----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I recently took the reigns of a moderate sized corporate map library (10,000 books, 1,800 atlases, 70,000 sheets). My task is to bring the library into the computer age. My problem is that none of the items have ever been classified or catalogued. There isn't even a shelf list! Items are currently shelved alphabetically by world region and then by country e.g. Africa: a-z; Asia a-z; etc. Eventually, every item will be classified, marked-up and barcoded, and catalogued on a system accessible to everyone in the company. My first step is to determine which classification scheme to use. The field is wide open. Ultimately I would like to accomplish this with out having to move items around in order to fit into the classification scheme. Moving items in great amounts would not be practical, most of my patrons would no longer be able to find frequently used items in a familiar place (some items and some patrons have been around in this library for the last 30 years). I am open to any creative suggestions. If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Quinn R. Koller [log in to unmask] Map Librarian (717) 293-7477 Geosystems Global Corp.