You might want to look at http://www.adams1.com/pub/russadam/barcode1.cgi
and http://www.skandata.com/howto.html

These are commercial sites for barcode vendors but have a lot of useful
links about barcode technology.

Barcode readers essentially read the information from the code bars and
make the computer think it has been entered through the keyboard. You need
to figure out what format you want your barcodes to be, and make sure the
readers you get can be configured to read that format.

Libraries have a standard number through which we can generally recognize
common items in other databases, which is the record number for the
internally shared OCLC database. Since museums don't have anything
resembling a common database, it's really unlikely that any number
meaningful to one institution would be meaningful in the database of
another institution.

Our library uses Code39, which is a common format. In addition to using
barcodes on all our collection (except microfiche) for circulation &
inventory purposes, in my department we print out common keystroke
sequences using a barcode font, and then swipe them in with a barcode wand.
Cuts down on keying, is much simpler than programming macros into our
telnet software, and can be changed and copied easily. We also print out
reports of inventory problems, and put the record number into a barcode
font, so you can call up the record with a swipe instead of keying ten
characters.

Because barcodes are generally self-adhesive, you may not be able to safely
stick them on everything you want to track. Adhesives migrate and
deteriorate, with very little exception. Therefore you may need to consider
applying the barcode to a surrogate--such as a paper label tied to the
object, or a card representing the object. Our library doesn't stick
barcodes into rare books, we apply them to a paper flag which sticks out of
the book and hold the barcode near but not actually touching the object.

It would probably be useful for you to post your conclusions to the list;
there may not be a standard barcode format for museums but it could help
develop a commonly used one through familiarity.

Regards,

Normandy Helmer
Head, Preservation & Binding Dept./
Oregon Newspaper Project
University of Oregon Library
[log in to unmask]
libweb.uoregon.edu/preservn/

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