Toni Preston ([log in to unmask]) recently wrote:

...snip...
Does anyone out there know of a guide or pamphlet or other source of
information (somebody's thesis?) on choosing collection mgmt. software
(i.e. Argus, SNAP!, Art System) depending on which kind of collection
(anthro, art, geology, history, etc.) your museum has?  A comparison
shopping guide, if you will.
...snip...

A guide isn't warranted; you need only to remember one name --- COLLECTION ---
by Vernon Systems Ltd.

COLLECTION is a museum collections management system widely regarded as the
leader in this highly specialized market. Having been implemented in some of the
largest and most prestigious institutions in the United States, Australasia and
Europe, it is internationally praised by users for its superior functionality
and ease of use.

COLLECTION handles all types of objects --- fine and decorative art,
ethnographic and historic artifacts, natural environment specimens, ephemera,
archives, and audio-visual materials --- and the database has been designed so
the user can be as general, or precise, as is appropriate. It is also
comprehensive and covers all types of museum activities --- controlling and
documenting objects through the processes and procedures of their life cycles,
from being considered items, acquired, accessioned, catalogued, lent/borrowed,
conserved, exhibited and de-accessioned --- and is well suited to the needs of
both large and small institutions.

You may ask how one system can accomplish so much. The answer lies with a group
of dedicated professionals who have invested over 40 person-years in its
development and enhancement.

Besides making you aware of COLLECTION, I would like to announce that I've
recently become Vernon Systems' North American Agent. Since COLLECTION is so
rich in features and functionality that they cannot be covered here practically,
I would be pleased to send additional information to anyone interested. Or, you
could visit our Web site at "http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/vsl".


Thom DiGregorio
VSL Agent/Systems Consultant

Vernon Systems Ltd/TCD Consulting
226 Monterey Avenue
Elmhurst, Illinois 60126-3010 USA
(630) 941-3640


PS: The product and company names of a recent newcomer to the collections
management software marketplace --- "Collections-Museum" by Collections, Inc. of
Salt Lake City, Utah --- caused a great deal of confusion this past May at the
AAM Conference in Minneapolis, where COLLECTION by Vernon Systems was also being
demonstrated. Other similarly named products have also appeared in the past:
"Collection Manager" in 1989, and "Collection Master" by Jepal Inc. of Norman,
Oklahoma, which was announced on Museum-L in June, 1995.

Vernon Systems has been exclusively dedicated to COLLECTION for over ten years,
and adopted the name in 1987. We are gravely concerned that the reputation (good
or bad) of similarly named companies/products will be misascribed, and want to
make the situation know to the museum community.