1. Welcome to ANCS+ 8.0 Automated Inventory Program. This course will teach you how to create and print your random sample, controlled property

Transcription

1 ANCS+ 8.0 Remote Training: ANCS+ 8.0 Automated Inventory Program (AIP) Revised 07/15/2008 Screen Shot Script 1. Welcome to ANCS+ 8.0 Automated Inventory Program. This course will teach you how to create and print your random sample, controlled property and accession inventories. A note on conference call etiquette: the group can hear only one person speaking at a time; wait for the speaker to stop talking before speaking yourself, so everyone can hear you. Please hold your questions until the end. Write down any questions you have during the course, so you don t forget them. It s highly likely your question will be answered as the course proceeds. We ll use the last five minutes for questions. If we run out of time, we ll take down your questions and reply by phone or after the course is over. Let s get started. 2. All of the information we ll cover in this course is also available in other places: Chapter 1 of the ANCS+ User Manual covers system basics, such as navigation and data entry. Appendix I ( eye ) explains how to use the Inventory in detail. Chapter 5 explains how to run reports. We strongly recommend you read or review Chapter 1 & Appendix I of the ANCS+ User Manual, and the Inventory section in Chapter 4 of the NPS Museum Handbook, Part Two, when you begin to work with the Inventory. Also, the on-line System Help describes all the program s basic navigation and data entry functions. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 1

2 3. After login, you ll start at the Home Page. From the Home Page, you can go anywhere in the program. Some functions are available immediately from the Home Page. Others are available only when you re working with records in the database. 4. One function available from anywhere is the System Help. It includes a chapter on System Basics. That chapter describes the parts of the screen and explains basic navigation. The System Help does not include details of the Inventory or NPS policy related to the Inventory. The Data Entry chapter explains how to add & modify records, and how to enter data in all the different types of fields, which you ll use in the Inventory. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 2

3 5. Now we ll learn about the Inventory module. From the Home Page, you can go anywhere using the keyboard, or the mouse, or a combination. In the Navigator, use the up and down arrow keys to select a module. Whatever is selected in the Navigator appears on the Home Page. Some of you might find this similar to Windows Explorer. With PARK Cultural Resources selected in the Navigator, press Tab to move to the Home Page. Press the down arrow key to select Inventory- Control Page, and press Enter to open it. You can also click with the mouse. 6. Note how the Navigator is expanded to show all the options under Management Reports. Inventory-Control Page is selected, and you can use the up and down arrows to select a different module. You can also use the mouse; click on the module you want to go to. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 3

4 7. To generate a new inventory, you need to know the highest catalog number and highest accession number in use at your park. You can check these easily by going to the catalog record screen, and the accession screen, and going to the last record to see what the number is. If you have both Cultural Resources and Natural History collections, check the last catalog record for both. 8. Now let s generate an Inventory. You ll start on the Inventory-Control Page. Most parks will generate their inventory from within their Cultural Resources directory. You can also do it within Natural History, but you should be consistent to avoid having multiple copies of the inventory. To generate a new Inventory, click the Add button, or choose Add New Record from the Edit menu, or press F9 on the keyboard. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 4

5 9. A separate window opens, and you can enter the data. Enter your park acronym, and the Fiscal Year. Note how the Field Help explains what type of data to enter in each field. The Field Help for the Park field includes special instructions for archeology Centers and parks that use a fifth letter in their acronym. 10. Tab to the Directories to Check field. Enter CR and your park acronym. If you have both Cultural Resources and Natural History collections, press F12 to expand the field to add another directory. Type NH and your park acronym to add that directory. Click Save to close Directories to Check field. If you have additional directories that should be included in the inventory, press F12 to expand the field and add them. Most parks will only include their main Cultural Resources and Natural History directories. For most parks, those two directories are the ones that have the park acronym. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 5

6 11. Next, enter the highest catalog and accession numbers in those fields. The program will use these numbers to select the appropriate sample size for the random sample inventory. You only need to enter the number, not the acronym, leading zeros, or hyphen. 12. There are three types of inventories in the AIP module. First, generate your Random Sample inventory. To do this, click on the Get Random Sample Inventory link. The program will select the records for the inventory. When it is complete, it will tell you how many records were selected for the random sample. Click OK. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 6

7 13. Next, generate the Controlled Property inventory. Click on the Get Controlled Property Inventory link. The program will gather information from catalog records that are marked as Controlled Property. Such records have a Y in the Controlled Property field. When it is complete, it will tell you how many records were selected. Click OK. 14. Finally, generate the Accession inventory, if required for your park. Click on the Get Accessions Inventory link. Refer to the ANCS+ User Manual, Appendix I, to learn more about whether your park is required to conduct an Accession inventory. When it is complete, it will tell you how many records were selected. Click OK. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 7

