Abigail,

What you are about to embark on is a huge undertaking. It requires
commitment from your administration and curators down to the humblest
data entry volunteer.   There's no reason why your invert register has
to be placed aside if people feel strongly about it, but it could
continue in a slightly different format....that is, produce a hardcopy
of data on acid-free paper using the same layout as your register, then
place all the sheets in an acid-free notebook.   Given the acidity of
the paper and leather covers of those old registers, you're probably
better off using a different production method anyway.

Also, as you backenter your oldest collections you can plan to produce
hardcopy of the old register so that eventually you'll be able to retire
your handwritten manual to a safe place in your museum's archives.

I've been doing just that with our natural history collections here.
  Also, since I've been involved with computers from the beginning here
at NJSM - and we have varied collections from other disciplines as well
- I only too well understand the controversies that can arise.   You're
lucky in some respects if you only have to consider invertebrates,
although you don't say whether those are paleontological collections or
modern biological collections.

Send me an email if you need help with anything specific.   And.....good
luck!    Very exciting!

Shirley Albright
Assistant Curator of Natural History
Database Administrator
New Jersey State Museum

Abigail Blair wrote:

 >I'm interested to hear some of your experiences on integrating a
computerised database into general museum registration operations.
 >We're about to embark on a project involving registering our
invertebrate collection - probably upwards of 400 000 specimens.  There
is an existing invert register, which has entries dating back to the
1890s - but there is some discussion that the use of this should be
discontinued.  It is suggested that information from the specimen labels
goes directly onto the database with no steps in between.
 >
 >What are your thoughts/experience on this?
 >Any feedback would be appreciated.
 >
 >Regards,
 >Abigail Blair
 >Registrar, Natural Sciences
 >Otago Museum
 >PO Box 6202
 >Dunedin, New Zealand
 >Tel: (03) 4747474 ext 862
 >Fax: (03) 477 5993
 >www.otagomuseum.govt.nz
 >
 >Don't miss your chance to take an incredible journey through the human
body in MISSION EARTHLING, our Special Exhibition here until 8 August!
 >
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