.1 Making a complete copy of the Accessions Register to be retained as a working reference within the Museum.
3.2 Placing the bound Accessions Registers in the Town Hall safe under the custody of the Town Clerk.
3.3 Items not to be acquired before the approval of a new Acquisitions Policy (adopted 15 July). Thereafter, only items to be acquired by gift if of exceptional interest or rarity relating to Purpose, until further notice. Items not to be acquired on loan until further notice.
3.4 Retrieval of corrupted data from MODES database files and amalgamation of the several databases (including photographs) into consistent field order, elimination of empty fields, manual correction of data entry errors, reduction of duplicated fields, recompilation and export in csv format, making remote electronic backups of development and recompiled files in password-protected locations.
3.5 Unaccessioned items scattered around the building in accessible areas retrieved, boxed as appropriate, and laid out on shelving in a re-organised secure store. This store already contained two bays of shelving of items waiting to be accessioned by the previous management.
3.6 Abstraction of the oldest and most vulnerable photographs, negatives, glass plates and albums for professional digitisation (circa 800 to date); writing to DVD, with security copies, stored in different locations.
3.7 Complete examination of the contents of two large plan chests. Found to contain many original significant letterpress documents, plans, and drawings, mostly unaccessioned and without entry forms. Those relating to the Purpose sent for professional digitisation (over 100 items). Accessioning information assembled, working from the digitised images to reduce handling.
3.8 Liaison with the Somerset Record Office to establish the extent and detail of items loaned and gifted to the SRO by former Blake Museum management.
3.9 Liaison with management at the Axbridge Museum concerning the suspected legacy status of the 1,378 entries in the Blake Museum MODES database; confirmation that catalogue entries had previously moved to that Museum's database; entries removed from Blake Museum recompiled catalogue, but data relating to AXBRM retained separately in archive secure electronic remote and local devices.
3.10 Active participation as International beta-testers of Madrona-Pro Collections Management software, with a view to adoption as a new SPECTRUM-compliant system.
4 Principles and Aims for the period 1 September 2009 - 31 March 2010
4.1 It is anticipated that the majority of activity will need to take place during the period of winter shutdown given in the Infrastructure Action Plan (viz. 12 November to 30 March).
4.2 The majority of activities are expected to provide reliable data which will enable a proper judgement to be reached as to the extent of the documentation backlog, and thence to formulate a realisable plan for dealing with it retrospectively within a new Documentation Plan.
4.3 The Documentation Procedures Manual 2005 to remain in force, but is to be revised to bring into line with SPECTRUM 3.1 and the changed circumstances of the Museum.
4.4 The Documentation Plan 2005 remains in force, in as far as its provisions still apply and the statements (particularly forward-looking statements) therein remain valid.
4.5 Matching of items in store (Room 5 only) with catalogue abstract to identify accessioned and non-accessioned items; validation and correction of entries; addition of new entries.
4.6 Accessioning of archive material found and digitised in plan drawers. Further liaison with SRO over duplicated items and sharing of digitised material.
4.7 Completion of matching of items in Brick & Tile Museum with existing records.
4.8 Examination of all cupboards, labelling of same to a unique system based upon room numbering; assessment of potential accessioning backlog lurking within cupboards.
4.9 Assessment of documentation and marking of displayed items on a statistically significant sampling basis or entirely (if time and volunteers permit) to judge properly the extent of the backlog there.
4.10 Continued testing and appraisal of the Madrona-Pro CMS with a view to migrating the catalogue.
4.11 Continued digitisation of the photographic collection on a selective basis; compilation of catalogue entries for digitised images.
4.12 Marking of objects as volunteer time and availability permits.
5 Review
This Interim Statement will be reviewed on or before 30 March 2010, with a view to introducing a new Documentation Plan later in 2010.