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Condition checking

The Condition Check button exists to help you keep a record of an object's condition over time.Using it, you can create permanent records for each condition check you perform on an object. These checks are stored in a separate Condition database and the object's current condition will always be displayed on the object.

Calm contains several fields to help you document the condition of an object. Most of these fields are not on any record types by default, so you will need to add them to the record types if you wish to use them. The condition check fields are:

  • Condition

  • Condition_Check_Date

  • Condition_Checker

  • Condition_Check_Method

  • Condition_Check_Note

  • Condition_Check_Reference

  • Condition_Note

To perform an object's first condition check, simply enter data into as many of these fields as you wish to use. When it is time to perform any subsequent condition checks, first click the Condition Check button. This will copy the previous condition check information to a new record in the condition database and empty these fields on the object's catalogue record. Now you can enter the condition check information for the new check. It is important to note that the data from the most recent condition check should always be displayed on the catalogue record, not in a condition record. In this way, the most current condition information about the item will always be displayed on the catalogue record and the condition database will house records of the item's condition in the past.

To access the condition database to view an object's condition records, click the 'Condition' tab at the top of the record. This will take you to a hit list of all condition records linked to the current catalogue record; you can open the Overview to navigate them easily. To return to the catalogue database, click the Back button on the side button strip.

Unlike most other databases, the condition database is read-only: records cannot be edited in it, and they can only be added through the condition check process. Additionally, condition records cannot be accessed from a Calm menu; they can only be accessed by clicking the Condition tab on a catalogue record.

Note: The condition database is only available in the Museums module for Calm. Although all of the condition check fields are available in the Archives module, the condition database itself, and the button that moves data into it, are not available.