Challenges in Documenting Archaeological and Ethnological

Collections in KE EMu

Stacey Girling-Christie, Archaeology & History

Margot Reid, Artifact Documentation

North American Users Group Meeting, October 2006

Background

1842 William Edmond Logan – Founder of the Geological Survey of Canada

1910 Government of Canada creates an Anthropology division within the GSC

1910 Edward Sapir – Ethnologist, became Division Head and first registrar

1911 Harlan Smith - first archaeologist

1964 regional archaeologists hired

Archaeology Collections

Mandate – Canadian archaeology Sites located on crown land Majority of the collections come from

region of the Northwest Territories / Nunavut

Collections are predominately prehistoric

human remains collection “Foreign” collections

Ethnology Collections

61,000 objects of Aboriginal origin; all regions of Canada and small portion from outside Canada

acquired between 1879 and the present

20% are works of contemporary art

large proportion purchased by ethnologists carrying out research in Aboriginal communities in first half of 20th century

Archaeology - Modules

Locations

Thesaurus(in progress)

Multimedia

Taxonomy(link does not

exist)

Rights

Parties

Catalogue

Relationship of KE Modules - Archaeology

CATALOGUE

COLLECTION

EVENT SITES

ACCESSION

LOTS

621,423 records

14,477 records 33, 597 records

26,722 records

Ethnology – Modules

Parties

Loans

Locations

Narratives Thesaurus(stand-alone)

Events

Multimedia

Rights

Accession Lots

Catalogue

CATALOGUE - Classification

Chenhall Classification System

CATALOGUE - Numbers

CATALOGUE – Object ID

cast

CATALOGUE - People

CATALOGUE – Dates/Acq

CATALOGUE - Affiliations

CATALOGUE - Affiliations

THESAURUS -Browse mode, Terms

THESAURUS -Browse mode, Notes

CATALOGUE - Measurements

CATALOGUE – Description 1

CATALOGUE – Description 3

CATALOGUE - Material

CATALOGUE - Associations

CATALOGUE – Location 1

CATALOGUE - Valuation

CATALOGUE – Dates/Acq

ACCESSION – Lot Details

ACCESSION – Acquisition 1

Veronica Milly donor

ACCESSION – Acquisition 2

Numbers TabLink to Collection Event Record

COLLECTION EVENT – Collections 1

COLLECTIONS EVENT – Collections 2

SITES - Site

SITES - Locality

Problem: Site with multiple lots entering Lot and Concession information

SITES - Mapping

SITES – Cultural

Partnerships

1992 Task Force on Museums and First Peoples published a report titled "Turning the Page: Forging New Partnerships Between Museums and First Peoples."  

CMCC guided by the principles and recommendations outlined in the report.

Exhibitions, research, management and care of the collection, and repatriation are done in consultation and cooperation with Aboriginal people and communities.

Defining Sensitive

Grave goodsHuman remainsSacred objectsTraditional and sensitive careSITES informationProvenience dataObject lists for land claim negotiationsSensitive images and documentsRepatriated materialValues (monetary)Casts accessioned

CATALOGUE - Provenience

CATALOGUE - Deaccession

CATALOGUE – Admin, Publish on Internet

CATALOGUE – Description 3

Rights Module

Archaeology

621,423 Catalogue records2,817 records flagged as sensitive.45 % of the records

Ethnology61,000 Catalogue records3,600 records flagged as sensitive 6% of the records

CATALOGUE - Multimedia

MULTIMEDIA

MULTIMEDIA – Admin, Publish on Internet

Recording and Managing Information

Creation of new tabs and fields in Catalogue

notes regarding repatriation or land claim inclusion

notes on associated archival documentation

traditional and sensitive care recommendations

Recording and Managing Information

Creation of Events records

Recording visits and visitors

Recording and Managing Information

Creation of Narratives records

Information from visitors

Other Functionality in KE

Shortcuts view and Page view

Tab switching

Icon “alerts” (“contact curator”)

Shortcuts Setting

Shortcuts View

REGISTRY

Trigger for Tab-switching

Tab-switching

Pre-set Page View

REGISTRY - “Departmental Access”

Icon Alert

CHALLENGES

Corporate database with numerous types of collections

Classifying objects by function, type and material

Keeping terminology current Managing access and permissions for

sensitive material