You might want to look at http://www.adams1.com/pub/russadam/barcode1.cgi and http://www.skandata.com/howto.html These are commercial sites for barcode vendors but have a lot of useful links about barcode technology. Barcode readers essentially read the information from the code bars and make the computer think it has been entered through the keyboard. You need to figure out what format you want your barcodes to be, and make sure the readers you get can be configured to read that format. Libraries have a standard number through which we can generally recognize common items in other databases, which is the record number for the internally shared OCLC database. Since museums don't have anything resembling a common database, it's really unlikely that any number meaningful to one institution would be meaningful in the database of another institution. Our library uses Code39, which is a common format. In addition to using barcodes on all our collection (except microfiche) for circulation & inventory purposes, in my department we print out common keystroke sequences using a barcode font, and then swipe them in with a barcode wand. Cuts down on keying, is much simpler than programming macros into our telnet software, and can be changed and copied easily. We also print out reports of inventory problems, and put the record number into a barcode font, so you can call up the record with a swipe instead of keying ten characters. Because barcodes are generally self-adhesive, you may not be able to safely stick them on everything you want to track. Adhesives migrate and deteriorate, with very little exception. Therefore you may need to consider applying the barcode to a surrogate--such as a paper label tied to the object, or a card representing the object. Our library doesn't stick barcodes into rare books, we apply them to a paper flag which sticks out of the book and hold the barcode near but not actually touching the object. It would probably be useful for you to post your conclusions to the list; there may not be a standard barcode format for museums but it could help develop a commonly used one through familiarity. Regards, Normandy Helmer Head, Preservation & Binding Dept./ Oregon Newspaper Project University of Oregon Library [log in to unmask] libweb.uoregon.edu/preservn/ ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).