[Nhcoll-l] software to automate database entries into tags

Thu May 18 11:37:42 EDT 2023

I got the answers I needed, thanks to all who responded!

Best,
Catherine

On Thu, May 11, 2023 at 2:58 PM Katelin Pearson <
katelin.d.pearson24 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Catherine,
>
> Have you considered using a Symbiota portal? You can import data via a CSV
> file, and they have pretty customizable label-printing functions, depending
> on what exactly you want:
> https://biokic.github.io/symbiota-docs/editor/label/
>
> You might reach out to someone at the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (
> https://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/atlas/) to see if they'd create a
> collection profile for you. If not, you could always make a collection in
> the Consortium of Small Vertebrate Collections portal (
> https://csvcoll.org/portal/).
>
> Best,
> ~Katie
>
> On Thu, May 11, 2023 at 12:53 PM Alison H. Harrington <alisonhh at umich.edu>
> wrote:
>
>> Hi Catherine,
>>
>> To second Tom, I had the same question and reached out to some other
>> herbarium colleagues. The overwhelming answer I got was also to use the
>> MailMerge function in Microsoft. There are some decent tutorials on it and
>> it is pretty flexible in terms of formatting. We use Specify as the
>> database of record and although it has a label generation function, that
>> function seems to have broken before I started my position and I've never
>> used it.
>>
>> Mailmerge has a couple of minor quirks but it is a broadly used tool so
>> there are many answered questions online.
>>
>> best,
>> Alison
>>
>> --
>> *Alison H. Harrington, PhD*
>> *Research Collections Manager | Fungi, Lichens, Bryophytes*
>> University of Michigan Herbarium (MICH) | Research Museums Center
>> 3600 Varsity Drive #1042 | Ann Arbor, MI 48108-2228
>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/3600+Varsity+Drive+%231042+%7C+Ann+Arbor,+MI+48108-2228?entry=gmail&source=g>
>> Collection of Zoosporic Eufungi at UM (CZEUM) | czeum.herb.lsa.umich.edu
>> alisonhh at umich.edu | 734.936.8028
>>
>> On Thu, May 11, 2023 at 3:46 PM Thomas J Trombone <trombone at amnh.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Catherine,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Do you have access to Microsoft Office, and if so, have you considered
>>> using the mail merge functionality in Word to link a template document to
>>> an Excel spreadsheet containing your specimen data? That’s how we often
>>> print labels for our specimens. (We use EMu for our collections database,
>>> but we like to modify our printed labels in ways that are far too
>>> idiosyncratic to be easily generated by EMu and Crystal Reports.)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>> Tom
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thomas J. Trombone | Data Manager | Department of Ornithology
>>>
>>> American Museum of Natural History | Central Park West @ 79th Street |
>>> New York, NY 10024-5192
>>>
>>> (212) 313-7783 | trombone at amnh.org |
>>> http://www.amnh.org/our-research/vertebrate-zoology/ornithology
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> * On Behalf Of *Catherine
>>> Early (she/her)
>>> *Sent:* Thursday, May 11, 2023 3:35 PM
>>> *To:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
>>> *Subject:* [Nhcoll-l] software to automate database entries into tags
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *EXTERNAL SENDER*
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> We are preparing for a digitization project where we will associate
>>> field data with specimens that do not currently have data tags, just field
>>> numbers. Because the field notes are idiosyncratic and not in a
>>> standardized format, we (staff) will be entering the specimen's data
>>> directly into our database rather than photographing standard format data
>>> tags that can be easily transcribed by volunteers into a database. After
>>> the data have been entered in the database, we would like to print data
>>> tags to attach to each specimen.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I'm looking for a software program that can take a CSV from a specimen
>>> database (we use Re:discovery and do not have the resources to switch any
>>> time soon) and automatically populate the fields of a data tag template
>>> with the appropriate information from the CSV. Obviously the user would
>>> have to map the fields of the CSV to the field of the data tag, but once
>>> that is done, it would be a simple importing step then checking to make
>>> sure it worked. Does this kind of program exist already?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>> Catherine
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *Catherine M. Early, PhD*
>>>
>>> *she/her/hers*
>>>
>>> Barbara Brown Chair of Ornithology
>>>
>>> cearly at smm.org
>>>
>>> https://catherineearly.wixsite.com/home
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> We envision a world where everyone has the power to use science to make
>>> lives better,
>>> and we are committed to using STEM as a tool to advocate for justice and
>>> equity.
>>>
>>>
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>> _______________________________________________
>> NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
>> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
>> mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of
>> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
>> society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
>> Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate.
>>
>
>
> --
> Katie D. Pearson
> Project & Data Manager
> Symbiota Support Hub, iDigBio
> Arizona State University
>
-- 
Best,
Catherine

Catherine M. Early, PhD

*she/her/hers*

Barbara Brown Chair of Ornithology

cearly at smm.org

https://catherineearly.wixsite.com/home

We envision a world where everyone has the power to use science to make
lives better,
and we are committed to using STEM as a tool to advocate for justice and
equity.
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