My orchestra needs to create a database for its small, but growing
music library. Can someone give me some hints on how to do this,
preferable on a Mac? I want something which is easy to maintain and
where I can see how many string parts we have, perhaps also who
borrows which part, etc.
Johannes
Hi Johannes,
I can also endorse Filemaker Pro. It was originally a Claris product
and was included in a light version within Clarisworks before they
broke away.
I use it everyday, not just for music libraries but for invoicing,
address book, time sheets, stopwatch timing, CD database, band
instrument inventory (incl. photos for insurance purposes) etc. It is
fast, very easy to use and uses little memory.
There was a templates package CD that included a library database
that came all set up with layouts. It included a 'loans' section
layout - I adapted it easily for a music library.
I can send you a 'clone' copy of my template off-list if you want.
BTW, the new Bento app. from apple looks good and very cheap (and
apple integrated). I would bet it does most of the things you would
need for a small library database.
From my experience - don't try to get too complicated. Write down
all the things you will need to keep track of. Here's some I use:
Title
Composer
Arranger
Publisher
Category
Timing
Copyright Date
Instrumentation
Loan info (borrower name, date out, date due back, etc.)
Format (Sheet music, pdf, Finale file, MSS etc.)
I also list all the titles of the tunes within selections or multi
movement works so I am able to find part(s) of a larger work.
Once you have these all listed, think up the kind of layouts you will
need, with which type of information included - whether for screen
presentation or for printouts (e.g. my CD database has print out for
the front and back covers of jewel cases which are different sizes
and includes all relevant info to each track - itunes can do this but
is very limited and 'crops' off titles if they get too long).
When, and only when you have all this info written down you can begin
to construct a really useful database file. Like others on the list
have mentioned, make a big effort to get it right from the start as
it is a lot easier than to try to change it all later.
It does require constant and faithful updating and of course any
database is only as good as the info that has been input, but the
amount of time saved in the future will be invaluable.
Hope this helps,
Jonathan
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