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This is an instructional video to guide you through the cataloguing process for those
collecting organisations whom have signed up to use Victorian Collections.
Go to www.victoriancollections.net.au This will take you to the public home page of Victorian
Collections. In the top right corner you will see a login icon which will take you to the
login page. Please type in the username and password that
have been allocated to you. Remember these are case sensitive. Either click enter or
hit the login button and you will be take to the cataloguing home page.
This is the cataloguing homepage for your organisation. Anytime you want to return to
this page click the catalogue button in the top left corner. On the homepage you are able
to control your section of the Victorian Collections system including creating a homepage, adding
new users and changing passwords and emails. But today we are just going to focus on the
cataloguing aspects of the system. Notice in the middle of the page there is a help
and resources section. Take note of the Cataloguing factsheet link which will assist with your
cataloguing and complements the information in this video.
Right now we are going to start cataloguing using Victorian Collections. To do this, click
the Browse Collection button on the left side of the page.
This will take you to a listing of all your organisations’ items catalogued in your
system. Well, it will when you have catalogued some of them! So let’s start now. On the
right side of the page click the add new item button.
This will take you into the catalogue record template where you can record all information
about a collection item.
Before we start cataloguing take note of some of the features. On the left side of the page
there is a list of divisions of information for each record. Do not be alarmed by the
number of cataloguing sections and fields. Victorian Collections has been designed to
have a logical place to slot all information about each collection item. You are not going
to have information to put into each field for each item. Just add the information where
appropriate.
Asterisk symbol next to some field headings means that it’s strongly recommended you
complete so that you have a useful catalogue. The help texts under each field will give
you useful tips on what to put in each field.
First enter the registration number of the item. Then give it an object name remembering
that this is just a one or two word description of the item. You can refer to the Powerhouse
Museum’s object name thesaurus for suggested options and there is a link to this on the
cataloguing factsheet. Finally for this section, you can enter a
title if your item requires one. Only fill this field in if you are cataloguing an item
with a formal title such as books, photos or works of art.
Now would be a good time to press the save button. This will claim the registration number
and start the auto save procedure in case there is an interruption in the power or the
internet connection. It should also be noted that as soon as you press save your item will
appear on the public pages unless you go to the rights section and make it private
Once you have pressed save you’ll be taken to a view item mode where you are no longer
able to make changes to the record. To continue adding information to the record click the
update item button at the right side of the page.
Returning to the update item mode we now progress down the left side of the page to start completing
the rest of the catalogue information. Under description you will find the fields
to be completed are physical description, inscriptions and markings and size. Refer
to the cataloguing factsheet and the help text under each field for more guidance.
The next section record details of when the item was made, who made it and where.
To add information about a particular manufacturer, click the add new maker button.
This will open a pop up box allowing you to add information about a maker including details
of their workplace at the time of manufacture. A helpful feature of Victorian Collections
is the ability to add multiple makers where required. When cataloguing a book you might
need to record the separate details of author, publisher and printer. For each manufacturer
click on add new maker and create a new record for them.
Another time saving device is the add existing maker button where you can retrieve information
about a maker that has already been added to the system.
Don’t forget to keep scrolling down the page to complete the place made details. Although
it may feel like you have already added this information with the manufacturer details
you might find that the item was not made at the manufacturer’s workplace.
Please remember that Victorian Collections has logical places for you to add information
but if you don’t have that information – leave it blank and do not despair you might learn
this information later!
Next we move down to the section on context. This is a very important section to complete
as the historical information will be of most interest to the public and also useful for
exhibition labels and research publications, the statement of significance will be very
important for potential grant applications and prioritising your collection care and
the keywords will allow you to make the most of the search functions.
Now we are in the private section of the catalogue. Only people with passwords from your organisation
can see this information.
Usage details is a section where you can record the history of the item in logical segments
where relevant. Add a usage report for every major section in the life of the item. You
can fill in as many of these usage reports as are necessary.
It is important to complete the acquisition details to keep track of donors and to be
able to prove your ownership of collection items.
Firstly select from the drop down menu how the item came into your collection. Then record
when the item came into the collection. If you do not know the exact date, record an
educated guess. It is better to know a rough date than no date at all
Next record details of the donor remembering that there is no way this information can
be made public.
Under the conservation details you can enter in a condition report to allow you to monitor
the condition of your collection items. Click on the add condition report which will take
you to a pop up box allowing you to record details of the item’s current condition.
The storage section allows you to track where your items are whether they are on display,
in storage or on loan.
The valuation section can be completed for certain items where it is deemed necessary
to record their value. This might be to record the details of a recently purchased item.
Or the collection may have been valued for insurance purposes. Click the add valuation
button to open a pop up box where you can record the details of the valuation.
The rights section is where you control whether a collection item is published to Victorian
Collections or kept private. You can also record details of copyright.
Records are automatically published to Victorian Collections as soon as they are created unless
you select ‘no’ for publish to Victorian Collections. When a record is published to
the internet the first four sections of information: identification, description, manufacture details
and context are viewable by the public while the remaining fields are kept private except
for the images and supplementary material which can be made public or private on a file
by file basis. For private records, only people with passwords from your organisation can
view the record.
The copyright section does not need to be completed for all collection items – only
works that are copyright such as photos, books, artworks, diaries and archives. Refer to the
copyright section of the cataloguing factsheet or the copyright council for more information.
Finally, the last step in cataloguing your collection item is to attach images and supplementary
material. You should attach at least one photo of your
item for easy reference and to show off your wonderful collection to the public. Other
digital files that you can attach to the catalogue record are scans of the donor form, newspaper
cuttings, video, oral history recordings... the list is quite endless. And remember you
can chose to make each file either public or private depending on what it is.
If you have a hard copy supplementary material you can always record where that is kept so
it can easily be referred to. To attach a digital file click the add file
button which will open a pop up box. Click on the select a file button, this will open
up a window so you can then locate where your file is being stored on your computer. This
could be in my pictures, on an external drive or some other location on the computer. Once
you have located your file, click ok and the file name will appear in the field.
Next write a title for your file, this will appear under the photo or scan when it is
viewed online. Then you can select whether to make the file
visible to the public or keep it private. Click ok and wait for the file to upload.
Once it has finished uploading the pop up box will close and you will be taken back
to your record. Repeat this process for attaching files until
all the images, audio files or documents that you want for your item are uploaded. Now don’t
forget to press save! Your item will now appear on the Browse collection
page or you can check to see how it looks from the public’s perspective by going to
the Victorian Collections homepage and searching for your item. Now you can try cataloguing
for yourself on Victorian Collections. Just follow the steps outlined in this video. Good
luck and happy cataloguing!