8 15. Now that inventory samples have been generated, click Save and Close at the bottom of the screen. You will return to the Inventory-Control Page record, showing the data you entered and the sample sizes. 16. The next step is to print the inventory forms. Each of the three types of inventories has its own printed form. The forms are available from the screen for each inventory. You can get to each one by clicking the link on the Inventory page, or by using the Navigator to select the inventory you need to work with. Start with the Random Sample inventory. Click that link to go there. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 8

9 17. The Random Sample screen opens. From this screen you can print the Random Sample Inventory form. This is also the screen where you will update the random sample inventory records, which we ll discuss later in the lesson. Usually, the first thing you ll do here is print the inventory form. 18. From the Record menu, choose Reports, then Re:discovery Reports. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 9

10 19. From the list of reports, choose the Inventory Random Sample. Click the Run for All Visible Records link. When prompted, choose to send the report output to the Printer, or to the Screen to preview it. 20. The first page of the is the signature page that must be signed when you have finished the physical inventory of the objects listed. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 10

11 21. Beginning on the second page of the form, the records you need to find during the inventory are listed. Note that the objects are listed in order by Location, so you can easily move from shelf to shelf, or room to room, as you conduct the physical inventory. You ll carry this printed form with you, and mark the columns indicating whether the object was found, whether it is damaged, etc. 22. After printing the for the Random Sample Inventory, you ll return to the list of reports for the Random Sample screen. Click the Close link to return to the main Random Sample screen. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 11

12 23. From the Random Sample inventory screen, click the Controlled Property link to open the Controlled Property page. You can also click the Controlled Property node in the Navigator. 24. The Controlled Property screen opens. From this screen you can print the Controlled Property Inventory form. This is also the screen where you will update the Controlled Property inventory records, which we ll discuss later in the lesson. Usually, the first thing you ll do here is print the inventory form. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 12

13 25. Just as with all reports, From the Record menu, choose Reports, then Re:discovery Reports. From the list of reports, choose the Inventory Controlled Property. Click the Run for All Visible Records link. When prompted, choose to send the report output to the Printer, or to the Screen to preview it. 26. The first page of the is the signature page that must be signed when you have finished the physical inventory of the objects listed. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 13

14 27. Beginning on the second page of the form, the records you need to find during the inventory are listed. Note that the objects are listed in order by Location, so you can easily move from shelf to shelf, or room to room, as you conduct the physical inventory. You ll carry this printed form with you, and mark the columns indicating whether the object was found, whether it is damaged, etc. 28. After printing the for the Controlled Property Inventory, you ll return to the list of reports for the Controlled Property screen. Click the Close link to return to the main Controlled Property screen. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 14

15 29. If your park needs to conduct an Accession inventory, you ll follow the same steps to print that form: Click on the Accession link, or the Inventory- Accessions node in the Navigator. You ll then be viewing the Accession inventory records. From the Record menu, choose Reports, then Re:discovery Reports. From the list of reports, choose the Inventory Accessions. Click the Run for All Visible Records link. Then you ll have printed your accession inventory. 30. Review the Appendix I ( eye ) of the ANCS+ User Manual, and the NPS Museum Handbook, to decide whether your park is required to perform the Accession inventory. Generally, you do not need to do an Accession inventory if the entire collection is fully cataloged or the only un-cataloged objects in the collection are from accessions that you received within that last year. You must complete an Accession inventory if you have un-cataloged collections from accessions received before the previous inventory. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 15

16 31. When you have printed the Random Sample, Controlled Property, and (if necessary) Accession inventory forms, you are finished with what you need to do in ANCS+ for the inventory. You are now ready to conduct the physical inventory of your museum collections. You will carry these printed forms with you, and mark the columns indicating whether the object was found, whether it is damaged, etc. Refer to the specific instructions in the Appendix I ( eye ) of the ANCS+ User Manual, and the Museum Handbook, for conducting the physical inventory. 32. You should edit the catalog records to correct any problems identified during the physical inventory. For example, if objects are found in a location other than the location in the printed inventory form, you should update incorrect Locations in the Catalog Records, or move the object to the correct location. Remember that you should update incorrect locations on the Catalog Record, not in the Inventory module. If the physical inventory finds objects have been damaged, you should address the situation to prevent further damage to objects. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 16

