Documenting a small collection : the issues

Abstract

This essay is about museum documentation. The example is of a small collection at Porirua Psychiatric Hospital Museum, once New Zealand's largest hospital. Comparison is made with library documentation systems for illustrative purposes, the public have expectations and some experience of library systems. Some background of museum history is given, and the progress of museum documentation followed through card systems to the computer era. The sources arc from the UK and USA, where most of the world's museums arc. It is difficult to know the state of museum documentation in New Zealand because there are few written sources. Developments are happening rapidly in the field with the information technology revolution. Many resources are now electronic. A feature of museum management has been a chronic shortage of funds for development because of traditional dependence on central or local government. Museums are expanding in Western communities. Museum study has occurred only in the second half of the 20th century. Documentation has been the poor relation in museum management priorities, but the potential of electronic multimedia is changing this attitude. The essay concludes with a summary of the main differences between museum and library documentation and the realities for a small health/medical museum collection in New Zealand.