GUIDELINES FOR THE CURATION OF GEOLOGICAL MATERIALS

produce output on paper or on a screen where it can be interrogated on-line.
Though these sophisticated methods are impressive, they are expensive. Contrarily,
it has been claimed that computer generated indexes to large collections are
too expensive and too wasteful, as well as rarely satisfying enquiries, and that
on-line systems are more cost-effective. It appears to this writer that there are no
-clear-cut- answers. Each com~uterised svst& auoted as a model seems to have
developed in its own uni&e set of'circum'stances and generalisations are
dangerous. The curator intending to follow the avenue of computerisation must
seek good advice and help (see B4.5).
Useful geological indexes
The indexes described below are given as examples of those which have been
found most appropriate in a range of museum geology departments. Although
they are all useful, a single department operating a manual documentation system
could hardly expect to produce them all.
1.3.1.1. Acquisition index
Traditionally, a donor index was always prepared by a museum, perhaps more as
a tribute to its many benefactors than as a management or curatorial tool. In the
modern museum world, the acquisition history of a specimen is an important part
of its documentation (see B4.4.4.3 and B4.4.5). There may be many individuals,
all playing different roles, involved in the presentation of an object to a museum
(executors, trustees, collector's spouse, etc., etc.). In the old-fashioned sense of a
'donor index' a museum might contemplate an index of those people or
institutions actually responsible for the transfer of material to the museum, i.e.
those who should receive an acknowledgement. Far more useful is an index
containing the name of every person or institution who has played a role in a
specimen's history, e.g. buyers, sellers, exchangers, collectors, donors, etc. with
all entries cross-referenced. Such an index would need to be closely linked to
documentation methods.
1.3.1.2. Collectors index
Museologically speaking at least, perhaps the most significant part of a specimen's
history concerns its collector, and an index should be collated containing entries
for each collector with each specimen in that collection listed at least by its
identity number. In this way, whether by manual or automated methods, it
should be possible to reassemble a collection, or its data (see B4.4.5.1 and
C3.5.2). In part, a Collectors index may duplicate an Acquisition index. A
collection may be defined as a single specimen, i.e. a unit of collection: a single
specimen collected by an important worker may be mbre valuable than a true
'collection' of thousands.
1.3.1.3. Locality index
The term 'locality' is used here in the sense of a rough location, and not exact
place names (see E1.3.2.3 below). A locality index might be used to answer
queries such as "What specimens do you have from Shropshire?" Clearly the