Keep in mind (which you may already do) that Access Memo fields allow up to about 64,000 characters (I'm familiar to an early version, so some facts may have changed). This has the advantage of not setting aside large unused spaces for each record while still allowing a number of pages of notes for fields that may require extensive material. The disadvantage is that although Memo fields can be searched, they can't be indexed or sorted. Jeffrey Bilderback wrote: > > My 2 cents worth on this subject. I recently took a look at Access and found > that the fields can only hold 255 characters. That is too short for many of > my entries. MS Works' database can hold more. Good luck. > > Jeffrey Bilderback Art Harris -- Laboratory for Environmental Biology Centennial Museum (Natural and Cultural History) phone (915)747-6985; fax (915)747-5808; [log in to unmask] http://www.utep.edu/leb http://www.utep.edu/museum