Make & keep
Separate a donor’s account from a catalogue description
Preserve testimony while making the object record independently readable.
A donor may know who appears in a strip, but a catalogue should show which details come from their account. Keep testimony in their words where possible and separate it from your description of the physical object. Record permission for any public quotation.
Record the source
Note the donor’s preferred attribution, interview date and relationship to the collection. Ask whether the account may be shared and whether details should remain private. Do not silently turn a recollection into an inscription.
Describe the object
Write a neutral line for format, frame count, visible marks and condition. Use another field for the donor’s interpretation of people, occasion or place. Link both fields to the same object identifier.
Preserve differences
If another source disagrees, record both accounts and their dates. Let the donor review the summary for accuracy without asking them to certify claims beyond their memory. Future readers should distinguish observation, testimony and inference. Keep the contributor’s wording distinguishable from your summary.