Get your Mineral Collection Organized with a Database

After years of numerous field trips, you might have accumulated thousands of specimens collected from all over the world.  Now, your fellow rock hounds want to see what can be collected from a site that you visits years ago or wanted to exchange some specimens with you.  You vaguely remember that you have the specimens but you don't remember where you put them.  Back to the old days, we wrote our collection on notebooks but it still takes a long time to flip through the pages.  The solution is to have electronic database which allow you to search through your collections.  With a few mouse click, you can find your specimen without much effort.  

A mineral collection database should be able to keep track of important information about your specimen: What is being collected, date of collection, location of collection, storage location.  In this project, I created a simple mineral collection database based on Microsoft Access 2007.  It allows me to enter the collection information (date/where/mineral), attach pictures, storage location, mineral group and creating labels.

Figure 1. The Main dashboard provides the link to main function areas: list the collections, the mineral groups,

collection categories, storage location.

Figure 2. Mineral collection List Screen, allow you to add new collection and attach pictures to your collection.

Figure 3 detailed mineral information, storage location can be entered in the detailed collection page.  By clicking on the buttons on the upper right corner allows me to print sand collection cards or rock specimen label.

Figure 4 Two types of report can be generated now: Sand specimen card (The rectangule in the middle can be cut-out and placed a type underneith to allow sand to be glue to the area) and Rock label.

Figure 5 To add or view picture of the collection.  Double click on the picture box to display the attachment screen.  From there, I can add or view the attached pictures.

Figure 6 To search the collection can be done on either collection list or collection detail form.  There are many ways Access 2007 allow you to search records.  The above figure is one of them: filter by form.

The database supports the basic function of a mineral collection database software.  It does what I need it to do.  There isn't much system requirements. All you need to have is a computer with Access 2007 or Access 2010 installed (included in microscope office professional edition).  The software is free for you to use.  It can be downloaded from the link below:

 http://www.onfocuslaboratories.com/support/software/MineralDatabase2007SampleData.accdb