It can be both one of the most tedious aspects of museum life and potentially one of the most interesting and biggest factors in developing a new creativity in museums, and radically influencing organizational cultures and demography. Staff have to let the section know if they have moved some objects, after they have moved them. This has to be done using forms, location codes etc. We do not seem to share the same points of reference, or the same reality. A familiar and friendly place becomes an unknown location.
Communication becomes strained.
In Glasgow, we have not yet begun to involve documentation officers in creative projects, or the community in museum documentation. On the other hand, information systems should be of a great benefit to the community - especially those sections which have not traditionally been well served by museums. These systems are extracting information previously the sole property of academics, curators and conservators, and putting it into digital storage systems that are neutral, and free of the petty prejudices, racism, sexism and elitism that humans can all suffer from. If we want to examine the potential of information systems to serve the needs of the community, perhaps all we need to think about is how the community can get its hands on them. The criticisms it makes of the limitations of documentation systems are not aimed at these particular systems, however.