Post on 30-Mar-2015
Coding at the Bar
Larry Gall -- Peabody Museum of Natural History
Coding at the Bar
Coding at the Bar
Coding at the Bar
Coding at the Bar
Notes on how barcoding got incoroporated into a multi-collection move
Peabody CollectionsCounts & Functional Cataloguing Unit
• Anthropology 325,000 Lot• Botany 350,000 Individual• Entomology 1,000,000 Lot / Individual• Invertebrate Paleontology 300,000 Lot• Invertebrate Zoology 300,000 Lot• Mineralogy 35,000 Individual• Paleobotany 150,000 Individual• Scientific Instruments 4,000 Individual• Vertebrate Paleontology 125,000 Individual• Vertebrate Zoology 185,000 Lot / Individual
2.7 million database-able units => ~11 million items
Peabody CollectionsFunctional Units Databased
• Anthropology 325,000 90 %• Botany 350,000 1 %• Entomology 1,000,000 4 %• Invertebrate Paleontology 300,000 65 %• Invertebrate Zoology 300,000 25 %• Mineralogy 35,000 85 %• Paleobotany 150,000 60 %• Scientific Instruments 4,000 100 %• Vertebrate Paleontology 125,000 60 %• Vertebrate Zoology 185,000 95 %
1,010,000 of 2.7 million => 38 % overall
“Science Hill”
ESC - 2001
1998-2002 Move
ENT, IZ, PB, VZ
ORN, VZ, IZ
ANT
1998-2002 Move
ENT, IP, IZ, PB, VZ
ENT, ORN, VZ, IP, IZ
ANT
BOT
2006-2007
Yale “West Campus”
Bayer Pharmaceutical
135 acresWest Haven
purchased 2007buildings = 1.6 million square feet
A21
A19
Peabody MuseumYale Art Gallery
British Art CenterMudd Library
Manuscripts & ArchivesCenter for Media Initiatives
etc., etc., etc.
Manufacturing Building A21
Manufacturing Building A21
Warehouse A19
Warehouse A19
Osteology = 15,000 Anthropology = 200,000 Instruments = 4,000
• 16 months, vacating 8 rooms in 2 buildings
• 1.5 million objects (230,000 EMu records)
• Find, document, conserve, pack, move
• Simple barcoding functionality for EMu
• Cannot slow down physical workflow
Western Bottom Line
• 16 months, vacating 8 rooms in 2 buildings
• 1.5 million objects (230,000 EMu records)
• Find, document, conserve, pack, move
• Simplified barcoding functionality w/EMu
• Did not slow down physical workflow
Western Bottom Line
Barcoding Desiderata
Barcoding Desiderata
• Tethered/wireless, batch/realtime
• Software implementationContract work with KE
Integrate 3rd party product
Roll-your-own
Barcoding Desiderata
• Tethered/wireless, batch/realtime
• Software implementationContract work with KE
Integrate 3rd party product
Roll-your-own
• TexxmlserverDedicate an additional license
Direct API to EMu
• Texpress utilitiesNo additional license
Use another interface to EMu
Barcoding Desiderata
Web server builtin as partof Solaris OS on server
Barcodes scanned into a web page
CGI script parses scans, decides on action
Input passed to secondary processing script
Processing script calling texpress utilities
Barcoding Desiderata
Barcoding Desiderata
Packing decisions that simplifed barcodingDrawer of objects in a cabinet – put objects into a new Delta drawer
Objects in a tray on a shelf – put objects into a new Delta drawer
Free objects – put objects into customized packing boxes
Think in terms of independently moveable itemsDo not conceptualize the moving on an object-centric basis
First scan is into a “package,” an EMu holderSingle object in box, multiple objects in box, Delta drawer = all packages
Next scans are into progressively larger holdersCabinets, cases, pallets… moving truck = top of hierarchy
Unwind scanning hierarchy as required out WestMinimally, scan the large holders from truck into “swingspace” holder
Barcoding Desiderata
Barcoding Desiderata
=>ANT.PKG.01342HSI.PKG.00046VZ.PKG.00987
VZ.PAL.0292 ANT.CAB.0075 TRUCK.WC
Holder nomenclature
Existing drawer location barcode( multiple objects already attached in EMu )
Object barcode
Packagebarcode
Yale Art Gallery Peabody
Zebra TLP-3844Z printer, tethered scan gun
Symbol MC3090R wireless barcode scanner
Windows CE 5.0 Pro
EMu doesn’t run on CE
Source Scan & Target Scan
CGIscript
Texql barcode values from elocations file
Identify types (holder vs. location)
Check if move is logically consistent
Check holder hierarchy of implied move
If all ok, hand off to processing script
Return to see what user wants next
CGIscript
Object, Holder, Location combinations:
Holder to Holder okHolder to Location okHolder to Object invalidLocation to Holder okLocation to Location invalidLocation to Object invalidObject to Holder ok *Object to Location ok **Object to Object invalid
* = only if Holder is a PKG** = same as EMu relocate function
CGIscript
Most common combinations for Processing Script:
Object to Holder texload target holder into single object LocCurrentLocationRef
Location to Holder texload target holder into many object LocCurrentLocationRef
Holder to Holder texload target holder into source LocHolderLocationRef
Holder to Location texload target location into source LocHolderLocationRef
texload a custom timestamp into the respective NotNotes or LocMovementNotes; if a Holder to Holder move is involved, also timestamp all PKG holders within the source, to force an update of the einternal histories for all the objects
A Coding “Gotcha”
an EMu data directory
texload –g{gram} –d{data} –vdata {module}
Westward Ho !
Finding, labeling, cataloging
Cleaning, conserving, packing
Taking digital photos if unimaged
Pallet & cabinet assembly
Hauling stuff to new digs
Spring 2008
Assemble barcoding equipment
Spring 2008
West renovations, buy packing materials
Spring 2008
Learn to drive, configure A21 swingspace
Spring 2008
HSI – reclaim squirreled away cabinetry
Spring 2008
VZ - clean, catalog the uncataloged
Spring 2008
ANT - clean, make boxes, stage new drawers
June 2008
ANT – vanquish the Phys Ant lab, convert to “packing central”
June 2008
ANT – hire moving experts
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – pipeline one: objects with photos incoming…
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – custom boxes and packing
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – ethafoam madness, part 1
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – ethafoam madness, part 2
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – pipeline two: objects without photos
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – automated import scripts
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – automated import scripts
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – scanning into pallets, shrink-wrapping
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – scanning into cabinets, heading out the door…
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – scanning into cabinets, heading out the door…
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – hefting stuff on forklift
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – onto the truck
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – barcoded truck
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – soldier down
Oh %&#* …
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – soldier down
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – soldier down
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – replacement soldier
Summer-Fall 2008
VZ – “Old Bill”… too big for a package
Summer-Fall 2008
VZ – “Old Bill” heads West
Summer-Fall 2008
VZ – “Old Bill” heads West
Summer-Fall 2008
VZ – “Old Bill” presiding over A21
Summer-Fall 2008
The ever-changing swingspaces
Summer-Fall 2008
The ever-changing swingspaces
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – shipment of new Delta Cabinets
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – cabinet comes out of swingspace…
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – drawers moved & scanned into new home
Summer-Fall 2008
ANT – some statistics
So far… 11,000 newly acquired images 40,000 object records scanned to West 195,000 new einternal records total estimated einternal growth is ~ 300% barcoding now well accepted at YPM
Summer-Fall 2008
Summer-Fall 2008