| Accession: | (1) An object acquired by a museum as part of its permanent collection; (2) the act of recording/processing an addition to the permanent collection (Nauert 1979); (3) one or more objects acquired at one time for" one source constituting a single transaction between the museum and a source, or the transaction itself (Burcaw 1997). |
| Accession number: | A control number, unique to an object, whose purpose is identification, not description (Nauert 1979). |
| Accompanier: | A courier who oversees transport of another museum's shipment while it is traveling with the courier's Own shipment. |
| Accredited scientist: | Any individual associated with, employed by, or under contract to and accredited by an accredited scientific institution for the period of conducting biological or medical research, and whose research activities are approved and sponsored by the scientific institution granting accreditation. |
| Accredited scientific institution: | Any public museum, public zoological park, accredited institution of higher education, accredited member of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, accredited member of the American Association of Systematic Collections, or any state or federal government agency that conducts biological or medical research. |
| Acetone: | Dimethyl ketone, a colorless, low boiling, volatile liquid soluble in water and many other organic liquids. Commonly used for a solvent for adhesives. Highly flammable (Rose and de Torres 1992). |
| Acid migration: | The transfer of an acid from a more acidic material to a less acidic material with which it is in contact (Nauert 1979). |
| Acid-free: | A term loosely used for papers and other materials that are often pH neutral or alkaline buffered; could be any pH from 6 to 11 (Rose and de Torres 1992). |
| Acidic: | Acid forming or containing an excess of acid-forming substances. Having a pH less than 7. |
| Actual notice: | Written notice that is received in fact by the person to be notified. |
| Adverse possession: | A method of acquiring title to property by possession under certain conditions including that the possession must be adverse to the owner, actual, continuous, and exclusive, |
| Airbill: | See air waybill. |
| Air waybill: | The basic shipping document in air freight; it is both the contract of carriage between the shipper and carrier and the receipt for the shipment (Case 1988). |
| Alkaline: | Having a pH value greater than 7. |
| All-cargo aircraft: | An aircraft able to accommodate large shipments and that does not carry passengers except couriers by arrangement. |
| All-risk: | An insurance policy that covers damage by all perils except those specifically excluded in the policy. (Contrast with named or specific perils contract.) (Gallery Association of New York State 1985.) |
| Anoxic: | Condition of having insufficient oxygen to sustain life. |
| Aperture: | Hole in the lens through which light travels to strike the film. In most photographic lenses, the aperture size is adjustable and measured in f-stops. |
| Archival value: | The value of documentary materials for continuing preservation in an archival institution (Daniels and Walch 1986). |
| Archives: (1) | The non-current records of an organization or institution preserved because of their continuing value; (2) the agency responsible k for selecting, preserving, and making available records determined to have permanent or continuing value; (3) the building in which an archival institution is located (Daniels and Walch 1986). |
| Arrangement: | The archival process of organizing documentary materials in accordance with archival principles (Daniels and Walch 19863. |
| American Standards Association (ASA): | System used to rate film speed. |
| Backup, fall: | Copying all computer files onto disk or, more usually, tape, for safe keeping. |
| Backup, incremental: | Copying newly made computer files to disk or, more usually, tape, for safe keeping. |
| Bailment: | A legal relationship created between a lender and borrower of property whereby the borrower keeps the property until the lender reclaims it. |
| Bailor, bailee: | The bailor (lender) is the party who delivers the property to the bailee (borrower) in a bailment relationship. |
| Bar code: | Variable-width stripes on packaging or tags that identify the item and provide other data when read by an optical scanner (Duckworth et al. 1993). |
| Batting: | Non-woven natural or synthetic fiber wadded into a fibrous mass used for paddings or stuffing (Rose and de Torres 1992). |
| Best: | An independent rating firm that grades company on their financial soundness. |
| Bill of lading: | The basic document in van, truck, or ocean shipping; it is both the contract of carriage between the shipper and carrier and the receipt for the shipment. See also: air waybill (Nauert 1979). |
| Blanket insurance policy: | An insurance contract that covers several classes of property at a single location or at multiple locations (Gallery Association of New York State 1985). |
| Boom: | The extension arm of a crane that allows the equipment to "reach" the object to be moved. |
| Breakaway case: | Built with sides and top removable, leaving a pallet with the object on it. |
| Buffer | A substance containing both a weak acid and its conjugal weak base, used to restrain the acid migration of a material. Acid-free paper products are often buffered. |
| Cable release: | A flexible wire that screws onto a shutter release button, making it possible to depress the shutter release button at a distance from the camera. It is also used to decrease vibrations during film exposure. |
| Calipers: | A measuring device consisting of a pair of moveable, curved legs fastened at one end with a screw or rivet, used to measure the diameter or thickness of an object (Nauert 1979). |
| Cargo close-out: | The time given by which shipments must be checked in to enable aircraft to be properly loaded and balanced. |
| Cargo terminal: | A cargo-handling shed where shipments are loaded onto pallets or into containers, usually distant from the passenger terminal. |
