I would like to comment on some errors and misconceptions in recent articles 
relating to the MODES software.  

The original MODES program was released by the UK Museum Documentation 
Association (MDA) in 1987 (not 1984).  The name is an acronym (Museum 
Object Data Entry System) reflecting its original specification as a simple data 
entry tool for automating the structured data entered on the then widely used 
MDA catalogue cards.

After moving from CPM to the DOS platform it was quickly adopted by a large 
number of museums and, in its current form, it remains the most widely used 
museum cataloguing software system in the UK.  In many ways it is ideal for 
the small to medium sized museum where an all singing all dancing 
computerised collection management system is not appropriate and far too 
expensive.

Many people seem to have the erroneous perception that the program has 
remained unchanged since its original primitive origins.  Under the auspices of 
the MDA the program was progressively enhanced along lines never envisaged 
when it was first released.  The original MODES (Pascal-based) program was 
abandoned in 1992 and replaced by MODES-Plus (written in Turbo-Pascal), an 
entry level version called Catalist and a public access version called InTouch.

In specific response to comments made in earlier articles, the current version of 
MODES-Plus can reliably accept and process up to 100,000 variable length 
records.   Validation (by syntax and termlist) can be set up for data entry and 
also for retrospective checking  to ensure clean data with a minimum of errors.  
Interrogation is supported by a combination of dynamically updated secondary 
indexes and free text searching.

The flexible definition of record structures is a positive feature and would only 
be a weakness where there is either a need to import data into the constraints 
of a relational database (in which case the program can be set up to use a 
series of datafiles each with a fixed number of fields per record), or else where 
there has been no disciplined approach in establishing recording conventions 
and terminology control for the addition of data.  This latter stricture surely 
applies to all databases where garbage in = garbage out.

In 1996 the MDA ceased to develop software and ownership of the programs 
passed to the newly formed Modes User Association (MUA).  

The DOS platform and the associated user interface is now of course outdated 
and, with the transfer of ownership, the development of a Windows version of 
the program became the main priority of the MUA.  Already over 50 orders have 
been received, from a wide range of museums, for Modes for Windows which 
will be released in January 1999.   This will see a move towards SGML and 
XML compliance - a trend which will continue with the intended development of 
public access, client-server and web-server versions of the software.

Tim Pettigrew 
Registrar
Tyne & Wear Museums
Discovery Museum
Blandford Square
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4JA
United Kingdom

Telephone +44(0)191-232-6789
Fax +44(0)191-230-2614    


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