I think it is clear that the Canadian Heritage Information Network is not "profit-taking" in charging $245 US for access to its ongoing series of reviews of collection management software.  It is merely trying to recoup some portion of the very high costs of carrying out the software evaluations and publishing the results, to the benefit of the Canadian and international museum communities.

My own institution has spent tens of thousands of dollars on a detailed inhouse collection management system requirements analysis (that is, on the research alone, not on the acquisition of software).  I find it hard to believe that any museum seeking to acquire and implement a new collection management system would not be willing to spend $245 US (about a half-day fee for most of the world's consultants!!!) to benefit from the compilation of detailed information on and expert analysis of vendor systems which the CHIN software evaluation represents.

For two reviews of the CHIN Collection Management Systems Reviews, see MCN's journal "Spectra", Vol. 24, no. 2, winter 96/97.

Greg Spurgeon
Head, Art Documentation & Storage / Chef, documentation & d'entreposage d'oeuvres d'art
Registration / Enregistrement
National Gallery of Canada / Musée des beaux-arts du Canada
380 Sussex Drive / 380, promenade Sussex
P.O. Box 427, Station A / C.P. 427, Succursale A
Ottawa, Ontario
CANADA  K1N9N4

tel: 613-990-0482  fax: 613-990-8689  email: [log in to unmask]

>>> Geoff Read <[log in to unmask]> 09/16/97 09:11pm >>>
Thomas A. Reitz wrote:
>
> No doubt others will suggest this ... I would suggest you do a web search on
> the "Canadian Heritage Information Network" (sorry I don't have their URL
> handy) and then look at their reviews of collections software.  They've
> published two reviews (one in 1996 and one earlier this year) reviewing many
> collections management software packages. The published books are invaluable
> if you're looking at commercially available packages. Good luck.

He didn't  mention that the information is only available ONLINE or
elsewhere upon payment of a considerable profit-taking FEE.