| Case: | Strong, closed, waterproof box constructed from a variety of hard materials. Used to protect museum objects during periods of movement or in storage. |
| Cause of action: | Facts that give a person the right to bring his or her claim to court. |
| Cavity pack: | To fit an object into a space specifically made to conform to its shape |
| Center of gravity: | The point of an object at which it will balance when lifted. For a safe and stable lift the load line must be directly above this point. The ability to discern the center of gravity is the responsibility of the rigger. |
| Certificate of insurance: | A document, signed by the insurance company or its agent, that is written evidence of ~ in force at the time of issuance. Museums or lenders often require certificates of insurance from one another before releasing objects on loan (Nauert 1979). |
| hill: | A reduction gear hoisting device that uses a continuous chain to raise or lower heavy objects. Used primarily with gantry or A" frame; the capacity is rated by tons. |
| Claim: | In insurance, a formal, written demand by the insured for payment for a loss coming under the terms of the insurance contract (GalIery Association of New York State 1985). |
| Climate control: | The ability to adjust and regulate the temperature and relative humidity of a particular environment (Nauert 1979). |
| Climate-controlled van: | One in which the temperature and relative humidity can be adjusted and regulated within certain limits (Nauert 1979). |
| Coinsurance clause: | A property provision that requires that the policy-holder carry insurance equal to a specified percentage of the property's value (Gallery Association of New York State 1985). |
| Combination flight: | An aircraft able to accommodate cargo containers and pallets as as a reduced load of passengers. |
| Commercial activity: | Related to the offering for sale or resale, purchase, trade, barter, or the actual or intended transfer in the pursuit of gain or pro'- it of any item of wildlife, and includes the use of any wildlife article for the purpose of facilitating such buying and selling provided, however, that it does not include exhibition of such articles by museums or similar cultural or historical organizations. |
| Commercial invoice: | A document included in international shipping papers stating the object name, date, country of origin, materials, value, owner, and whether or not the object will be returned. |
| Common law: | Refers to legal principles that do not rest for their authority on any express statue, but rather upon statements of principles found in court decisions. |
| Compactor storage: | High-density storage system with moveable units on rails, accessed by one aisle whose location can be changed by moving units with manual or electric controls. |
| Condition: (1) | the physical state of an object; C2) a contract provision or stipulation (Nauert 1979). |
| Condition photograph: | A photograph or series of photographs that clearly document all defects, flaws, and the physical condition of an object (Nauert 1979). |
| Conservation: | Maximizing the endurance or minimizing the deterioration of an object through time, with as little change to the object as possible (Lord and lord l9~). |
| Conservator: | Trained professional who treats objects to repair damage, maximize endurance, and minimize deterioration. |
| Constructive notice: | Notice that is implied by law rather than notice that is actually mailed and received by the person being notified such as legal notices published in a newspaper. |
| Container number: | Large identifying number on outside of each container usually three letters followed by four numbers to aid in tracking of shipments. |
| Continuous custody. | (1) In contemporary U.S. usage, the archival principle that to guarantee archival integrity, archival material should either be retained by the creating organization or transferred directly to an archival institution; (2) in British usage, the principle that non-current records must be retained by the creating organization or its successor in function to be considered archival (Daniels and Walch 1986). |
| Contour bracing: | Padded braces fitted to an object's contour, attached to the inside of a wooden crate to keep the object from moving. Generally used with large, heavy objects. Braces are removable. |
| Country of exportation: | The last country from which the animal, plant, or object was exported before importation into the United States. |
| Country of origin: | The country where the animal or plant was taken from the wild, the object was made, or the natal origin of the animal. |
| Courier: | An individual, usually a representative of the owner of an object, who travels with the object to ensure its proper care and safe arrival. |
| Crane: | A mobile unit equipped with boom, cable, and draw works, capable of 360-degree rotation around a center pin. Rated in ton capacity. |
| Crate markings: | Symbols, numbers, and letters stenciled on the outside of a crate indicating proper handling, size, and weight of packed crate; identifying initials. |
| Cross docking: | The transfer of a load one or more times from truck to truck. |
| Escort: | A security guard who protects the shipment from unexpected interference during transit. |
| Cross-link: | A crosswise part that connects parallel chains in a complex chemical molecule. In a polymer, two or more small molecules may combine to form larger molecules. The resulting molecules may have different chemical properties than the original molecules including solubility, etc. |
| Customs broker: | An individual or firm that arranges customs clearance of objects traveling between countries; frequently employed also as a freight-forwarding agent for international shipments. |
| Customs seal: | A warning tag or label affixed to a shipping box by a customs official at the original port-of-entry. It is a guarantee to the customs official who makes the inspection at the ultimate destination that the contents have not been tampered with (Nauert 1979). |