dorsey] MUSEUMS OF CENTRAL EUROPE 473
scribed, brief reference to its salient points may prove of interest.
Every newly acquired collection, immediately upon its arrival, is assigned a number and given an " accession card." This card bears, in addition to a serial number, the name of the collector, the manner of acquisition of the collection by the museum, the place and date of the collection, the numbers assigned to the specimens, and a general statement of the nature of the collec- tion. This card, together with any lists or correspondence that relate to the collection, are deposited in a stout envelope, made for the purpose, which also bears the name of the accession. This envelope forms part of the " historical file " of the department. Both accession card and envelope, together with all correspon- dence, are made out in duplicate, one set being retained in the office of the curator, the other being sent to the recorder's office. Each object in the collection is then numbered to correspond with the number on a card which bears the name of the object, with a drawing of the same if deemed necessary, the tribe or locality whence the specimen came, the name of the collector, and finally the location of the specimen in the museum — whether it be on exhibition, and, if so, where, or whether it has been placed in the temporary or exchange storage room. The information contained on the cards is next trans- ferred to the department inventory books under the appropriate numbers. Each card, as well as each entry in the inventory, also bears the accession number. The cards are then collectively filed in a card cabinet under the accession number, each group of cards being provided with an index card. The collection is finally in- dexed in a single large volume under the name of the collector the locality, and the tribe.
The advantages of this system are many and obvious. It can be determined at a glance what collections are in possession of the department from any locality or tribe in the world, as well as ascertained what collections the department may possess from
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