The College of Physicians of Philadelphia is doing some basic research
on a proposed project to integrate the Mutter Museum's database of
medical artifacts with the OCLC and RLIN cataloged collections of CPP's
Medical Library.  Project results would be used on the internet, and for
in-house use.

Currently we know of two relevant models, the Cleveland Library Group's
work with the Dittrick Museum, and the Kansas City Museum model
described in AASLH Technical Leaflet #179, "Archival Materials in the
History Museum: A Strategy for Their Management" (1992), by Lisa Gavin
and Paul Eisloeffel.  We would appreciate any additional information in
the following areas, or any other relevant areas you happen to think of.

*       Other institutions/consortiums involved in similar projects
(whether they were put into effect, planned or merely dreamed of among
your friends and co-workers).

*       Observations from people who have actually used the results of a
combined database

*       Controlled vocabularies and Thesauri specific to medical history
and medical/biological artifacts

If others members show interest, please reply on-list, otherwise please
contact me directly.

Thanks.
Margaret Lyman
Collections Manager, Mutter Museum, College of Physicians of
Philadelphia
215-563-3737, ext.244
215-561-6477(fax)
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