We have begun to computerize our museum catalog data for the vertebrate
collections. Several people have suggested to me that in the future we
should do away with the written catalog, and just catalog new specimens
by entering data directly into the computer. Later we can print up a hard
copy from the database.  The main advantage of this method would be in
saving time.  My instincts tell me that this is a bad idea. It would be
difficult to track name/ID changes; if data labels are hard to read,
sometimes it is easier to copy data by hand than into a computer;
handwritten records can also serve as historical records of a sort, etc.,
etc. Does anyone have any thoughts on this matter?

Rosanne Humphrey
Assistant Curator of Zoology
University of Colorado Museum
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