Jämförande studie om hantering av fragment och lösa delar med okänd tillhörighet i en samling

Abstract

It sometimes happens that loose fragments are found in a collection. Museums and historic houses often have routines for collecting these pieces for a future assembly. But fragments and loose parts may have been found and collected a long time ago. Unidentified fragments like these are difficult to link to their objects. How should these pieces be recorded so that they can come to use? The purpose of this study is to investigate if there is a general method for managing this type of fragments. A crucial question is how to make them searchable. Data for this study has been collected from six museums and historic houses. Conservators from each institution have been interviewed about existing routines, needs and limitations. Finally, the data has been analysed to identify both similarities and differences in working methods. The material points at needs and necessary factors for collecting, storing and searching for fragments. There are two important factors that influence the design of a working method: the amount of collected fragments and the need for using them. These factors should make the foundation for developing a method together with special needs. The method for managing fragments can be divided into four steps, each with some flexibility for customization. The material also shows that newly found fragments can be managed in the same way as those collected a long time ago. This study can hopefully serve as guidance and support for institutions in their efforts to improve their routines. An advantage of such work is that the object´s authenticity increases by using original parts in conservation.