Management of type and figured fossil collections, Palaeontological Museum, Oslo, using dBASE III/IV and a personal computer

A computer based maintenance system for the type and figured collections housed in the Palaeontological Museum, Oslo, has been written in dBASE language for use with an IBM PC compatible personal computer. This tailor made program allows us to register and maintain collections of fossils as well as relevant literature. Output of lists of registered fossils, specimen labels and catalogues are among services available. The management of loans is also incorporated into this program. A discussion of the system is presented, as well as a description of hardware and software used.