[BCMA] Bralorne Pioneer Open & Cataloguing Question

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

Hi Cara, 

You could go the route of creating your own Excel spreadsheet or Access 
database, but there are a number of commercial software products 
specifically for museum collections management and documentation, as well 
as some that museums have developed in-house and are sometimes willing to 
share.  You might want to visit the Professional Exchange site of the 
Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN) Website, and look in 
particular at the resources found under the subject of  "Collections 
Management" in the lefthand sidebar. 

Back in the early 1990s, CHIN did a series of evaluations on the various 
collections management software products that were on the market. Although 
the evaluations are out-of-date now and are retained for archival 
purposes, you may be able to at least use this as a directory to the major 
commercial software products that are available.   I am not aware of any 
software companies that have started up since we last published this 
review (although most of them have new products and updated versions). 
This list does include several vendors that cater more to small museums. 

I would also recommend the Criteria Checklist  (also found with the 
"Collections Mangement" resources on the Professional Exchange).    This 
is a list of over 500 functional criteria that will assist you in 
determining institutional requirements, narrowing the search and selecting 
the software best suited to your individual needs. 

You may also be interested in CHIN's online course, "Collections 
Management Software Selection" (also available in the Professional 
Exchange).  This on-line training course will help you develop a plan and 
manage a project to choose and implement collections management software. 
It will guide you through the processes of determining your needs, and 
help you create procedures for evaluating, selecting and implementing your 
new system. It will also provide you with the background to plan for long 
term maintenance.

I hope this helps!  Good luck with the computerization of your accession 
records.  Please let me know if you have any questions about the resources 
I have listed above.   I can also help with standards for documentation of 
your collections if you need guidance in that area during your 
computerization project.

Heather Dunn
Analyste d'information sur le patrimoine | Heritage Information Analyst
Réseau canadien d'information sur le patrimoine (RCIP) | Canadian Heritage 
Information Network (CHIN)
Ministère du Patrimoine canadien | Department of Canadian Heritage
Gatineau, Canada K1A 0M5
heather.dunn at pch.gc.ca
Téléphone | Telephone 250-380-9393
Télécopieur | Facsimile 250-380-9393
Téléimprimeur (sans frais) 1-888-997-3123  Teletypewriter (toll-free) 
1-888-997-3123
Gouvernement du Canada | Government of Canada 




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[BCMA] Bralorne Pioneer Open & Cataloguing Question






Hello,

I would like to annouce that the Bralorne-Pioneer Museum is open for
the season!!! I would like to invite you to come visit us this summer
in Bralorne, BC!

We are open Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun from 10 am to 4 pm untill
Thanksgiving weekend in October.
We are located at 400 Hawkes Avenue, Bralorne, BC.
,
Please email back if you would like directions.

Catalogue Question:

I would like to create a cataloguing program to update the museum. As
of today, all accessions are on index cards scattered in various
locations and are started to fade and dissinigrate. I would really
like to put all this onto the computer in a program. What type of
program do you use for cataloguing. I could create a simple Excel
spreadsheet, and I have been told that I could create a database on
Access.However,  I was wondering if there is an actual computer
program that I could buy or a sample of someone elses version in
Microsoft Access that I could simulate???

As I speak this computer in this office has Microsoft Office 2003, and
Microsoft Access 2000.  I will be asking the board to upgrade there
system before October to Microsoft 2007 so that 2010 is free.

Any help would be appreciated as I am scared that all the information
on the accessions will be lost.

Thanks,

Cara DeMare
Manager
Bralorne-Pioneer Museum
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