Documentation services for museums and historic houses, etc.
Stuart Holm
Heritage Documentation Projects
Welcome. Please explore the contents list below to find out more about me, the services which I can offer and some projects in which I have recently been involved.
Contents
Who is Stuart Holm?
I am a freelance documentation consultant (based in the UK) with fifteen years prior
experience as a curator and six years as an advisory officer with the Museum Documentation Association (now known as mda).
As a curator in the 1970s and early 80s, I gained a broad practical grounding in all aspects
of curatorship in both the public and independent sectors. I obtained
the Museums Association Diploma through in-service training and became a well
known figure within the UK in the field of social and industrial history.
I played a major role in developing the Social History and Industrial
Classification (SHIC) and was first chairman of the West Midlands
Social and Industrial History Collections Research Unit. I set up
a pioneering computerised documentation system for the Black Country
Museum, at a time when microcomputers in museums were still a rarity.
On moving to the MDA in 1985, I substantially developed their advice and training
services. Under my direction, new challenges were met. An integrated
range of short courses was developed and offered through a national
training programme. The quality of advice and training was progressively
improved. The documentation experience gained during twenty years
of museum service was brought together in Facts and Artefacts, my
much acclaimed user-friendly guide to basic documentation (now in its second edition). My work with the MDA brought me into contact with the international museum documentation community, although so far the bulk of my work has been within the UK. However, I have undertaken an assignment in Madagascar and translations of Facts and Artefacts have been published in Japan and Slovenia so it would appear that what I have to say is of interest in other parts of the world.
On becoming a freelance consultant in 1991, I continued to
undertake occasional contract work for the MDA, including breaking the mould
of MDA catalogue cards by designing a simplified version and writing
the accompanying handbook Cataloguing made easy (now extensively rewritten to cover computer systems as well as cards). However, independence
has given me the freedom to develop new relationships with the museum and heritage community and the opportunity to use my skills in related fields. Mainstream museum projects continue to form the major part of my work but I have also begun to work with stately homes and estates (where my museum background has helped me to offer integrated solutions to object, library and archive documentation problems) and hospital art collections. My unparalleled documentation experience
is now directly available through the services outlined below.
How can Stuart Holm help you?
Curators and other custodians of our heritage are increasingly aware
of the necessity of keeping proper records about the material in their
care. Thorough cataloguing and indexing are essential if collections
are to be properly managed and accessible to all. In the UK the Museums, Libraries and
Archives Council (MLA, formerly Resource) have recognised this and have set minimum documentation
targets which must be met in order to qualify as a bona fide museum
under the MLA/Resource registration scheme. The Museum Documentation Association (relaunched as mda after a widening of its brief made the old name too restrictive) devised and has vigorously promoted consistent recording standards. The heritage community has acknowledged
that collections have not been adequately documented in the past and
has set about clearing the backlog.
Unfortunately, some collection managers have become carried away with
a misguided enthusiasm which has been aptly described as 'documentation
mania'. Their intentions are good but the results are often poor.
Precious resources are easily wasted if documentation is not planned
wisely. I have the experience to help you plan and implement a documentation
scheme that will work.
Even a well planned project can go off the rails without the occasional
support of an expert. I can keep you on the right track.
For a helping hand from a friendly expert contact Stuart Holm now.
Where do I operate?
So far most of my work has been within the UK (I live in Norfolk). However, I believe that my services could be of value elsewhere and I would be pleased to consider requests for help from museums and heritage organisations in other countries. Unfortunately, I am a poor linguist (schoolboy French is the best I can manage), so unless you can provide an interpreter I am probably restricted to working in the English speaking world. I have undertaken a successful assignment in a country where English is the third language but the success of this was entirely due to the impressive linguistic skills of the local people with whom I worked! I would not expect to stay in expensive hotels and if interesting work was offered I would do my best to keep costs to a minimum. Some of the ongoing support services that I offer to my UK clients might be difficult to provide effectively over long distances but with e-mail even ongoing projects may be feasible.
Three ways to document a collection
1. Do it yourself.
If you have the necessary expertise available in-house, this can be
a very effective way of bringing your documentation up to current
standards. However, much time and money has been wasted by following
the 'go it alone' approach. Be sure that you know what you are doing
before attempting this.
2. Employ a specialist.
Large museums can afford the luxury of employing a documentation specialist
to set up and run an effective documentation system. In smaller establishments,
there may not be enough specialised documentation work to warrant
the cost of employing an expert full time.
3. Enjoy the best of both worlds.
You probably already have staff or volunteers who, with a little outside
support and guidance, can efficiently set up and run a documentation
system which meets your needs. I can provide that little extra expertise
when it is needed, enabling your existing workforce to do the job
confidently and effectively.
In a period of acute financial stringency, you cannot afford to waste
precious resources. I can help you to make the best of any time that
you can devote to documentation.
A service to meet your needs
If you are concerned about any aspect of your documentation, you could
benefit from the services I can provide. Each collection has individual
needs. I offer a very flexible, personalised service which can be
tailored precisely to meet those needs. I also take account of the
skills, aptitudes and concerns of the people who will have to maintain
the system.
These web pages can only show a selection of the services I can provide.
If you think I may be able to help, get in touch. Together we can
work out a support programme which mixes and matches services to give
you exactly what you want. If I do not feel that I am the best person
to solve a particular problem, I can call in other consultants who
are leading experts in specific fields.
