barcodes

[Panza, Robin]

>>>>You wouldn't believe how quickly and efficiently I can now get a bunch
of data into the computer. Reading codes off labels and typing them by hand
is horribly inefficient (and error prone), <<<<

I don't understand.  Doesn't somebody have to read data and type it into
whatever machine creates the barcode label?  Why is typing into a barcode
generator any faster or more accurate than typing into a computer that
generates a human-readable label?  I keep hearing error reduction and rapid
data entry as a big issue in favor of bar codes, but never understood it.
You still have to get the data into a machine that will associate them with
an identifier code (catalogue number, bar code, whatever).  If all you're
getting from the barcode label is a number, where/how do you match that
number up to collection and preparation data?  If you're getting those data
from the barcode reader, somebody had to enter them at some point, didn't
they?

Robin K Panza
Section of Birds, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
4400 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh  PA  15213  USA
phone:  412-622-3255
fax:  412-622-8837
panzar at carnegiemuseums.org