Catalogue your collections
Stay on top of your various libraries by recording them all using the brilliant Data Crow.
Data Crow (www.datacrow.net) makes it possible to create and maintain a catalogue of important items. Built-in modules cover books, contacts, audio CDs, movies (including TV), but you can build your own custom modules too.
Once installed, select your collection type using the icons beneath the menu bar. From here choose ‘File > Item Wizard’ to enter the first item in your collection. You’ll see that Data Crow links into several online databases – sadly, at time of writing, both IMDB and Amazon don’t work, but thankfully other online databases offered by the program do.
Select your database, type in your title and with a bit of luck you’ll find the exact item you own (multiple editions may exist, forcing you to review each one manually). You can then add this – complete with thumbnail image of the cover – without having to enter any additional information. All information is editable, so once entered, simply double-click an item to view and – if necessary – make changes or add additional elements such as photos.
YOUR COLLECTION
As your collection grows,
Data Crow allows you to organise your collection into groups, which you define by selecting which fields to use. You can also apply filters and perform a quick keyword search of your collection to help find what you’re looking for.
Many people like to lend items from their collection to others, and Data Crow provides a Loan Administration tab to allow you to manage this process by recording when an item was lent
out and to whom. You’ll never need to wonder what happened to that book or CD you may or may not have lent out (if only you could remember) again.