POTENTIALS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR A COMPUTERIZED MULTI LINGUAL MUSEUM INVENTORY

M. Müller-Karpe 1 / D.G. Youkhanna 2
(1 Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, Mainz, Germany / 2 Iraq Museum Baghdad, Iraq)

Considerations concerning the computerization of the object registries at the Iraq Museum in Baghdad and the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum in Mainz resulted in a concept which, beyond the immediate needs of these two institutions might also provide a useful basis for similar projects at other museums. The envisaged database, a first draft of which will be presented at this conference, will store the information in a nonlingual (numerical) form. Language modules will automatically translate the entered information into the numerical code and will also retranslate it into a lingual form. The system is designed for entering information in any given language and retrieving it in any other language. Despite a wide variety of potentials, including links to illustrations and other sources, the database will be extremely concise, a necessity for handling extensive museum collections (IM: c. 500.000 objects; RGZM c. 200.000 objects).