Page:The museum, (Jackson, Marget Talbot, 1917).djvu/255

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OFFICIAL QUESTIONS
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copies of their forms, to any one interested. This subject has not received the attention that it deserves and the following detailed description is therefore perhaps not untimely.

In practice in a medium-sized museum the problem and its solution are as follows: There are two places at which objects coming into the museum are received: 1. the shipping room at which all loan exhibitions coming in by express or freight, special loans from individuals, if delivered by a team or expressman, and objects sent on approval by dealers, are received; 2. the director's office where are received objects brought in by hand, for examination, as loans, as gifts, offered for purchase or to await action of accessions committee. There must, of course, be some means of checking all of these objects both coming in and going out. An exact record must be kept, as otherwise there is always a possibility of trouble.

For objects received in the shipping room a special form of record can be used upon which is entered the date, number of boxes received, from whom (i. e. what express or transfer company), name of shipper, valuation and charges. Each box, as it comes in, receives a number which is also entered on this blank. A similar sheet is kept for outgoing shipments. Here we have the date, number of boxes shipped, numbers on the boxes,