Reforming collection documentation; A new approach

To sum up, in any attempt to reform outmoded manual documentation it is prudent to adopt a reference framework of concepts which is universally applicable. This can form the basis of record-keeping systems that will have the capacity to meet wide-ranging information requirements, some of which may not even be immediately apparent. Such a system has been published by the author and its principal features have been reviewed here. Ideally, any framework of this kind will assist in the transfer of partial or complete records to computer by defining formally recognized elements of information, which can be equated with data units suitable for entry in the structured fields of database management software. The definitive Elements of REFORM will not necessarily be translated into data fields in one-to-one relationship because the computer implementation may involve mechanisms to effect selection and sorting of those Elements with optimal efficiency. However, in a successful implementation the concepts represented in REFORM should not be impaired whatever software ‘vehicle’ is employed.