> From: Sweeney, Ginger
> Yes - we have ARGUS, and have been waiting for a couple of years for their
> promised conversion that will allow for a windows interface with imaging
> capabilities. I'm not on the team that's working with the company (and
> looking into other database systems), but I haven't heard many positive
> comments about ARGUS in some time. Unfortunately, I think we're locked
> into our contract with them - but their customer service has left much to
> be desired.
>
I had a slight familiarity with Filemaker Pro on a Mac when I was
work-studying in a museum, but at my new job I've been using ARGUS on a PC
network.  It's not the fastest program (although I'm not sure if its ARGUS
itself or my pokey computer) but it seems efficient enough.  It's not
exactly intuitive, and sometimes I know there's something out there that I'm
searching for but isn't coming up on screen, but I think that's a
possibility with any database.  It's all in how it got entered originally.

For imaging, it's actually been no problem at all.  We have a program called
QScan (that can be temperamental, but when it works it works beautifully)
that links directly to ARGUS - the screen opens up, you enter the number of
the object you're about to scan, it calls up the description of the object
in ARGUS so you can double-check if you have the right object, and then you
go ahead and scan.  Next time you call up the object, the picture will pop
up as well, under the Admin tab.

So, basically, I'm not thrilled to death with ARGUS, but I haven't
extensively used any other program, so my basis for comparison may be a
little off.

Genevieve Ellerbee
Associate Registrar
Daughters of the American Revolution Museum

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