17 33. You have completed the inventory requirements once you have completed the physical inventory and your superintendent has signed the forms. There is no requirement that you enter the data from the forms into the Inventory records in ANCS+. However, if you want to reprint the reports with the completed inventory results, you will need to enter responses into the program and rerun the reports. Reprinting the report is the only reason to enter findings for each object into the computer. The data is not saved from year-to-year. To enter responses in the Inventory module, return to the Random Sample inventory. 34. To modify the data on a Random Sample inventory record, click the Modify button, or choose Modify This Record from the Edit menu, or press F10 on the keyboard. A separate window opens. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 17

18 35. In the Random Sample screen, some fields are inactive and cannot be edited. For example, the Catalog Number and Object Location fields are not editable because the Inventory pulls this data from the catalog record. You may edit the Yes/No fields and the Remarks/Condition field. Press the Tab key to move from field to field. Note how the Field Help explains what type of data to enter in each field. Enter the data for this record that you wrote down on the printed Inventory form. In the Yes/No fields, you may only enter Y or N. If you enter the wrong letter, press Ctrl-Del to remove it and type the correct letter. You may leave a field blank, if needed, such as for records of objects that have been deaccessioned. 36. If you enter No in any field except the Damaged field, enter an explanation in the Remarks/Condition field. You may also use this field to enter notes on the object s condition. When you have finished, click Save and Close. You will return to the main Random Sample inventory screen. Click the Next Record button to go to the next record, and Modify that record following the same steps. You can continue to update each inventory one at a time using this method. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 18

19 37. You can edit the inventory records more quickly by the mass-update tools in ANCS+. These tools let you update groups of records at the same time. To use any mass-update tool, you need to select multiple records in the List Pane. Stretch the List Pane so you can see more of the list. Use Shift-Click to select a contiguous group of records. Use Ctrl-Click to select individual records. An easy way to select all records in the List Pane is to click once in the list, and press Ctrl-A, which is Select All. 38. With multiple or all records selected, from the Edit menu select Modify All Records. The Modify All wizard opens. Note that it tells you how many of your inventory records will be updated. Click Next to continue. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 19

20 39. The Modify All Data Entry screen opens. Here you can enter data that applies to all the records you have selected. For example, if all your Random Sample records were found during the physical inventory, enter Y in the Object Found field. You can fill in any or all of the active fields to update all the selected records at once. Click Next to proceed. 40. Verify that the correct number of records will be updated, and that the fields will be updated with the new data you want. Click Finish. You will see a message that confirms the number of fields and number of records that were updated, and then you ll close the Modify All window. We won t do this update during this training session, so I ll click Cancel now. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 20

21 41. Another mass-update tool is Quick Entry. Again, you must select the records you want to update by highlighting them in the List Pane. Then, from the Edit menu choose Quick Entry then Quick Entry Formats Management. Here, you can create a Quick Entry format that includes the fields you want to update. 42. Click the Create New button to create a new Quick Entry format. Enter a name for your format, then click the Columns link to add the fields you want in the template. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 21

22 43. The Select Fields window opens. Click to select from the list of available fields on the left, and add to the list on the right, which are the fields you want to show in Quick Entry. Each of these fields will show as a Column when you update the records using Quick Entry. It is helpful to put the fields in the same order as Random Sample screen and in the printed Inventory form. That will make entering the data easier. If the fields are out of order, click to select a field in the Columns to Show list, and click the Move Up or Move Down buttons to re-arrange them. When finished, click OK. Then in the Quick Entry Manager window, click Save and Close. 44. Now, to edit the Inventory records using Quick Entry, from the Edit menu choose Quick Entry, then choose Modify Records with Quick Entry. With your newly-created Quick Entry format selected, click OK to activate it. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 22

23 45. The Quick Entry window opens. You can now quickly fill in the Yes and No answers for each record, from the printed Inventory form that you completed by hand during the physical inventory. Press Tab to move to the right along a row. Press the down arrow key to move down each column. For example, you can quickly enter Y in the Object Found field, press the down arrow key, enter Y, down arrow, Y, etc. When complete, click Save and Close. The edits you made in Quick Entry will be applied to the records in the Random Sample inventory. We re not going to make this update during the training, so I ll click Cancel. 46. You can use the same mass-update tools Modify All and Quick Entry in the Controlled Property Inventory or the Accessions Inventory. But remember: There is no requirement that you enter the data from the forms into the Inventory records in ANCS+. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 23

