[Bell Historians] Re: National Bell Database

[Mike Chester]

--- In bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com, Shaun Brown 
<shaun.d.brown at g...> wrote:
> Surely it owuld make sense to simply extend dove, rather than 
setting up a
> totally seperate database.
> 

I am not sure that John Baldwin would agree with this statement as it 
would inevitably add extra to his already heavy workload. There have 
been 31 changes to Dove this month already that are considered 
important enough to note on the "Changes" page and another 66 that 
are not (if I have counted correctly, but you get my drift). John is 
in full time employment and is already in the non-stipendiary 
ministry.  

Even if a way was found to let others enter of data in some way it 
would be at the expense if some of John's valuable free time in terms 
of cross checking, etc. I suspect that another edition of Dove must 
be on the way soon as well and this will further reduce his leisure 
time.  

It would be very easy to link between a register and Dove on-line. 
Also, the Dove data is freely available as a text file to anyone to 
use as they see fit. (See the bottom right corner of the homepage).  
To set up a database using Dove data would actually be only a tiny 
part of the project in terms of time expended. I suspect that 
considerably more time would be taken up entering data for churches 
with 1 or 2 bells and those not hung for ringing. (I further suspect 
that, once the level of data is decided, someone with the correct ICT 
skills could set up a database using the Dove data alone in an 
evening)

You mention the National Pipe Organ Register. If my information is 
correct, it is this Register that eats up c.£8000pa. To put it 
another way, in less than 12 years the equivalent of the entire 
liquid assets of the CC would be expended on this project alone.  

Andrew Wilby is spot on - "you" need to identify source(s) of 
continuing finance and also get together a business plan before 
dashing down the road of producing a register.

Mike