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I've had approximately fifty requests for my compilation
of software programs for a small museums. Since there
seems to be so much interest, I'm posting it to the list.
My purpose is neither to endorse or to knock any
particular program, but perhaps to encourage wider
discussion. It's obvious that many are trying to make
decisions about this. This brief overview is very
superficial. Please delete if it does not interest you.
(I'm sending it in ASCII. If you cannot read it and are
interested, contact me personally and I will try to get
it to you.
Software for small museums
On Sept. 4, I posted this message on Museum-L:
"I've had a query from a small museum that would like
to enter the collection on a database. It's a typical
general collection except that it is very strong in
archival materials. They want a program that can
combine information about the archival materials with
other types of artifacts. They have had three programs
recommended to them:
SNAP
Ask Sam
First Choice
If anyone has experience with one of these programs or
could suggest another, please contact me directly.
Thanks."
Several people asked for me to summarize and send the
information, which I've done below. My conclusion is
that the best source of information is a user. Each
program has its pros and cons; to find the right one
for a particular situation will take some in-depth
study.
I have not identified the source of the information,
but if anyone wants to investigate a particular type of
software further, I could forward the name of those who
responded so they can be contacted directly.
I was especially interested in IBM compatible, but some
information was for Macs. Many programs are available
in both. I've tried to list this where possible.
Company names are in parentheses. Where possible I
have included addresses or phone numbers.
SNAP! (Willoughby Associates, Limited, 266 Linden St.,
Winnetka, IL 60093. 312-645-5500) Windows format.
1. Well worth it
2. Low in functionality and technical support
3. Out of date
4. Has windows format and is inexpensive, but is not
user-friendly and is not flexible re fields.
5. Worth its price tag.
Ask Sam
1. Had a bad experience
2. A free form database for indexing.
First Choice
1. Primitive
ACCESSION 2.1 (OakTree Software Specialists, 498 Palm
Springs Drive, Suite 100, Altamonte Springs, FL . Phone
407-339-5855. Mac only. Accession 2.5 due out soon.
1. Has a segment for archives
2. 60,000 specimens on it. Very good.
3. Satisfactory for small museum of history and
science.
PARADOX (Borland, 100 Borland Way, PO Box 660001,
Scotts Valley, CA 95067-0001. 408-431-1000. For
product information, 800-331-0877. Price: c. $200.
Mac or Windows.
1. Good for straight forward problems.
2. Friendly; large fields; must type exact entry;
sorting is easy.
3. Versatile and easy to use.
4. For sheer bang for buck couldn't beat it.
5. Time-consuming to learn, but can do ANYTHING
Fox Pro (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA. 800-426-
9400, or 206-882-8080.) Windows application.
1. Not user-friendly, but can do fuzzy searches.
2. Good for straight forward problems.
3. Takes a lot of space.
4. Relational.
5. Faster to work with than FileMaker Pro.
Argus Collections Management Systems (Questor Systems,
899 El Centro St., South Pasadena, CA 91030 (818- 403-
0808). (Company info).
Titan (KE Texpress 5.0) (Knowledge Engineering,
Melbourne, Australia. Canadian distributor, Andrzej
Kowalski, Dingo Software Systems. 604-737-0103. e-mail:
[log in to unmask] Cost: $5,000 for two-user.
1. Friendly; can link databases.
LibraryWorks (Casper) Mac or Windows.
1. Fabulous
2. For libraries; MARC cataloguing.
PC FILE (Available from Dave's Computer World, 317-563-
3504. E-mail: [log in to unmask] c. $100.
1. Good for archives and artifacts
History Database, 24851 Piuma Rd., Malibu, CA 90265.
818-591-99371. contact: David L. Clark. IBM $495.
1. Suggest looking at it.
2. Tried it and sent it back.
File Maker Pro (Claris, 5201 Patrick Henry Drive, Box
58168, Santa Clara, CA 95052-8168. 408-987-7000. Mac
or Windows. c. $100. (Company info)
1. Can customize fields.
2. Flat database program.
3. Can't link databases.
4. Fields easy to manipulate.
5. Better option than Ask Sam or First Choice.
6. Instructions written for non-computer people.
7. Simple, but amazing what it can do.
8. Can handle large number of records.
REGIS (Museum Research Associates, 11 Spring St.,
Hallowell, ME 04347. 207-395-4837) DOS Based.
1. Easy; can enter artifacts and archives.
4th Dimension (several versions) (ACI US, Cupertino,
CA. 800-384-0010, demos, brochures; 408-2520-4444,
sales info) Mac. c. $100.
1. Use for objects and paper collections, museum store
database, membership, with great success.
2. Like, but complicated.
3. Harder to learn than FoxPro or Filemaker Pro.
4. Like, but requires an on-site person to design and
maintain the system. Is user-friendly.
5. Somewhat limited by the number of files.
6. Relational.
7. Consider it--easy to set up.
Standard Collections (from New Zealand, can get more
information) c. $4,000.
1. Fully relational; complex level of retrieval.
Pat Miller
Patricia L. Miller
Illinois Heritage Association
602 1/2 E. Green St. Champaign, IL 61820
tel: 217-359-5600 e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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