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February 2007 Newsletter Draft

1. PastPerfect is coming to a conference near you!

2. Upcoming Training Opportunities for PastPerfect 4.0!

3. Free Updates for PastPerfect Museum Software

4. Look Who's Using PastPerfect: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, Indianapolis, IN

5. Tech Tip: Backup your Data, Images & Multimedia to CD or DVD with PastPerfect 4.0

6. Contact Information



1. PastPerfect is coming to a conference near you!

Pastime Software Company is starting to set our conference schedule for 2007 and 2008. Below is a list of conferences we are scheduled to attend. Be sure to stop by and say hello-we enjoy meeting our clients!

Small Museums Association Conference
Ocean City, MD
February 25-27

Montana Museums Association
Ft. Missoula, MT
March 8 *Pre-Conference workshop*


2. Upcoming Training Opportunities for PastPerfect 4.0!

PastPerfect training classes for 2007 are well under way! Current training locations and dates are listed below. For more information about the scheduled training classes or to inquire about possibly scheduling a session in your area, please contact our Training Coordinator, Amy Dunn, by phone at 610-304-0973 or by e-mail at training@museumsoftware.com.

San Diego, CA
Hosted by the Maritime Museum of San Diego
February 26-28

Baltimore, MD
Hosted by the Baltimore Museum of Industry
March 6-8

High Point, NC
Hosted by the High Point Museum
March 13-15

Tucson, AZ
Hosted by the Arizona Historical Society
March 20-22

Weatherford, TX
Hosted by the Doss Heritage & Culture Center
April 17-19

East Lansing, MI
Hosted by the Historical Society of Michigan
July 16-20

Be sure to check out our website at www.museumsoftware.com/training.htm for additional training dates and other information!


3. Free Updates for PastPerfect Museum Software

Did you know updates are available from our website for your PastPerfect Museum Software versions 3.5 and 4.0? These free updates are released approximately every two months and are available for download by going to www.museumsoftware.com/software_updates.htm.

If you would rather receive a free update CD, please contact our Support Office toll free at
1-800-562-6080 or by e-mail at support@museumsoftware.com.

PastPerfect Version 3.5- Current Update Available 3.5C1

New features available in PastPerfect 3.5C1 include:

* Ability to include "Notes" and "Inmemory" fields to the Donations- Money Report

PastPerfect Version 4- New Update Available 4.0C9

New features available in PastPerfect 4.0C9 include:

* Add fields for 2007 dues and donations
* Backup to Removable has new options for including images and multimedia files
* Credit line field can be added to Items on Exhibit report
* Custom field authority files allow multiple entries and append or replace options
* Increase length of habitat field to 80 characters
* New "Lockbox" type of payment for Dues and Donations
* New system report "Missing Multi-Media files"
* Only users with Administrative security setting can view or change user passwords
* PastPerfect Online allows selection of large image size as 450, 640 or 950 pixels
* PastPerfect Online has a new FTP engine
* PastPerfect Online watermark intensity is quadrupled
* PastPerfect Online can include people and creator images
* Right-click on image magnifier button to select option to hide mouse pointer
* Subject authority file is now available for the Archives container list subject field
* Support for SSL SMTP port 465 Email server


4. Look Who's Using PastPerfect: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, Indianapolis, IN
Special Thanks to Toni Lynn Giffin, Collections Assistant, for writing this month's Look Who's Using PastPerfect!

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum (HOF) is the premier museum dedicated to automobiles and the history of auto racing in the world. Established by Tony Hulman and Karl Kizer in 1956, the original building sat at the southwest corner of the race track. In 1976, Mr. Hulman realized that the museum's scope would require more room for displaying the vast collection and constructed a new museum located within the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The newer building has 30,000 square feet of exhibit space and a glass canopy that provide year-round lighting. In May 2006 the HOF celebrated 50 years of preserving automobile and racing history with a Pace Car Reunion that showcased 188 examples of Indianapolis 500 Official Pace Cars representing 57 of the 89 races run to date.

