In 1977, the Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, began retroactive data capture of the research collection. Data were entered directly into the computer file from unedited handwritten catalogues. In 1979, curation of the entire collection began. The use of computer printouts has contributed substantially to the progress of the curatorial process. Conversely, curation has been of great assistance in upgrading data in the computer file. Each specimen record, containing up to 43 separate data fields, can be viewed as a single unit on a video display terminal. Changes in the data may be submitted for an individual catalogue number or in batches of unlimited size. The greatest strength of the system is its ability to cross-reference any data field, both singly and in multiple combinations, for the production of a printed report. This capability is used frequently for answering inquiries, and is used almost daily for management and curation of the collection. The computerization of the collection has made it possible to trace answers to a wide variety of questions that would otherwise have been prohibitive. This paper presents examples of methods used in locating lost and uncatalogued material, updating of taxonomic and geographic information, locating mismatched specimens, the generation of labels, and the production of cross-referencing files. -- AATA