Advice and consultancy reports
A successful documentation project usually starts with an assessment
of the current position and the devising of a plan for future development.
I offer simple, friendly but authoritative guidance on setting up
new systems or improving old ones. My solutions are realistic, making
best use of existing skills and resources. Verbal advice given during
my visit will be backed up with a written report if required. This
is recommended, not only does it give you a reliable blueprint for
development but you also have something to show your regional development agency
or other grant giving bodies. If they can see that you have taken
sound advice and that you mean business, they are more likely to support
you.
System design
If you need to substantially upgrade your recording system, I can
put together for you a simple, user-friendly manual or computerised
system meeting mda SPECTRUM and MLA standards (or other local standards if you are outside the UK).
A 'high-tech' computer solution is not necessarily the best. It may
be more appropriate for you to use 'off the peg' catalogue cards, such as those
marketed by the mda (successors to the original Museum Documentation Association). If you prefer, I can design easily used catalogue
cards adapted to the precise needs of your particular collections.
They can be quickly understood by non-specialists and volunteers but
are fully compatible with mda standards which are widely accepted
by UK museums and elsewhere (I can also work to comparable standards from other parts of the world). My catalogue cards readily support computerisation
when you are ready to proceed with this.
If you need a computerised system from the outset, I can help you
to set this up. I am fully conversant with the widely used
MODES/Catalist family of computer cataloguing software but am equally at home with other
database programs, including cheap, simple systems which may initially
be all you need. If you do choose an 'alternative' route, I will ensure
that your data is recorded in such a way that it remains compatible
with mainstream museum cataloguing.
Terminology control
However well designed your system, it will not work efficiently unless
you record data consistently or have a computer programmed to recognise
inconsistent vocabulary. Either way, you will need appropriate wordlists,
thesauri and classification systems. If standard products are not
available to suit your needs, I can develop terminology control systems
tailored to particular collections.
System manuals
Many documentation systems have failed simply because their originators
never got round to writing instructions for new users. Faced with
a seemingly incomprehensible system, a newly appointed curator may
give up trying to use it and either start a new one or ignore documentation altogether.
As the author of Facts and artefacts and Cataloguing made easy,
I have a proven track record of writing clear, readable instructions
for new or existing documentation systems.
On-site training
Many documentation tasks can be undertaken very effectively by people
with no formal background in either curatorship or information technology.
With appropriate training, skills developed in other walks of life
can be adapted to meet new challenges. I can draw on my extensive
training experience to provide in-house development programmes tailored
to the needs of your workforce. Together, we can build an effective
documentation team from existing staff and volunteers.
I can also offer one-to-one coaching for individuals. Although more
expensive per head, in the long term this can be very cost-effective.
Follow-up visits
Once your new system is up and running, I can make occasional return
visits to ensure that you stay on the right lines as your database
develops. Without this feedback, inconsistencies can creep in undetected
and the original concept can sometimes become buried under the day
to day pressures of keeping the system going. I can also provide help
over the telephone (or via e-mail) if unforeseen problems should arise.
Data entry
If you are starting to computerise, I may be able to take some of
the pain out of data entry. For example, if you have existing typed
records these can often be scanned and restructured to suit your new
database software more economically than rekeying all the data. If
you have a copy typist available or have access to a typing pool,
I can propose simple strategies for data entry from manuscript sources
using your typist's usual word processing software. This can be much
more efficient than entering data using your chosen database software.
Upgrading existing computerised data
An increasing amount of information about museum and heritage collections
is now held on computer. Unfortunately, some of these databases cannot
be searched as effectively as users would wish. With hindsight, it
is clear that the data was not entered in a way which gives optimum
retrieval. To a certain extent this is inevitable. It is often hard
to decide exactly how to record your collections until you have had
some experience of using the newly computerised information.
However, once things have gone wrong, it can be a long and tedious
task putting matters right. I can help you to upgrade existing substandard
computerised records in order to maximise the efficiency of your retrieval
system. I have the expertise and software to do this very competitively
in most cases. I can also provide follow-up on-site training if desired,
to ensure that high standards can be maintained as new records are
added.
If you are upgrading to new database software and need to restructure
your data before making the transfer, I can undertake this for you.
Preparation of published catalogues
Documentation is not an end in itself. Once you have built up a database,
the information it contains needs to be used. One way of making data
accessible is through published catalogues, for special exhibitions
or complete sections of your collection. I can undertake the conversion
of raw data straight from your database into a polished catalogue
with appropriate indexes, illustrations, etc., all ready for publication.
Web site design
Museums are increasingly turning to the World Wide Web in order to make information about their collections more widely accessible. I can offer a complete web site design service, working with Internet specialists if you want more advanced features on your site.
Full design and management service
Within the UK (and possibly further afield) I can offer a complete package for the smaller museum unable to employ an in-house documentation specialist. All the above services are combined
to take the worry out of setting up and maintaining a documentation
system which does what you want, satisfies MLA Registration or equivalent guidelines
and meets mda SPECTRUM or other agreed standards.
Regional surveys and reports
I can help UK support agencies such as regional development agencies (museum, library and archive councils) and county
museum officers by providing assessments of the overall state of documentation
within regions, counties, etc. On the basis of the picture which
emerges, I can provide advice on improving documentation support within
your area.
Write, phone or e-mail for further details of any of these services.
