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Software for Choral LibraryDate: July 25, 2010 by James Filosa
I realize that this subject was discussed a few weeks ago, but recently I have taken over the task of organizing our church choir music library. It has been being kept on EXCEL, by someone who is not currently available, I have a print-out, but basically need to start from scratch. I have looked into a few of the software programs discussed previously, but for our purposes, they are far too complex. I don't need to track finances, attendance, etc., I just need a very basic music inventory that I can sort by Title, Composer/Arranger, Voicing and Scripture reference.
Is there such a software or am I wishful dreaming? We are talking about approximately 700 titles
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Blessings
Jim Replies (8): Threaded | Chronological
Robert Reck on July 25, 2010 5:45pm
Just to clarify: Are you saying that you don't have access to the file?
If you have the original file it is possible to open it with, of course, MSExcel or with OpenOffice.org using the calc program, which is a free download. Even if you ultimately use a different program, it might still be possible to copy/paste from Excel or even to import the file. That would save a huge amount of data entry, I would imagine. If you don't have the original file perhaps the person that does could be persuaded to email it. I would hate to see you start all over if there was another way.
You might want to consider the OpenOffice.org suite in any case. It does quite a lot for a free program.
James Filosa on July 25, 2010 8:29pm
Robert:
Yes, that is correct, I do not have access to the file and there is apparantly no possibility of having it emailed to me.
Thanks, I will look into the OpenOffice.org suite
Regards
Jim
Robert Reck on July 26, 2010 5:44am
It still may be possible to scan the printout that you have. I have one friend who claims to have scanned a document into a PDF file and then cut and pasted text and tables into MSOffice. If someone you know has a scanner, which is increasingly common, it might be worth a try. In any case, good fortune with this project.
on July 26, 2010 12:25am
I have used Filemaker Pro to organize my recordings, and it has worked very well. The software can be quite efficiently adapted for a variety of needs, and you can make it as simple or as complex as is needed.
Best regards,
Len Ratzlaff
on July 26, 2010 4:41am
James,
I use Excel for our library of 500 titles, and it works great. You can sort and filter by all kinds of criteria, and of course you can do a simple word search. Honestly, some of those "special programs" are goofy and impractical. Excel is by far the most straightforward way to catalog your titles.
Best,
Dan
PS - Here's a sample of how Excel can catalog your library - an annotated bibliography I did for one of my grad classes back in the day. You can see it here: http://cl.ly/1iuT
on July 26, 2010 5:56am
Dear Jim,
While the Choral Management Package does a lot, you don't have to use all of its features. The library "module" is straight-forward and comprehensive. It's built to be consistent with the MUSICA international choral database.
Note that the price includes 30 minutes of support. If you have some stuff in Excel, it can be transferred over to the CMP.
Regards,
Ray Fahrner
on July 26, 2010 1:18pm
James,
www.ensemblemanager.com will have it's library module up within the month and will be simple like you describe. It also includes personnel database and seating chart design tool.
Best,
Danny
on July 29, 2010 3:25am
We have used a really inexpensive package from RCL Ministries with success. If you have the original Excel digital files, you might be able to import them.
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