Fifteenth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Information accurately recorded about an object when it is accessioned into a collection is vital for assessing short-term and long-term conservation needs and storage considerations. Advances in technology have provided unique opportunities to streamline previously time-consuming tasks within this process. Resulting data can be immediately accessible, linked, and imported and exported into a variety of systems. Using hand-held devices such as a tablet provides the user with the ability to complete tasks on a single device which is mobile in its technological abilities and mobile in its physical nature. The focus of this project is on the use of a fillable digital condition report form created using Adobe Acrobat and objects from a small capsule collection recently donated to The Fashion Archive containing 19 objects. The objects range in date from the 1900s-1940s and are constructed in a variety of materials. The condition reports were completed entirely on an iPad using the Adobe Acrobat app, an Apple Pencil, the iPad’s camera, and the GoodNotes app. The terminology and classification systems of ICOM were also used. The findings from this study showcase the potential of technology’s role in the object accessioning process. The iPad provided advantages related to accessibility of resources/tools and maximizing efficiency in the completing of condition reports and linking them to The Fashion Archive’s database. Overall, this process improved on the traditional way of completing an object condition report in both time and accessibility.