>We're developing a new museum complex with four individual museum
facilities
>on a 300 acre campus.  We're looking for a "package" of integrated software
>for museums that would allow us to input and generate reports on finances,
>collections, donors, volunteers and membership.  Is there such a thing out
>there and if so, what has been your experience.

There isn't a specialized museum program out there that satisfies people in
all the different disciplines just within a natural history museum that I'm
aware of.  The systematic collections people capture different data than do
the ethnographic or historical or archeological materials.  If there's an
art component involved, they have different needs as well.

I've been happy using Paradox for anthropological collections, with
different data bases & different fields for different portions, including
"orphan" collections (coins & stamps, ancient glass,etc.).  Other sections
in this museum use Paradox or Access and set them up to suit their own
needs.  My brother runs his law office using Paradox as well--finances,
billing, client lists & addresses, etc.

A less-specialized program that can be easily customized to your needs might
work better for you than a package that doesn't quite fit, & can't be
altered.  Trying to shoehorn people into an established system into which
they had no input makes them testy.  Customizing takes longer, but works
better in the long run.

Deborah Harding
Collection Manager
Section of Anthropology
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
412/665-2608
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