One item that is usually missing on the data base fields to maintain for
a collection is photo ID numbers.  For those who photograph most of
their shells, the photo is vital.  I started photographing late in my
career.  At first my interest was in self-collected shells from Hawaii
and my primary data base reflects that in that I have one table for
stations giving the data for each of my collecting stations. There was
also a "species name" tabel that had codes for each species involved in
the collection and the current full name data for each species code.
The codes were based on E. A. Kay's 1979 Hawaiian Marine Shells
illustration page number and figure letter.  Species that weren't in
Kay's book were given an unused page number and figure letter (pages of
text allowed for many additions).  Last there was a "Species" table that
included all observations and collection data for each species.  If the
name for a species code changed (usually due to my misidentification but
sometimes to official taxonomy changes) I just changed the name for that
species code.  All this allowed printing out complete data for each
species including dates of observation or collection, station
code, numbers of the species on a station, special observations such as
juveniles found, eggs seen, etc.  Quite useful information.

Each shell collected was put in a bag with the station code and species
code.

Then I started dredging and the number of species and number of shells
multiplied by high factors, and I never got down to sorting dredged
stations to finer than by groups of families for a station.  Most of
these were donated to Bishop Museum or LA County Museum.

Along the line, to facilitate sorting, I started working one family at a
time and photographed several specimens of each species to include the
range of variation.  Unfortunately, I did not add the photo numbers to
my data base, and with 40 or 50 thousand photos it would be difficult to
do at this time.  I do have a photo log of what was in each photo.  Each
photo film was given a number and individual photos were labeled with
the photo film number followed by the frame number.

Then graphics on computers improved with scanners and photo shop, so new
photos were scanned into the computer.  The photos were filed by genus
and species name followed by the photo ID number of the primary photo
for a single specimen.  Other photos of the specimen had the same
species name and primary photo ID followed by the specific view photo
number.

Then I started to get photos from other people.  These were put in
graphic form and filed similarly by species name, locality, and donor
name, and secific view.

Using this photo filing system I have a good listing of what I have
photographed by species name and specimen.  Unfortunately, It is not in
my data base and it is late in the day to incorporate it.

The data system used by someone starting out should allow for as many
eventualities as possible, remembering that you may later photograph
specimens, get specimens from various places and people, and donate them
to various places and people.  Probably you won't think of all
eventualities, but you will allow for keeping full data as you go along.
 You can later add fields to a data base with a "0" for data not
entered, and fill in missing data as possible retroactively and in
future collections.
--
                     Aloha from Wesley M. Thorsson
Editor of Internet Hawaiian Shell News, a monthly Internet Publication
           122 Waialeale St, Honolulu, HI  96825-2020,  U.S.A
       http://www.hits.net/~hsn/index.html   or
        http://home.att.net/~w.thorsson/index.html