Second Day of Training

Today, our collections management training continued with an early morning lesson on cavity packing, which is used to protect objects that need extra support. Cavity packing entails creating a space within ethafoam that fits the object snugly. We use a special tool that melts the ethafoam and allows us to dig pieces out in the shape we need. 

After the lesson on cavity packing, all of the new seasonal staff members shadowed a tour of the museum, library, and archive areas of the HRC. Later this summer, we will be responsible for the museum section of the tours, which take place on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and last from 45 minutes to an hour.

After the tour, Bridgette showed us how to upload object photos into the appropriate catalog files in the ANCS+ database.  When we catalogue/rehouse objects we will be uploading photos of them into the database.  These photos will help when staff is searching for objects, as this is primarily a research facility – a photo will save valuable time if the object is not what the researcher is looking for. Photos also serve as valuable visual records of objects in the collection.

In the afternoon, I cataloged, photographed, and rehoused several objects, including a teacup and saucer, dinner plate, and small platter.