SCRM is currently going through a long-needed evaluation of our collections. I've been pushing for this for years, but someone else finally came up with the same idea independently and was able to get it farther that I ever was. Anyway, we're looking for any experience anybody out there in Ralroad Preservationland has with collections software. What do you use? How does it work? How expensive is it? I'm particularly interested in what the "big" museums like B&O, RR Museum of PA, and Cal State use.

We use PastPerfect software. It is a very comprehensive cataloging database program.http://www.museumsoftware.com/Wesley National Capital Trolley MuseumColesville, MD

PastPerfect is very comprehensive in what it does. If you are looking for just a program to catalog your collections, you might consider the History Database, http://www.history.la.ca.us.

We're going to PastPerferct

we also use History Database at the Western Railway Museum. and have added some twists of our own.Ted miles

We use PastPerfect softare for our collection at the R&LHS, Southern California Chapter.It's also good for membership activities. Also, once you have the collection catalogued, you can use an additional piece of their software to put parts of your collection on a web site so that other can see what your museum has acquired over the years.Clyde Stoneman

Matt,There is all sorts of Database software out there. One place I look is at the following link. They have listed several different types of Software for Non Profit groups both Free and Discounted too.http://www.techsoup.org/products/index. ... oductsTech Soup has lots of other information for Non Profits too that you may find interesting.There is nothing Wrong with using a canned program to set up your collections Database. Some of them can be taylored to your specific needs and some cant. It just depends on what you have a need for. Our plans are to use the MySQL Database server which will allow us to completely taylor each Database to our specific needs and to make changes as we need them made. It is a very powerful database and it is free to use. The main Drawback is that it can be Labor intensive at the start to get your databases configured. It would be like moving 100 pounds of dirt with a teaspoon, Slow but you know what you did with every bit of the dirt when you finish.The MySQL database server runs on Both Windows and Linux operating systems and if you migrate from one OS to the other you data can be moved with out too much fuss, which is another plus for it.HTHAndrew Martin

The Steam Railroading Institute is also using PastPerfect. The software is pretty user-friendly and the technical support staff have been most helpful the few times we've had to call on them.Matt Folland

For those wanting to test Past Perfect at no cost or obligation, a Version 4 evaluation CD is available from Pastime Software at 1-800-562-6080. The advantage of the software is that it is based on standard library practice for cataloguing, and as noted above has a lot of organization features. Developed with Microsoft's Visual Foxpro database program, it has some industry standard traceability for the company to continue their upgrades. The decision has not been made yet at IRM, we may go with a platform independent SQL since we have programming assistance, rare to find in museums. Our needs encompass both a business model to trace copies and capability for large-scale preservation storage with indexing and search. Past Perfect is great for the latter.Ted Anderson, curator, IRM Pullman Library

We had to solve a related problem when we were planning the location of rolling stock in our new carbarn building. We used an Autocad drawing of our buildings in scale schematic form with blocks representing the equipment to optimize the utilization of space in our buildings. This also produces a handy little map showing where everything is for general use.Anyone who is familiar with Autocad could set up a drawing in a few hours. The most time consuming part was measuring car lengths for those cars where we wanted to verify the information in our records. This does not count the 72 iterations until we settled on a plan for the new carbarn that satisfied everybody. Art Schwartz - The Tape Measure NaziPennsylvania Trolley Museum

I'd use PastPerfect, hands down. Its the most user friendly system I have ever used, and it can be as detailed as you want, or as undetailed as you want. I would definitely tell you to NOT use SNAP, our any other program derivitive of the Willoughby Company. In my opinion, its is extremely un-user friendly, and the staff there are difficult to work with.TJ GaffneyPort Huron Museum

I have to ask -- how did you manage to do THAT? Satisfy everybody, I mean? Somehow I just can't imagine that happening here...

As long as you know the fields that you want to track, it is really best to stick with a database program that is in general use by lots of folks in many fields. MS Access is a very powerful and fairly easy tool to use. The problem with using any specialized data base software in my experience is that it often become unsupported and or it does not give you the future felixibility that you may need without a major expense. Good pre planning will enable you to caputre what you need on Access.Ron