PastPerfect Museum Software Newsletter- May 2005
1. Vice President is in the Great Race!
2. Conference Schedule for 2005
3. PastPerfect Training Classes In Your Area!
4. Want More Visitors?
5. Free Updates for PastPerfect Museum Software!
6. Technical Tip of the Month
7. Look Who's Using PastPerfect
8. Contact Information
1. Pastime Software Company's Connection to the Great Race!
Pastime Software Company's Vice President, Brian Gomez, will be competing in the 2005 Great Race. The Great Race is a coast-to-coast road rally for vintage automobiles. Vehicles must be 45 years old or older to qualify and can not have any modern conveniences. Brian will be the navigator for Team Falcon Racing in a light blue 1960 Ford Falcon. The race begins in Washington D.C. on June 24th then snakes its way through MD, VA, WV, KY, IN, IL, WI, IA, NE, CO, WY, ID, OR and will finish on July 9th in Tacoma, Washington. Team Falcon Racing will be competing against 100 other teams from around the world. Join us in wishing Brian the best of luck and look for him on the road this summer. He'll be in car #60!
For a complete rundown on the Great Race, check out www.greatrace.com.
2. Conference Schedule for 2005
Please visit Pastime Software Company staff at the following conferences in
2005:
Kentucky Association of Museums & Historical Confederation of Kentucky***... Frankfort, KY... June 8-June 10
Association of Indiana Museums***... Crawfordsville, IN... September 11-September 12
Mountain Plains Museum Association (MPMA) ***... Omaha, NE... September 12-September 16
American Association for State and Local History (AASLH)... Pittsburgh, PA... September 21-September 24
Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC)... Jekyll Island, GA... October 4-October 8
*** indicates that a member of Pastime Software Company will be presenting during the conference. Please stop by and visit us!
3. PastPerfect Training classes are coming to your area!
Training classes for PastPerfect Museum Software are well under way in 2005! To find more information about the scheduled training classes below, 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 email at training@museumsoftware.com.
Nashua, NH
Hosted by the Nashua Historical Society
May 2-5
East Lansing, MI
Hosted by the Historical Society of Michigan
May 10-13
Marquette, MI
Hosted by the Historical Society of Michigan at Northern Michigan University
May 16-19
Allentown, PA
Lehigh County Historical Society
June 6-9
Jacksonville, OR
Hosted by the Southern Oregon Historical Society
June 14-17
Merriam, KS (Kansas City, MO Metro Area)
Hosted by the Lee Jeans Corporate Archive
June 20-23
Also, be sure to check out our website at www.museumsoftware.com/training.htm for additional training dates and other information!
Virtual Exhibit users can have a free link from our website to their Virtual Exhibit Website! www.MuseumSoftware.com has thousands of new visitors each month. Contact brian@museumsoftware.com for more information and to submit your link. It's easy, it's free and it helps share your museum's message with the world!
5. Free Updates for PastPerfect Museum Software!
Did you know updates are available from our website for your PastPerfect Museum Software versions 4.0 and 3.5? These free updates are released every few weeks and are available for download by going to this website: www.museumsoftware.com/software_updates.htm. If you would rather receive an update on CD, please contact our Support Office toll free, at (800) 562-6080.
PastPerfect Version 4- New Update Available 4.0B5!
The current update now available for PastPerfect version 4 is 4.0B5. New features
found in this update include:
* Restrict All command on Security Setup screen
PastPerfect Version 3.5- New Update Available 3.5B7!
The current update now available for PastPerfect version 3.0 or 3.5 is 3.5B7.
New features found in this update include: *Add updated field to deaccession
table *Add ID# to list when selecting donor for new Accession or Temporary
Custody *Allow up to 300 image folders *Expand Exhibit Name field to 75 characters
*Include membership type and subtype when exporting membership lists to Excel
*Option to include phone number on Volunteer Hours Summary Reports *Sort Donations
by Fund report by lastname + firstname + company
If you have suggestions for new features or fields you would like to see in PastPerfect version 4, please email your ideas to suggestions@museumsoftware.com. We are eager to hear your comments and learn ways that PastPerfect can better serve our users.
6. Technical Tip of the Month- How to Deaccession Items in PastPerfect
In cases where you find an item that does not fall in line with your Collections Management Policy or you must deaccession an item for another reason, there are two different ways to record this in your PastPerfect program.
One way you can record the fact that an item has been deaccessioned
is to change the status of the item. The advantage of choosing this option
is that it leaves the entire record for the item in the Objects, Photos, Archives
or Library catalog where it was entered and places a red flag on the record
indicating it has been Deaccessioned. These items will show on your collection
lists when you choose to include items with status Deaccessioned. To change
the status of an item, follow these steps:
1) locate the record for which you would like to change the status
2) click on the "Edit" button at the top of the record
3) locate the "Status" field from the drop-down menu and choose
"Deaccessioned"
4) click the "Save" button at the top of the record
You should now see the status of this item indicate this item is Deaccessioned!
The other option for marking an item as Deaccessioned in PastPerfect
is to remove the record from the current catalog it is in and put it in the
Deaccessioned catalog. The one point to remember in this case is that not
all of the information in all of the fields can be saved in the Deaccessioned
catalog, and that once an item is deaccessioned this way, the record cannot
be reinstated in its original catalog. These items will not show on any collection
lists or other reports created outside of the Deaccessioned catalog. To move
a record to the Deaccessioned catalog, follow these steps:
1) locate the record for which you would like to change the status
2) click on the "Edit" button at the top of the record
3) click on the "Deaccession" button at the top of the record
4) fill in an Authorized By and Reason for Deaccession
5) click on the "Deaccession Now" button in the upper right corner
6) click the "Yes" button if you are sure you want to Deaccession
this record
You will now find this record by clicking on the "Deaccession" button on the main menu of PastPerfect! The record in its original catalog will be marked for deletion and removed permanently the next time a reindex is done.
7. Look Who's Using PastPerfect- *The Rome Area History Museum*
The Rome Area History Museum is located in Rome, GA, and was established in 1996 as a center to promote and preserve the history of Rome, GA, and the surrounding area. The museum uses exhibits, both permanent and changing, along with group programs, and annual public programs to reach out to their community. The museum also serves as a center for local historical research in the areas of family history, historical structures and events.
The Rome Area History Museum began using PastPerfect four years ago and, at the time, it was mostly used to keep track of their individual and membership contact information, as well as a record of donations information. After they saw PastPerfect efficiently manage their contact information, they began using it to catalog their collections information as well. Their goals for PastPerfect include entering all of the records about their artifacts and archival materials in the next two years. After that is finished, they will be able to add digital images and make their database more accessible to researchers and patrons of the museum.
Learn more about the Rome Area History Museum at their website, http://www.romehistorymuseum.com/.
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: 800-562-6080 or training@museumsoftware.com
Data Conversions: 800-562-6080 or conversions@museumsoftware.com