> We use Access in our museum for our databases. Two severe 
> handicaps are:
> 
> 1) not being able to enter the same record in more than one category;
> duplicate records have to be created if one item/person falls 
> in more than one category

You can do this in Access. It's to do with how you set up the database tables and their relationships.

> 
> 2) searching is possible only on the first word in the field (so, for
> example, if you search on Austen House Museum, instead of 
> Jane Austen House
> Museum, you will get a negative answer).
> 

Find... use * as wildcards before and after the string you want to search for. Remember to search to match "Any part of field". Alternatively set up a filter in the same way.

> Has any one out there been able to overcome these problems? 
> Is at least the
> first problem due more to how the database was structured than to the
> program, itself? We'd sure like to know, thanks!

Yes. Have you just set up your database as a flat file?

> 
> best regards,
> 
> Star Meyer

Best wishes

Pete Gray
-- 
Peter M Gray
Museums Officer


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