accessioning
Adding to collection
Accessioning is the formal process of adding items to a collection and recording their acquisition.
Libraries accession new books, museums accession artifacts, and archives accession documents.
The term implies not just physical receipt but official registration—assigning identification numbers, documenting provenance, and entering items into permanent records: The museum is still accessioning donations from the estate.
Record of ownership
- curatorCollection overseer
- registrarKeeper of official records
- artifactHuman-made historical object
- collectionGathered set of items
donation · acquisition · deaccession · conservation · inventory · gallery · exhibit · curation
Systematic organization into records
- classificationSystematic grouping by traits
- metadataDescriptive information about content
- circulationMovement through a system
- interlibrary loanBorrowing across institutional collections
stacks · periodicals · acquisitions · librarian · patron · shelving · bibliography · indexing
Record of ownership
- appraisalEstimation of worth
- arrangementOrdered configuration or agreement
- descriptionAccount of characteristics
- transferMove between locations
manuscripts · archivist · repository · conservation · preservation · inventory · collections · series
Act of obtaining something
- procurementObtaining goods externally
- purchaseGoods obtained for payment
- donationVoluntary charitable gift
- bequestGift left by will
gift · transfer · inheritance · exchange · repatriation · seizure · appropriation · receiving
Document governing borrowed funds
- legal titleProof of ownership rights
- appraisal valueExpert-determined market price
- chain of custodyDocumented evidence handling sequence
provenance
Record of ownership
collection · donation · acquisition · deaccession · conservation · inventory · gallery · exhibit · curation · preservation
cataloging
Systematic organization into records
- classificationSystematic grouping by traits
- metadataDescriptive information about content
- circulationMovement through a system
interlibrary loan · stacks · periodicals · acquisitions · librarian · patron · shelving · bibliography · indexing · Dewey
provenance
Record of ownership
- appraisalEstimation of worth
- arrangementOrdered configuration or agreement
- descriptionAccount of characteristics
transfer · manuscripts · archivist · repository · conservation · preservation · inventory · collections · series
acquisition
Act of obtaining something
- procurementObtaining goods externally
- purchaseGoods obtained for payment
- donationVoluntary charitable gift
bequest · gift · transfer · inheritance · exchange · repatriation · seizure · appropriation · receiving · obtaining
loan agreement
Document governing borrowed funds
- legal titleProof of ownership rights
- appraisal valueExpert-determined market price
- chain of custodyDocumented evidence handling sequence
accessioningdisposing
Getting rid of something
discarding · removing · deregistering · culling · weeding
recess, excess, access, accessory, accessible, concession, succession, successor, inaccessible