ISS Inventory -- Tracking how MANY items?

ISS Inventory -- Tracking how MANY items?

I've heard various estimates of how many distinct
items are currently being tracked by the IMS (Inventory
Management System) on the ISS. To put the
'mislaid' Orlan LiOH canisters into perspective,
I need to get a publishable number. The guesses
I've heard range from 1,000 items to 5k to even higher.
That's for items currently aboard ISS that have their
own ID codes and their presumed location logged
in the database.

How many items were on the formal inventory list
for Skylab, I wonder.

Thanks!

Jim O


NASA site links haven't been too helpful:
http://stationpayloads.jsc.nasa.gov/...oadops/i3.html
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/history/...sc-iss-ims.htm