A couple of thoughts.  First, to answer your question, there is nothing
sacred about a catalogue card layout.  If you can get the same information
organized in a way that is useful to you, I wouldn't worry about making it
match previous formats.

Second, why are you keeping pieces of paper in your collections area?
Generally that kind of paperwork (worksheets) can be put in the accession
file (in the Registrars Office), if they have information that is necessary
to keep (I alway keep mine).  The number that you physically place on the
object links it to all its documentation, no matter where it is.  Paper in
collections can get separated, damaged or insect chewed.

As a strong advocate of Filemaker Pro, I am curious why it would be so
expensive to create an accession card format on EmBark.  It took me less
than 10 minutes and little bit of printer adjustment (about 4 tries) to make
a perfect replica of my catalogue cards using Filemaker.   Don't tell me
those
"we-can-do-it-so-much-better-than-you-possibly-could-with-a-commerical-datab
ase" systems have limitations that a $180 (without academic discount)
off-the-shelf system doesn't!

-----Original Message-----
From: Amy Miller <[log in to unmask]>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.museum-l
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, September 03, 1999 1:49 PM
Subject: Accession Cards


>The Collections Department at The Louisville Science Center is attempting
to streamline our hard copy filing system of accession records.  Currently,
we are filling out hand-written artifact worksheets which stay with the
items in the Collection cabinets.  Then we type this information, including
a photograph, on an acid-free accession card.  Lastly, we enter the research
into the Embark database for our visitors to view at a kiosk on the museum
floor.  We would like to print the information directly off of the Embark
screen to keep as our permanent hard copy, but it will be quite expensive to
format a template similar to our accession cards to do so.  Is anyone else
in a similar predicament?  What have you done?  Is there any reason why we
couldn't use the printed information from Embark without formatting it like
an accession card?
>Thanks,
>Amy Miller
>Collections Research Assistant
>The Louisville Science Center
>
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