Hi Sarah -
Sounds like you have a classic "double accession" and that's great that you caught an error, as it happens to all of us in our collections. There are a couple of factors that you need to consider when changing/reconciling the accession number of a collection -
- Do you have proof of what the true/correct number ought to be (donation paperwork, signed Deeds of Gift, correspondence, etc)?
- Can you account for ALL items within the collection?
- Do you know how the error occurred (sometimes less important, but important nonetheless)?
- What is your institution's value on the accession number? Within the majority of the profession, these are seen as the date by which the museum/institution took legal possession of the objects and do help establish the catalog numbering. Errors in this numbering can have a trickle down effect which can be a pain to unravel, so I would recommend that you try to restore the actual numbers to the collection.
With your lawyer handling the supporting documents, does the typo in the accession number affect someone's ability to claim the donation as a tax write-off? (I have no idea but it may be worth asking).
Assuming that you have proof of a typo and need to revert to its original/true accession number, first, I would gather all of the paperwork that you have to determine the proper accession number, and then gather all of the objects to ensure every piece is accounted for. Then, you'll need to write a memo (ours here is "From the Registrar" and copies are kept in each accession and catalog folder) documenting the error: when it occurred, how you resolved it, etc.. and include proper "legalese" from the help of your lawyer.
Then you'll have to make sure all of the accession and catalog folders have a copy of the memo in their records and change your database records to reflect the change in accession numbers -- I highly recommend making a note in the database that this was double accession with "XXX" -- redundancy of this nature is a collection manager's friend! Our database, EMu, can also change the status of the record to "Double Accession" which is attached to the "dead" number (however some of us find that confusing).
Finally, if any of the objects have been physically marked, you'll need to change those ASAP or at least re-tag them.
It's a pain in the butt fixing double accessions, but once you've caught them you should reconcile them ASAP -- your future self will thank you!
Good luck!
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Carrie Bowers
Museum Specialist
National Museum of the Marine Corps
Triangle VA
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-19-2018 11:47 AM
From: Sarah Dickerson
Subject: Accession Number Corrections
Hello,
I'm hoping someone might be able to lend advice on a dilemma at hand. The institution I work for is in the process of creating our first collection catalog and as of now, we are about 4 years into its creation. However, it was recently discovered that a specific portion of the collection had its acquisition miss dated. Our lawyer is handling the supporting documents; however, it is the accession number that has me a bit stumped. The first unit of the number is the acquisition date. Meaning, the accession number will need to be changed and documented. Has anyone had this problem before and, if so, how was it handled? Are there any articles or tips on best practices for documenting the changes? Any help is very much appreciated.
Best,
Sarah
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Sarah Dickerson
Collections Manager
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