I can't resist making a sales pitch for MODES Plus for Archives, which no
one has yet mentioned in the current debate on automated systems. MODES
is a cataloguing system used extensively by Museums in this country not
least because of its original link with the Museum Documentation
Association. An archives version also exists and is used by about 25
archive repositories.
Unfortunately several years ago the money ran out on the development of
the software and many took this to mean that it was no longer going to be
supported. This was not true and those of using it are all very pleased
with the system - it is a structured, but flexible system, based on
ISAD(G) and MAD, with the facility to insert validation and indexing
rules, authority files and term lists, write templates and output
specifications. Our IT colleagues are not so impressed as it is currently
a Dos based system. However the Windows version is on its way and should
be available this autumn/next spring.
There are several users in the acedemic sector who have used it in their
Follett projects as a cataloguing tool, with the end product being web
pages,
so if you interested you could look at these. The users, apart from UKC,
are Swansea, Nottingham and Durham Universities. Our end products are
different, but MODES data has been very easy to manipulate and convert to
html.
CALM 2000 is very impressive as is SEAX, and I must admit that
both are more sophisticated that MODES, but MODES does have the advantage
of being infinitely cheaper.
Charlotte Hodgson
University of Kent at Canterbury
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