The J. Paul Getty Trust is obliged to spend approximately 60 million dollars each year on its programs and projects. The Getty Trust wishes to develop programs which address needs not otherwise likely to be met, and has thus begun to create a multi-faceted museum computer system. With the assistance of On-Line Computer Systems Inc. (Germantown, Maryland), various projects already underway (i.e., the CATART project in Paris) are being studied; and a system which will meet the needs of scholars, curators, registrars, and librarians is being developed. Because a number of museums have developed individual computer systems, the questions of compatibility of systems and computer networks are being addressed.