First question, when you say you have a large number of
contacts that you want to paste or merge, what application
are they currently in (i.e. Excel, Word, Access or prior
version of Outlook)?
 If the contact information is in Excel or Access you can
import that information directly into Outlook using the
Import/Export utility. (go to File |Import/Export then
follow the rabbit down the right path... that means
knowing which application data file you are importing
from).

 Good Luck
David Leverette
Odielev.com