Brenda MacEachern
In 1989, the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, awarded the Slide Curator a three-year grant to automate the Visual Arts Department Slide Library. With over 86,000 slide records on the database, the Slide Library at Western is one of the largest automated visual resource collections in Canada. The system uses DataEase software on a Novell network. A single data-entry form for slide records makes data entry and retrieval fast and efficient. Shelf cards and labels are produced with DataEase then edited in WordPerfect. Revisions to the manual system divided the Modern Art section, produced new format for owner names, and change B.C. dating methods. Authority files for artist, owners, sources, and subjects verify data entered in the SLIDES FORM. Source files, linked to the University library system, support research by faculty and students. Search programmes make images more accessible and promote inter- disciplinary studies.