I think you should choose security over convince.  Is it necessary for
visitors to your Web site to have up to the minute data on your
collections?  What if your system with internal collection records goes
down, or you need to bring it down for maintenance, then your Web
users have no access to info either.  Unless your internal  collections
database grows at a tremendous rate, perhaps a quarterly or bi-annual
download of data might be sufficient.  Also, consider the possibility of
hackers being able to get into your working database through the Web
page and creating havoc, for fun.

I would fight tooth and nail against such a proposition for the database I
manage.  Our collections management system is now 6 years old,
contains over 110,000 records, and reflects 100,000's hrs of people
time.  Each year more departments within the museum have access to
and use this system to manage projects and help with research.  (We
have 99 users within our museum now.)  It's not hard to set up a facility
to export records for use in another system.  We have done this already
and will take this approach when we are able to make our collections
available on-line.

On the other hand if your collections are small, and you don't rely on your
collections management system for much of your daily function and it
wouldn't be a big deal if confidential info were accessed, then don't
worry about it, and go for convince.

Best wishes, & can't wait to see your Web page,

Amy Noel
Manager, Collections Management System
The J. Paul Getty Museum

>>> Anne Douglas <[log in to unmask]> 12/13/95 08:32am >>>
The director of the Ackland Art Museum and I have been debating the
various merits of a Web site catalogue which is integrated with our
internal collection records vs. a Web catalogue which is a separate
entity.

Surely some of you have analyzed these options?  Is it better to have
your in-house system linked directly to the Web (less duplication of
effort) or is it preferable to have separate, duplicate records on-line
(better security for confidential information)?

We have reached a point where we are talking in circles.  Please help
us!
I welcome and encourage any advice or suggestions, either to the list or
to my address.  Thank you!  Anne Douglas.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anne Fuhrman Douglas                         email: [log in to unmask]
Registrar                                    phone: 919-966-5736
Ackland Art Museum                           fax:   919-966-1400
The University of North Carolina
Campus Box 3400
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3400
U.S.A.