PastPerfect Museum Software Newsletter- July 2005
1. A Link from Our Website
to Yours
2. Conference Schedule for 2005
3. PastPerfect Training Classes in Your Area!
4. Free Updates for PastPerfect Museum Software
5. Technical Tip of the Month
6. Look Who's Using PastPerfect
7. Contact Information
1. A Link from Our Website to Yours
The World Wide Web is a great resource for museum professionals and visitors
alike. Pastime Software Company would like to help guide visitors to your
official website. We're offering you, our clients, a free link from our Client
List page that will directly access your organization's official website.
All you need to do is email clientlist@museumsoftware.com
with your museum name, contact name, email address and official website link.
It's free, it's easy and it's a great way to promote your web presence.
2. Conference Schedule for 2005
Please visit Pastime Software Company staff at the following conferences in
2005:
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 Software are well under way in 2005! To find
out 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.
Philadelphia, PA
Hosted by the Chemical Heritage Foundation
July 12 - July 15
Greeneville, TN
Hosted by the Department of Museum Program and Studies, Tusculum College
July 19 - July 21
Gardner, MA
Hosted by the Gardner Museum at Mount Wachusett Community College
August 2 - August 5
Washington, D.C.
Hosted by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America- Dumbarton
House
August 8 - August 11
Baltimore, MD
Hosted by the B & O Railroad Museum
August 15 - August 18
Des Moines, IA
Hosted by the Iowa Museum Assocation at the State of Iowa Historical Building
August 23- August 26
Indianapolis, IN
Hosted by the Indiana Historical Society
September 13 - September 16
St. Paul, MN
Hosted by the Minnesota Historical Society
September 27 - September 30
Also, be sure to check out our website at www.museumsoftware.com/training.htm for additional training dates and other information!
4. 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 page on our 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- Current 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- Current 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 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.
5. Technical Tip of the Month- Using the Alternate Billing Address in PastPerfect
Version 4 Continued!
Last month, we reviewed how to enter an Alternate Billing Address on a Contact
record to be used for mailings. After you have the alternate billing address
entered for a record in Contacts, if you would like to use the alternate billing
address on any of your letters and labels, you must set those letters and
labels to use the Bill Add Selectable address field. This way, if the record
is set to use the alternate billing address, it will use that address for
the letter or label specified. If the record is not set to use the alternate
billing address, it will use the regular address that is on the front of the
contact record.
To set your letters to use the Bill Add Selectable address field, follow these steps:
1) Click on the "Setup" button on the main menu
in PastPerfect
2) Click on the "Contacts" button
3) Click on the "Mail-merge Letters" tab
4) Select the letter you would like to use to send to the persons who have
an alternate billing address
5) Click on the "Compose Letter" button
6) Under the date field, remove any of the address fields (such as Name &
Title, Address1, Address2, City, State, Zip) as well as any extra returns
7) Click on the downward pointing arrow next to "Select Field from List"
8) Choose "Bill Add Selectable" from the list of options
9) Make sure your cursor is blinking where you want the field inserted
10) Click on the "Insert Field" button
Then save the letter and exit the Contacts Setup area. When you send this letter, the program will automatically use the alternate billing address or the regular contact address, depending on which address is set for that record.
If you wish to print labels with this address information, check the custom label layouts for Contacts Labels style # 4, 5 or 6 as they may already be set for this. If you find they are not, or you wish to set a different Contacts label style to use the Bill Add Selectable address field, follow these steps:
1) Click on the "Reports" button on the main menu
in PastPerfect
2) Click on the "Contacts" button
3) Click on the label style you wish to modify (for example, Contacts Labels,
Style #4)
4) Click on the "Modify Report Layout" button
5) Click on the "Modify Custom Layout" button
6) This will bring you into the report designer
7) Delete all the fields on the screen except for Greeting
8) Double click on the Greeting field
9) Remove the word "Greeting" from the expression field and type
in this text in its place: getbilladdress()
10) Click on the "Ok" button
11) This box should now read getbilladdress() and it should have little black
boxes in each corner and in the middle of each side.
12) Click and hold your left mouse button on the little black box in the middle
of the bottom line
13) While holding down your mouse button, drag your mouse down until you reach
the grey detail band. Then let go of your mouse.
14) This box should now appear with several lines it it and fill the label
space between the Column Header Band and the Detail band.
15) Exit the report designer and be sure to save your changes.
16) Choose the Custom Layout setting by clicking on the circle next to Custom
Layout.
This label style should now be set to use the alternate billing address if it is set on the contact record, otherwise it will use the regular address that appears on the front of the Contact record. Please note that Label style #4, 5 or 6 may already be set for this. If you have any trouble with this or have any questions, please call our Support Office and we will be happy to walk you through this process.
6. Look Who's Using PastPerfect- *The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum*
The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum is located in St. Augustine, FL. The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum works to discover, preserve, present and keep alive the story of the nation's oldest port, as symbolized by the working St. Augustine Lighthouse. The present day lighthouse's distinctive black and white stripes and red lantern top was the first lighthouse built in Florida, and was done between 1871 and 1874. The tower stands 165 feet tall and is open to visitors year round. Although the lighthouse was once operated and maintained by the US Coast Guard, the light and tower are now owned and maintained by the staff and volunteers of the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum. The first order Fresnel lens is original to the light station and is still operated as an active aid to navigation.
Despite a fire in the Keeper's quarters in the late seventies, the St. Augustine Junior Service League rebuilt and restored the Keeper's House, which today serves as exhibit space for the museum. The Keeper's House and the lighthouse tower are both included on the National Register for Historic Places, and serve as a symbol and primary attraction in St. Augustine. The museum stays in touch with its community by providing public programming including summer camp for kids, Sunset/Moonrise watching for adults, maritime archaeological services, public presentations, Elderhostel events, a Lighthouse Festival, US Coast Guard Reunions, and more.
The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum is currently using PastPerfect version 3.5 with the Digital Imaging Upgrade to catalog their collections and attach images to their records. The staff has found that the Digital Imaging Upgrade and the PastPerfect catalog cross listings have been life savers for the Collections Staff during hurricane evacuations when the entire Collection must be evacuated. Their goal is to upgrade to PastPerfect version 4 at some point within the next year. The bond between former Keepers, their families, and the Light Station remains strong and the Museum is an important repository for artifacts and documents relating to the Light Station's importance locally, regionally, and nationally. St. Augustine's role as a major training station for the US Coast Guard during the Second World War has marked both the city and the museum permanently. The Coast Guard legacy is reflected in the museum's active collection policy towards WWII US Coast Guard materials including uniforms, letters, books and photographs. PastPerfect has allowed collections staff to not only track the collections, but also allows Keepers' families, Veterans, donors, scholars, staff, artists and school children to access the collections daily.
To learn more about the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, visit their website at: http://www.staugustinelighthouse.com/.
7. 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