Documenting Your Collections
Info-Muse Network Documentation Guide

Les guides électroniques de la SMQ

Quantity (Identification)

Mandatory fieldField used for ethnology and history collectionsField used for fine and decorative arts collectionsField used for science and technology collectionsField used for archaeology collections (object data and site data)Société des musées québécois Info-Muse database field

Definition:

  • This field contains the number of objects described in the record.

Observation:

  • N.B.: Do not confuse the Quantity and Number of Components fields. Objects are entities that may or may not have component parts. A piece that can be displayed by itself is an object; use the Quantity field. An element whose primary purpose is to complete the object it belongs to is a component part; use the Number of Components field.
    Example

    Record for a knife with a removable blade

      Object Name knife
    Quantity1
      Component Part Nameshandle; blade (2)
      Number of Components3

Entry rules:

  1. Enter a whole number, without fractions or decimals.
  2. Enter "1" even if the object is incomplete, since this part of the object is considered an entity for inventory purposes.
    Example

    Record for a handle from which the cup is missing

      Object Namecup handle
    Quantity1
  3. If you have a number of similar objects, you may create a single documentation record. In that case, the number in the Quantity field will be larger than 1.
    Example

    Record for a pair of gloves

      Object Name glove
    Quantity2
  4. This field may not contain more than one entry.

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