Hear hear, Karen Anderson.  That isn't to say work study students and
volunteers can't be important sources for data entry, but it is important
to decide what they'll do and what they'll be able to do.  That means
balancing their value as labor against their cost in supervisory time,
proofing, and fixes.

One technique that seems to work well for us is breaking that data up into
chunks and having it entered in spreadsheet form.  In our case we're
computerizing catalogue cards, and it's proven both easier to train
volunteers and students in how to enter data using Excel than Access, and
also easier to proof and trap the data once it's entered.  Normally we
enter data in worksheets that approximate the tables for that data in
Access, then import that data to the appropriate Access tables after
proofing.  That lets the entry folks simply focus on accurate keying,
while the collections staff imports the data as a separate step.

That procedure has also had an unexpected side benefit.  Our volunteer
staff is largely a mix of students and retirees.  Being able to view the
screen at different magnifications (200% has proven popular) has allowed
some folks to assist in data entry who just couldn't read the screen
before.  They've proven to be both accurate and thorough, albeit not the
fastest keyers in the world.  Definitely a bonus for an institution with
an aging volunteer pool.


Alex Barker
Chief Curator, Dallas Museum of Natural History
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