I had meant to reply to Robert Baron's comment about the information
embedded in catalogue cards previously, but this latest response now reminds
me...

Because of the complexity of over 100 years of manual record keeping it WILL
be difficult (if not impossible) to completely transfer all of the data and
its nuances (handwriting, typewriter fonts, etc.) to an automated system.
Perhaps the answer lies in imaging.  For example, we are planning to include
an image of our catalogue card in our automated system, rather than "just"
transfer the data.  Perhaps we should realize that not all written systems
CAN be replaced with automated systems.  Do we really need to have
correspondence, field notes, etc., in written format on-line, or can we use
images of the letters and maintain all that embedded information?  What are
the purposes of automation (i.e., what are we actually using the technology
for)?:  Immediate answers from my perspective are wider access and the
ability to organize and relate individual pieces of information in a variety
of ways.  I don't see the necessity - or desirability - of getting rid of
ALL manual records just because SOME work better in an automated format.
And I certainly don't intend to "toss" my manual records!


Janice Klein
Registrar, The Field Museum
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>
>But what happens as the automated system begins to replace the written
>record, which it will as the generation of curators who are shy of
>computerization are replaced by those who have used it their entire lives.
>The kind of information contained in old accession files, in loan files,
>etc. is complex and the relationships between objects, perhaps easy to note
>on paper, require complexly fashioned database architectures.
>
>I foresee a tragedy in the making when the simple databases become the
>foundation for more complex structures as they become needed.  It is the
>same tragedy that librarians have suffered as card catalogues, often with
>handwritten annotations, are tossed out and replaced by databases that
>cannot accommodate the rich details and patina encoded by history.
>


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