Hi everyone,
I’m in the process of setting up CollectiveAccess for a small museum focused on local history. We have a collection of about 5,000 artifacts, including photographs, documents, and physical objects, and I want to make sure I’m starting off on the right foot.
Right now, I’m trying to figure out the best way to structure the system for our specific needs. For example, we have items that fall into overlapping categories (e.g., photographs that are also part of an oral history project). How do you recommend organizing collections in such cases? Should I create separate hierarchies for each type of media or try to integrate them into a single structure?
Another challenge is metadata. While I’ve looked at the default metadata templates, I’m not sure if they’re flexible enough for our needs. For example, we need to track detailed provenance for many items. Are there specific best practices for customizing metadata fields without making things overly complex?
I check this: https://support.collectiveaccess.org/d/301841-previewing-pdfawscertificationcourses Lastly, I’d love to hear how other small museums or historical societies are using CollectiveAccess. What are some common pitfalls or things you wish you knew when you started?
I’m relatively new to the software but eager to learn, so any advice or resources would be incredibly helpful. Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences!
