Proposal of a general classification schema for museum objects

The schema used by the Rio de Janeiro’s Museum Network to classify the museum objects contains 16 categories based on the proposal of Ferrez e Bianchini (1987), a pioneering schema used in many Brazilian museums. Such a schema no longer supports the collections about to adhere to the Network. These include scientific and intangible cultural heritage objects that needed to fit in their own categories. As Methodology ontological analysis, conceptual definitions and the Aristothelic classification theory are used. These theoretical bases enable to distinguish the different types of objects, define new categories and clarify the scope of the present ones, including them on the schema proposed, thus guaranteeing its compatibility with museums already adhered to the Network. The categories suggested include a broader one, Museum objects, which contains Natural objects (subdivided in Inorganic and Organic objects) and Physical or conceptual products of human culture-Man-made objects (comprising Material culture objects or Artifacts, and Conceptual products of human Culture – the first one containing 15 of the 16 pre-existing categories); and a category for Intangible Cultural Heritage objects. The result is a broader schema encompassing the previous one and allowing the insertion of new categories that may appear in the future.