People with large collections often number their lots, and keep a hand-written catalogue recording the information associated with them, to safeguard against misplacement of specimens and labels. The number should be written in india or other indelible ink on the labels and the shells. Collectors reluctant to write on their shells should record the measurements of the specimens, especially if they have more than one example of a species. Specimens too small to be written on can be put in cotton-plugged vials or plastic boxes, along with the catalogue number on a slip of paper. Today, shell collections can be easily computerized with a home computer and a data base program.
Computerization serves two functions.
First, it allows information to be sorted in various ways, so that, for example, labels can be printed and lists of species from particular families or parts of the world can be generated. Second, it ensures that all the information about a specimen is recorded, by giving a more detailed list of items to be recorded than is possible in a hand-written catalogue. This enhances the value of the collection, particularly if the collector is planning eventually to donate it to a museum. About two dozen fields of information are sufficient for the needs of most collectors. All the fields pertaining to a particular lot are called a record.