Lots of good comments so I'll keep mine short:

I've been looking into a new collections management program of our museum,
and in calling around, I have yet to find the "one true disciple" effect.
Quite the opposite.  Everyone I've talked to has talked about the
shortcomings of their own program.  And there are certainly a lot of
programs out there of all sizes and types.  The universal collections
management program is a Holy Grail: striven for, but never to be reached.
Each museum (and each person) will have their own reasons for preferring one
program over another.

Collections Management programs ARE databases, but databases are not
automatically CM programs.  Most are interfaces using commercial database
engines such as Access, SQL, Oracle.  But knowing these DBase programs do
not necessarily give you a head start on the related CM programs.

I agree with those who have advocated a general familiarity with computers -
it will shorten your learning curve on any program.  Also, learn about
different collections management structures (not programs), and why one way
is sometimes better than another for different types of collections.  At
their heart, all CM programs do the same basic things.  Its just a matter of
learning how to do those things in a new program.

Larry Burke
Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania

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