URN_NBN_SI_doc-BJK18HM3

Knjižnica, 2019, 63 (3), 131–153 133 Importance of digitization and integration of paper-based documentation in museums: a preliminary report   pri njeni integraciji v muzejske informacijske sisteme. Raziskali in nadgradili bomo tudi prednosti digitalizacije stare dokumentacije za povečanje stopnje računalniške in- ventarizacije oziroma za zmanjševanje zaostanka v dokumentiranju ter zagotavljanju kontinuitete muzejske dokumentacije. Ključne besede: muzejska dokumentacija, dokumentacija v papirni obliki, digitalizaci- ja, integracija informacij, kontinuiteta dokumentacije 1 Introduction This article aims to investigate the importance of paper-based museum docu- mentation. In the context of this article, paper-based museum documentation covers a variety of manually-managed documentation forms that relate primar- ily to museum items and are recorded on paper (inventory books, entry registry, object registration cards and files, etc.), written on a machine or in handwriting (hereinafter referred to as paper-based documentation). The paper also explores its specific position and role in the broader context of museum documentation, which is a key form of knowledge about museum objects and collections. In this preliminary report, we will outline the plan and methodology of our fur- ther research aimed at understanding the attitudes of curators, senior curators and museum advisers 1 (hereinafter referred to as curators) toward paper-based documentation of the museum objects. The purpose is to examine adequate mechanisms for following the principle of continuity of museum documenta- tion and explore the possibilities of speeding up the process of computer-based registration and cataloguing of museum objects by digitization and integration of old paper-based documentation. There are several research issues that we want to examine. We are interested how curators use paper-based documentation of the museum objects – whether they use it for further documentation of objects, for research, for the preparation of exhibitions or publications, or other reasons. At the same time, we need to gain insight into their attitudes towards the information contained in the paper- based documentation, and what their standpoints and practices are regarding the transfer (rewriting), correcting, improving, and also referencing and citing sources of data from old documentation. We are curious to see if some curators 1 One of the primary professional titles in museums under the Museums Act ( Zakon o muzejima ) from 2018 is the curator, including the titles of senior curator and museum advisor, which are earned by advancement from the curator level.