In February 2006, the HOF converted its collections management system to PastPerfect Museum Software. With a major inventory occurring, it made organizing, numbering, and cataloging the vast collection of over 30,000 pieces easier to manage. Data retrieval for exhibits and loans was streamlined to provide readily available information on the collections. Tracking donors, donations, and important industry contacts became more manageable. Types of items found in the collection are equipment for timing, trophies (including the famous Borg-Warner trophy that depicts the winner of the Indianapolis 500 for each year), automobiles, uniforms, film footage, tickets, and programs among other items related to the history of auto racing and the automotive industry.

An estimated 250,000 patrons visit the HOF during the year to glimpse a piece of racing history. Within the exhibit hall the Tony Hulman Theatre seats 48 and features a presentation of rare historic video clips. Two Speedway gift shops are located at the entrance to the museum. For more information visit our website http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/museum/


5. Tech Tip:Backup your Data, Images & Multimedia to CD/DVD with PastPerfect 4.0

With the new year here, it is time to make sure you have a good backup routine in place. It is important that one of your institution's most precious items is protected-- your data! Protecting your data ensures that information about your collections and Contacts (as well as your hard work) is kept safe and secure. PastPerfect recommends backing up your data to your hard drive every day, and then to an external media about once a week. One of the ways to do this is to backup your data and images to CD or DVD, which can be stored in a safe location. In case anything should happen to your computer, having this backup ensures that your data can be easily recovered.

One of the great things about PastPerfect 4.0 is that it enables you to backup directly to a CD or DVD within the program itself.

To backup your data, images, and multimedia files to CD or DVD within PastPerfect 4.0, first make sure your computer is set up to burn a CD or DVD from PastPerfect by using the following steps:

1) Click the "Setup" button on the main menu of PastPerfect
2) Click the "Gen. Information" button
3) Make sure the box at the top of this screen that says "Computer has a CD or DVD burner" is checked
4) Make sure the correct drive letter of your CD/DVD burner is selected next to "CD or DVD Backup/Restore Drive" (if you are not sure what letter should be selected, you can double check it in the My Computer area on your computer)
5) Click the "Exit" button on the General Information window

When you are ready to backup your data, images, and multimedia to CD or DVD, use these steps:

1) Click the "Backup" button on the main menu
2) Click the "Backup Data, Images & Multimedia to CD or DVD" button
3) Make sure the desired options are checked, then select your CD/DVD burner from the drop down list
4) Make sure the "Finalize" box is checked (note: This will close your CD and make sure that nothing else can be recorded on this CD.)
5) Click the "Start Backup" button
6) Insert a blank disc into the CD/DVD burner drive and click "OK"

The process of backing up your data, images, and multimedia may take a few minutes, but when this process is complete, you will have all of your PastPerfect data and images on your CD or DVD!

If you get a backup failed message, it may be that you have more information than will fit on one CD or DVD. If the size of the Data, Images & Multimedia files exceeds the storage space on the CD or DVD, you should choose to include the data and images from some of the catalogs on one disc and then create a second disc with the remainder of that information, plus the Multimedia files. For example, if most of your images in PastPerfect are attached to records in your Objects catalog, place a checkbox next to everything except the Objects Image Files and Multimedia Files and to create the first backup disc. Once the first backup disc is created, you can uncheck everything and just have the Object Image Files and Multimedia Files selected to backup on a second disc. The key is to split them up so that the size of the files does not add up to be more than the capacity of the disc.

Once your backups are complete, use a felt tip permanent marker to write the date and your program version (found on the Main Menu just above the Incoming Loans button) on the label side of your CD or DVD and keep these in a safe place.

If you have any questions related to backing up your data, please contact our Support Office at (800) 562-6080.



6. Contact Information

Address: 300 North Pottstown Pike, Suite 200 Exton, PA 19341
Website: www.MuseumSoftware.com
Sales & Product Info: 800-562-6080 or sales@museumsoftware.com
Support: 800-562-6080 or support@museumsoftware.com
Training: 610-304-0973 or training@museumsoftware.com
Data Conversions: 800-562-6080 or conversions@museumsoftware.com

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