ABSTRACT
If computers are to act as an important tool for ethnographic research, the use of the computers must begin during fieldwork. As long as data are recorded in one form, only to be transcribed to another, preparing field data for computers competes with other tasks, such as indexing notes, transcribing audio and video tapes, and deciphering genealogies. One of the ways to diminish the “barrier” of preparation is to use computers throughout the research process.
