With the most extensive collection of pharaonic antiquities in the world, the Egyptian Museum, Cairo (EMC), offers visitors and researchers a unique opportunity to explore the art and rich history of one of our oldest civilizations from prehistoric times through to the Roman period. Opening in 1902 with approximately 20,000 objects, the collection has grown to more than 200,000 objects today. The EMC’s principal goals are to conserve Egypt’s rich heritage and make it accessible to present and future generations.

The Registration, Collections Management and Documentation Department (RCMDD) has used EMu since 2009 when data was migrated from a Filemaker database as part of Egyptian Museum Database and Registrar Training Projects funded by the American Research Center in Egypt’s Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and USAID.

The RCMDD receives more than 200 requests from outside scholars each year. Some of these requests are for object study, some for information or photographs. The RCMDD uses the Events module to keep track of these requests, creating a record for each request and assigning an Outside Request (OR) number. Each record is linked to relevant information in other modules, one or more objects in the Catalogue module for example, as well as information on the requester (name, contact details, etc.) in the Parties module. Since more than one person typically works on any request, the Tasks tab has proved an invaluable tool for keeping track of the process.

"EMu has been very efficient when it comes to tracking the requests that come to the Registration, Collections Management and Documentation Department of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, for object information and images. We have been using the Events module for that purpose. The many different tabs and fields in the module enable us to find a place for all the information we need to include. For instance, we use the Multimedia tab to attach copies of signed and approved requests, and we track the process using the Tasks tab. The database's ability to sort by Event Number also makes it easier for us to organise things, since we work on a first come, first served basis. We use the Record Status field on the Request 1 tab to track where we are in the process, and the database's ability to search using any field makes it easier for us to search for requests that are still "to do" or those that are "in process", etc.

We can add the objects about which a scholar needs information to the Objects tab, and use "view attachments" to check if these objects have been requested by any other scholars, so that we can make sure that we do not have more than one scholar publishing the same objects. EMu's ability to generate different types of Crystal Reports also makes it easy for us to select the type of report that best suits the type of request received. EMu has been an invaluable tool for our work on Outside Requests."

Dr. Yasmin El Shazly, Head of Documentation, EMC

With EMu 4.0.04 (release date to be announced), Multimedia functionality will be enhanced with the option to include supplementary media with a multimedia resource. The purpose of supplementary media is to allow associated resources to be stored with a master resource in the same Multimedia record. Supplementary media does not replace the use of over-arching records to related multimedia where each resource is important in its own right, rather it provides a mechanism for storing other media with the master resource that may be used along with the master resource.

A Supplementary tab has been added to the Multimedia module; similar to the Resolutions tab, it allows media to be added, deleted, modified, viewed and saved. The Multimedia drop-down menu available in each module has been extended to allow supplementary media to be viewed and saved. It is also possible:

• To import supplementary media using the EMu Import facility.
• To use supplementary media in reports.

Full details can be found here.