A computerized database fora natural history collection

Harbor Branch Foundation is a not-for-profit marine research and
development corporation on the shore of the Indian River lagoon in
central eastern Florida. Its operations are divided between basic and
applied research in the marine sciences and the development of tools
and systems for underwater exploration. Within the Division of Marine
Science is the Indian River Coastal Zone Museum (IRCZM), a regional
reference collection of zoological specimens from the Indian River
lagoon and adjacent offshore areas. Comprised of more than 21,000
lots, the collection encompasses nearly 3,600 species from this diverse
transition zone between temperate and tropical zoogeographic faunas.
Cataloguing methods, such as consecutive numbering and a complete
card catalogue, have existed from the museum's inception in 1972.
Since the installation of a PRIME-750 super minicomputer at Harbor
Branch in June 1983, computerization of station and specimen data
for all catalogued lots has been an attainable goal. Once it is complete,
production of detailed faunal lists from specific areas and within
specific taxonomic groups will be possible, thus more fully utilizing
the vast amount of data inherent in the collection.