I always like to refer to the 'real' world when thinking through these sorts of things.

In a supermarket, the shelf edge label contains a lot of information, some - the pricing info product name and maybe a short description, set of offers or comparitive pricing is really useful for the customer.  However, below this there will usually be a barcode, a cubing (number of facings and stock holdings) number, a product reference and other information that is purely for the staff.  This is the same for clothing retail where this info is on the labels as it is for food retail.

When you go shopping, I very much doubt you get that annoyed by the extra information that is on the label, that you can obviously and knowingly discount as not being 'for you'.  The important information (probably the price!) is clear and upfront, with the lesser information for 'those in the know' a lot further down the label.  Surely - as others have said - the key point is that the main information that you see, first, is aimed at the customer (or in our case the visitor) and the secondary information that (as Jocelyn said helps staff) is lower down, less 'obvious' but still visible and available.

Would you really stop shopping somewhere because they have a barcode on a label, or a 10 digit number that means nothing to you?  The top in a shop that has the most obscure and unappealing (to you) range name...is that really going to make you turn round and walk out?

I truly believe sometimes the museum world can learn a lot by stepping outside the front door and having a look at how people live their lives in the real world, and not get over worried that not everything has to have 100% meaning to the visitor.

Peter


Peter Davies
Outreach Officer (City Museums)

tel: 01227 475 203
email: [log in to unmask]
website: www.canterbury-museums.co.uk
e-Newsletter subscription: e-Newsletter 


-----Original Message-----
From: List for discussion of issues in museum education in the UK. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Philippa Tinsley
Sent: 04 February 2009 09:36
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: FW: labels

You know curators aren't all evil...

I totally agree, labels are there for visitors (we don't use them on labels here).

But... there are occasional circumstances when you can't put a number on the object itself (because it's a difficult object to mark/because you have to get it out on display before you have time to order more paraloid etc etc) and putting a number on the label enables you to make sure you know what it is - basically you are also using the label for collection management reasons.  Personally I think losing the information about an object is a worse sin that having a number on a label.  To throw the over-generalisation back, education staff rarely realise quite how nightmarish the task of information management is over a whole collection.

Annette, does your curator have a particular reason and are they in other respects audience-focussed?  If they aren't, numbers may not be the best place to start the argument!


Philippa Tinsley
Collections Manager - Worcester City Council
 
email:  [log in to unmask]
telephone: 01905 25371
address: Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, Foregate Street, Worcester, WR1 1DT

-----Original Message-----
From: Annette Wells [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 03 February 2009 14:53
Subject: labels

Hi all

 We are having an ongoing discussion with a new curator who insists on putting accession numbers on all his labels. we'd be interested in hearing whether you do too?

many thanks
annette

Annette Wells
Access and Audience Development Officer
Museums and Heritage Service
Newport Museum and Art Gallery
John Frost Square
Newport
S Wales
NP20 1PA
01633 414712 (direct line)
01633 414701 (admin)






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