24 47. Now, here are some other things you should know about the Inventory module, as well as answers to frequently asked questions. 48. You should not generate a new sample if you have already printed the inventory forms and started to conduct the physical inventory. Generating a new sample will produce a new group of randomly selected catalog and accession records. As a result, your printed forms won t match the data in the Inventory module. You should only generate one sample per year. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 24

25 49. Inventory records that have no Location data will show up at the top of the list. The records are sorted by Location, so those with no location come first. You can also sort the data by Catalog Number, but you should generally leave the data sorted by Location, to make it easier to find the objects during the physical inventory. 50. Inventory records with no Location will usually say Not in Rediscovery in the Re:discovery Status field. The Random Sample selects a random list of catalog numbers, then tries to find those numbers in your data. If the matching catalog number can t be found in ANCS+, then the record is Not in Rediscovery, and the Location and Object Name fields will be blank. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 25

26 51. If you have a large number of Inventory records that say Not in Re:discovery, there are two possible causes: Check the Control Screen record to make sure both your Cultural Resources and Natural History directories are listed in the Directories to Check field. Also check that the Highest Catalog Number Used is correct. If not, modify the Control Screen record, correct the data, and click the Get Random Sample Inventory link to generate a new sample. Another reason records appear as "Not In Re:discovery" is that there may be large gaps in the list of catalog numbers in use at your park. This is not unusual. Some parks skip groups of catalog numbers that have been assigned for projects that are not yet complete. 52. The Random Sample only pulls in data for randomly selected catalog numbers, if the matching number exists in your ANCS+ database. You cannot add records on the Random Sample Inventory screen. When modifying Random Sample records, you can enter Location data for records that are Not in Re:discovery. However, this data will not transfer to the Catalog Records. You must enter the Catalog Records in that module, ideally before you begin the Inventory process. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 26

27 53. The Controlled Property Inventory is not a random sample. It pulls all catalog records that have "Y" in the Controlled Property field. 54. The program allows you to add records in the Controlled Property Inventory screen. The ability to add a record here accommodates cases where an object that is not yet entered into the catalog records could be controlled property and needs to be included in the inventory. Originally when upgrading to ANCS+, many parks had objects that were cataloged on paper but not yet entered into ANCS+. Now, if you have objects that are controlled property, you should make every effort to enter their catalog records in ANCS+ before you generate your inventory rather than adding a new entry within the Controlled Property Inventory. Adding a new record directly into the Controlled Property Inventory screen will allow you to print a complete inventory but will not create catalog records in the Catalog Records module. The inventory module retains this information for the next year so that you do not have to add the record again. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 27

28 55. For the Controlled Property Inventory, you might see objects in the list that are not controlled property and should not be there. The first thing to check is whether or not the associated catalog record has an N in the Controlled Property field. If there is a Y in the Controlled Property field on the catalog record, correct the catalog record and next year s inventory will not include this object as controlled property in the inventory. If the catalog record has Controlled Property equal to N but the Controlled Property Inventory list of objects includes the object that has, then you ll need to make some changes in the Controlled Property Inventory itself. Similarly, you may see a catalog number twice in the inventory list. In either of these cases, the Controlled Property Inventory has a record that was added manually in the past and needs to be removed. The option to delete is only available if you are sitting on an entry that was added manually. Navigate to EDIT DELETE RECORD(S) and choose Delete This Record. 56. The Accession Inventory is a random sample. It will include accessions in the sample that are fully cataloged and partially cataloged. You do not have to inventory the objects in a fully cataloged accession. But you must verify the accession documentation for fully cataloged accessions. If you have accessions that are partially cataloged, inventory the uncataloged objects. Don t inventory the cataloged objects as part of the accessions inventory. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 28

29 57. The Accessions Inventory includes a Location field, but all records will have no Location data. This is because the Accession records have no Location field that the Inventory can pull from. Quite often, the individual objects from a single accession are stored or exhibited in many different places. 58. Review the Appendix I ( eye ) of the ANCS+ User Manual, and the Inventory section in Chapter 4 of the NPS Museum Handbook, Part Two, to decide whether your park is required to perform the Accession inventory. Generally, you do not need to do an Accession inventory if the entire collection is fully cataloged or the only un-cataloged objects in the collection are from accessions that you received within that last year. You must complete an Accession inventory if you have un-cataloged collections from accessions received before the previous inventory. ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 29

30 59. That s all we have time for. Remember the System Help for basic navigation, and the ANCS+ User Manual Appendix I ( eye ) for specifics about the Inventory module! Questions? ANCS8_RemoteTrainingAIP.doc 30