PastPerfect Museum Software Newsletter- September 2005

1. Conference Schedule for 2005
2. PastPerfect Training Classes in Your Area!
3. Free Updates for PastPerfect Museum Software
4. Technical Tip of the Month
5. Look Who's Using PastPerfect
6. Contact Information

1. Conference Schedule for 2005
Please visit Pastime Software Company staff at the following conferences in 2005:

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!

2. 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.

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

West Bend, WI
Hosted by the Washington County Historical Society October 3 - October 6

St. Louis, MO
Hosted by the Maryville University Library at its Southwest St. Louis Campus (Fenton) October 18 - October 21

Richmond, VA
Hosted by the Division of Recreation & Parks - Henrico October 25 - October 28

Also, 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 4.0 and 3.5? These free updates are released every month or so and are available for download by going to this page on our website: www.museumsoftware.com/software_updates.htm . If you would rather receive a free update CD, please contact our Support Office toll free, at 800-562-6080.

PastPerfect Version 4- Current Update Available 4.0B7 The current update now available for PastPerfect version 4 is 4.0B7. New features found in this update include:
* Add new report Collection To Do List
* Add new security restrictions to exclude individual catalogs from the All Catalogs & Keyword Searches
* Add print Dues history command to Contacts | Membership screen
* Browse before gather as SG- extra option
* Enable Alt Key shortcuts for Add, Edit, Delete, commands on Authority File screens, Esc for Close & Exit
* Expand Donation/Dues payment type list longer so user doesn't have to scroll to see all entries
* If catalog record status is Missing, highlight word in orange
* If using British, German, or Italian style dates, letter date format is 4 July 2005
* Increase length of email subject line to 80 characters
* Increase length of purpose field on incoming loans to 60 characters
* New check box option when adding a new Accession to fill Thank You Letter sent date with today's date
* New check box option when adding a new Accession to fill Deed of Gift sent date with today's date
* New report listing mailing list names & record count for each list
* Option to add fields address, city, state, zip to Volunteer hours summary reports
* Option to arrange all lists on the Setup/Contacts screen alphabetically
* Option to include sub-totals on Batch deposit report & to sort by payment type
* Option to place the dates of creation field on the Items on Exhibit report
* Save last payment type as default for donations/dues payment entry

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.

4. Technical Tip of the Month- The Query Tool, A Great Way to Search Your Data!
With PastPerfect version 4 comes a new Query tool, which is very useful when trying to locate items in your collection. This tool can be used to locate records by searching information in different fields. The And/Or feature is useful when wanting to look for several possible keywords or phrases. You can print lists, catalog cards, labels or detailed records from the results of your search. You can also save and retrieve queries for later use. You can access this new Query tool from Research - All Catalogs, as well as individually from the Objects, Photos, Archives and Library catalogs. The following are some examples of how to use the Query tool:

1) Let's say you want to find all of the items in your collection that contain the phrase "Civil War" in the description field. Here are the steps you would take to query the records in your PastPerfect version 4:
A. Click on the "Research" button on the main menu
B. Select "All Catalogs"
C. Under Field, select "Description"
D. Under Condition, select "Contains text"
E. Under What, type in Civil War
F. Click the "Search Now" button
This will result in a list of all of the items in your collection with the phrase Civil War in the Description field.

2) Let's say you want to find all of the items in your collection that have the accession number starting with either 1998 or 1999. Here are the steps you would take to make this query happen in PastPerfect version 4:
A. Click on the "Research" button on the main menu
B. Select "All Catalogs"
C. Under Field, select "Accession#" (it may already be selected)
D. Under Condition, select "Begins With"
E. Under What, type in 1998
F. Select "Or" so that the dot appears next to it
G. On the next line, under Field, select "Accession#"
H. On that same line, under Condition, select "Begins With"
I. On that same line, under What, type 1999
J. Click the "Search Now" button
This will return a list of all of the items in the Objects, Photos, Archives & Library catalogs that have an accession # starting with either a 1998 or 1999.

Some of the other great features of the Query tool is that once you have a list of items, you can remove certain records from the list, then print that list with or without thumbnail images. You can also view selected catalog records and see the word or phrase you queried highlighted on the record in orange. If you want your search to be case sensitive, click the box next to "Match Case" in the upper right portion of your screen so that a check mark appears in that box.

If you have any trouble with this or have any questions, please call our Support Office and we will be happy to answer any questions you have.

5. Look Who's Using PastPerfect- *The Great Plains Welsh Heritage Centre*
The Great Plains Welsh Heritage Centre is a new museum located in the Welsh and German settlement of Wymore, Nebraska, about 50 miles south of Lincoln. The Heritage Centre is dedicated to collecting and presenting information and artifacts related to the role of Welsh people in the westward expansion of the US and Canada across the prairie land of North America. Berwyn Jones, President of the Heritage Centre, writes, "The Welsh are a distinct ethnic group within the United Kingdom. They have one of the most ancient languages in Europe, with a literature that goes back to
Taliesin in the 600's. Thousands of our ancestors came to America, many to the prairies, since most Welsh people were farmers in the 19th century, even though we are most famous for coal mining and steel making. In 2003 we purchased a beautifully-finished and virtually unused 3000 square foot building (handicap accessible) in Wymore, and we have begun to collect data and artifacts from the dozens of Welsh communities throughout the prairie states and provinces."

The Great Plains Welsh Heritage Centre just recently purchased PastPerfect, made possible by a gift they received this past summer. They look forward to using it to manage their collections information as well as their member/ donor/ contact information.

Learn more about the Great Plains Welsh Heritage Centre by visiting their website, www.WelshHeritage.org.

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