In addition to Gordon's excellent advice, I would recommend that (although I'm sure you dread the idea of doing this) you consider writing a Request For Proposal and shopping it to the CMS vendors. Even if you imagine that your institution is too small to warrant this effort, it is enormously helpful in clarifying your needs and understanding how your institution works.
In addition to what Perian says about not "rolling your own" I would just point out that even if you never share your data with an aggregator or another institution, you will eventually want to move to a new system yourself and having one that is known, employs standards, is well documented, has OTHER USERS and has good export facilities will save you months of grief in the future. Finally, talk your administration into sending you to the MCN meeting this fall. You can meet almost every CMS vendor that exists there and see their products in a much more informed and congenial environment than you would at something like AAM. Chuck Patch Director of Systems The Historic New Orleans Collection
