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| Here I am marking twill tape which will be sewn onto the pillow in front of me Photo Courtesy of {Sarah Sutton} |
This week was all about accessioning! I learned about the
process of accessioning a collection, tagging objects, and marking objects. All
of my work prior to this week prepared me for the accessioning process. In the
weeks leading up to the accessioning project, I had completed an inventory, written
condition reports, created PastPerfect records, and researched marking objects.
The collection that needed to be processed contained memorabilia from a
pharmaceutical company dating from the 1970s-1990s. The first step of the
process was to lay out parts of the collection and go through them one by one.
I first went through a spreadsheet and gave each object an accession number,
then I filled out the spreadsheet with an object description, name, official
name using museum nomenclature, condition report, and measurements. After this, I could then write out the paper tags
with object name, official name, and its accession number. I then attached the
tag with a cotton string, and moved on to the next item. This week I processed
around 40 objects.
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| Here I am marking an object after the barrier has set Photo Courtesy of {Sarah Sutton} |
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| This is the B-72 and B-67 Photo Courtesy of {Sarah Sutton} |
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| These are some of the objects with their tags, waiting to be marked Photo Courtesy of {Sarah Sutton} |
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| This is the finished product! Photo Courtesy of {Sarah Sutton} |
The next set of steps in the process revolve around marking
the objects with their accession numbers. I mentioned the barrier and ink
method of marking in one of my previous blog posts, but now I can give more
detail about the process. The barrier and ink method was the most used method
for this collection because it consisted of many glass and hard-plastic
objects. The first barrier which is painted on the object is called B-72. B-72
acts as the barrier between the object's surface and the marking ink itself.
The B-72 takes a while to dry, so it's always best to wait an extra amount of
time to let it dry completely. The next step is to write the accession number
in marking ink - but be careful not to push too firmly with the pen! The same
can be said when marking with just a pencil - sometimes the impression in the
surface of the object can cause more damage than just the pencil's lead.
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| Here Stephanie is using white ink to mark a dark-colored object Photo Courtesy of {Sarah Sutton} |
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| Stephanie is marking an object with white ink Photo Courtesy of {Sarah Sutton} |
After the ink has set, the next step is to seal the
accession number. The sealing layer is called B-67. B-67 should be painted in a
single stroke along the number, but not beyond the barrier. The B-72 barrier
should be larger than the B-72 seal. The object should sit undisturbed for
about 30 mins or longer, depending on the thickness of the barrier and ink
seal. It took me three days to get through the collection, and there are still
about 4 objects left to mark. Other than the barrier and ink method, I also
used archival twill tape to create labels with accession numbers for textiles!
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| A sewn label Photo Courtesy of {Sarah Sutton} |
This was very exciting for me because I've never had any
experience with textiles in the past. For this method, I first wrote out
accession numbers on twill tape, and cut the tape with extra space on each
side. I then folded each side over so when the label is sewn onto the textile,
it has a double layer of tape for strength. I only sewed about three stitched
loops on each side of the tape, to keep the damage caused by the needle to a
minimum. The placement of the twill tape label is especially important. It is
key to keep it visible, but not distracting. And also secure, but not too
tight. Another thing to remember is to give the label some space to stretch if
it is being placed on an elastic garment.
Overall this week was exciting for me because I had the
opportunity to practice skills that I have never even tried before. I now feel comfortable
and confident with the entire accessioning and marking process.
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