This page is part of the International Guidelines for Museum Object Information: The CIDOC Information Categories: a description of the Information Categories that can be used when developing records about the objects in museum collections. For an outline of the Information Groups and Categories in the Guidelines, turn to the introductory list.
Purpose:
Part and component information supports Security, Accountability, and Access. Without this information it is not possible to maintain proper control of the collections by ensuring that parts of objects are not mislaid or lost, nor is it possible to provide more detailed descriptions of objects for research purposes.
Information categories:
Number of parts or components
Description of
parts and components
Examples:
Number of parts or
components: 32
Description of parts and components: 8 panels, 16
feet, 8 hangings
Notes:
Alternate names:
Amount
Number of items
Quantity
Definition:
The number of physically separated or separable parts of an object or a set of objects described by separate records at the next record level.
Examples:
3
Move to beginning of Part and component
Definition:
A brief description of the physically separated or separable parts of an object or set of objects.
Examples:
For an altarpiece:
2 center panels and 1
left wing
For a tea service:
1 teapot (with lid), 1 sugar
bowl, 1 milk jug, 6 cups, and 6 saucers
For a jar of specimens in a life sciences collection:
50
specimens (approximately), 4 species
Notes:
Move to beginning of Part and component
Move to outline of the Information Groups and Categories or the next section of the Guidelines, Recorder
file: guidepar.htm; author: CIDOC; updated June 1995