Subject: Local History List Serve - Dec 2008/Jan 2009 PastPerfect Newsletter Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:35:46 -0600 Message-ID: <B46BC0C8F6373F43B0A84089442FE921014D9C5F@MEWMAD1P0129.enterprise.wistate.us> From: "Seymour, Janet I - WHS" <Janet.Seymour@wisconsinhistory.org>
News from Past Perfect Software, for those of you who use it, or are
interested in learning more.
Janet Seymour
Field Services Representative - Northern Region
Wisconsin Historical Society
Voice: 715-836-2250
Collecting, Preserving, and Sharing Stories Since 1846
Review past messages at: http://listserve.uwec.edu/localhistory/
<http://listserve.uwec.edu/localhistory/>
<http://www.museumsoftware.com/index.shtml>
December 2008/January 2009 Newsletter
________________________________
1. Upcoming Training Opportunities for PastPerfect 4.0
<https://mail.wisconsin.gov/Exchange/Janet.Seymour/Drafts/FW:%20Dec%20200
8_xF8FF_Jan%202009%20PastPerfect%20Newsletter.EML/1_text.htm#1>
2. PastPerfect Featured User: Amache Preservation Society, Denver, CO
<https://mail.wisconsin.gov/Exchange/Janet.Seymour/Drafts/FW:%20Dec%20200
8_xF8FF_Jan%202009%20PastPerfect%20Newsletter.EML/1_text.htm#2>
3. PastPerfect Featured Product: Network Upgrade
<https://mail.wisconsin.gov/Exchange/Janet.Seymour/Drafts/FW:%20Dec%20200
8_xF8FF_Jan%202009%20PastPerfect%20Newsletter.EML/1_text.htm#3>
4. Grants & Resources
<https://mail.wisconsin.gov/Exchange/Janet.Seymour/Drafts/FW:%20Dec%20200
8_xF8FF_Jan%202009%20PastPerfect%20Newsletter.EML/1_text.htm#4>
5. Report Highlight: Records Added by User
<https://mail.wisconsin.gov/Exchange/Janet.Seymour/Drafts/FW:%20Dec%20200
8_xF8FF_Jan%202009%20PastPerfect%20Newsletter.EML/1_text.htm#5>
6. Tech Tip: Adding a Watermark to an Image in PastPerfect
<https://mail.wisconsin.gov/Exchange/Janet.Seymour/Drafts/FW:%20Dec%20200
8_xF8FF_Jan%202009%20PastPerfect%20Newsletter.EML/1_text.htm#6>
7. Video Tech Tips for PastPerfect 4.0
<https://mail.wisconsin.gov/Exchange/Janet.Seymour/Drafts/FW:%20Dec%20200
8_xF8FF_Jan%202009%20PastPerfect%20Newsletter.EML/1_text.htm#7>
8. Contact Information
<https://mail.wisconsin.gov/Exchange/Janet.Seymour/Drafts/FW:%20Dec%20200
8_xF8FF_Jan%202009%20PastPerfect%20Newsletter.EML/1_text.htm#8>
1. Upcoming Training Opportunities for PastPerfect 4.0
Plans for our 2009 Training schedule are underway! Currently scheduled
training dates are listed below for our online and regional training
classes.
Online Training Classes:
Online Training - Cataloging your Collection with PastPerfect 4.0
January 6-8; 12:30-3:00pm EST
Introductory pricing $59 per person!
PastPerfect Software is proud to introduce web-based training classes.
The classes are taught real-time and are broadcast live to your
computer. Using the internet and a telephone based conference call, we
walk through the processes of using PastPerfect to catalog your
collection. All training materials are provided online. All you need
is a phone, the ability to call a long distance number and internet
access that is at least DSL speed.
Regional Training Classes:
Columbia, MO - January 13-15
Hosted by the University of Missouri Department of Architectural Studies
and the Department of Textile and Apparel Management
Exton, PA - January 19-21
Hosted by PastPerfect Software, Inc.
Denver, CO - March 9-10
Hosted by the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum
March 9 - Cataloging Collections; March 10 - Managing Collections
For more information about scheduled training classes please visit our
website at www.museumsoftware.com/training.htm or contact our Training
Coordinator, Jennessa Reed, by email at training@museumsoftware.com or
by phone at 1-800-562-6080.
2. PastPerfect Featured User: Amache Preservation Society, Denver, CO
Special thanks to April Kamp-Whittaker, Anthropology and Museum Studies
graduate student at the University of Denver, for contributing this
month's article!
The Amache Preservation Society (APS) is a high school organization
dedicated to preserving Amache, a WWII Japanese internment camp.
Located outside the town of Granada, Colorado, APS is run out of the
Granada Undivided High School. It is composed of students ranging from
grades 9-12 who participate in APS as part of a course taught by Mr.
John Hopper. The purpose of the organization is to raise awareness
about Amache and the history of internment in general. APS students
work to preserve the site of Amache through grounds maintenance, site
interpretation (both through permanent signs and leading site tours),
traveling presentations, and managing the Amache Museum.
Since APS is a student run organization, a collections management
software program was needed that would be easy to learn and manage. APS
also wanted a program that would allow for the attachment of digitized
images, since a large portion of the collection is composed of historic
documents and photographs. PastPerfect met both of these needs. As the
collections at APS are entered into PastPerfect, students can easily
search the collections held by the museum, making their outreach
programs easier to manage. Digitized collections help APS connect to
the wider community, including those individuals who have a vested
interest in the site, such as descendents or researchers. With
PastPerfect as the collections program, the Amache Preservation Society
can quickly search the collections and send the desired information to
individuals across the globe, aiding in the goal of preserving and
disseminating information about Japanese American internment.
For additional information regarding Amache and the Amache Preservation
Society, please visit www.amache.org <http://www.amache.org/> .
3. PastPerfect Featured Product: Network Upgrade
A Network Upgrade allows your organization to run PastPerfect on
multiple computers, allowing simultaneous data entry and access to your
PastPerfect records. Having multiple people work in the program at the
same time speeds up the labor intensive data entry process. Since all
changes are made to a single dataset, they can be seen immediately by
other users.
With PastPerfect's Network Upgrades, you only purchase the licensing
level you need. We sell Network Upgrades by groups of installations.
Purchase of the Network Upgrade 2-5 Users gives your organization the
license to install the program on up to five computers with simultaneous
access. As a single user purchasing the 2-5 User license, you can
install the program on five computers for less than $500, and spread the
huge jobs of collections cataloging and contacts management among
multiple staff and volunteers. PastPerfect Software offers Network
Upgrades for larger networks too.
Please visit our website for pricing and additional information
www.museumsoftware.com/network_upgrade.htm. If you have any questions
about how the Network Upgrade might help your institution, please do not
hesitate to contact us toll free at 1-800-562-6080 or by emailing
sales@museumsoftware.com.
4. Grants & Resources
Grant funding is still available! A number of government programs have
funds for collections management projects in the 2009-2010 grant cycle.
Programs in Texas, New York and Oregon are featured below. If your
organization is not in one of these states, or may not qualify for these
funding opportunities, please continue your search for the right
program. They still exist, even in economically challenging times.
We wish you the best in your funding search, and hope to bring you more
ideas in the next newsletter.
Featured Grant Opportunities:
Texas
The Texas Historical Commission offers History Museum Grants to Texas
nonprofit institutions with budgets of $350,000 or less. Applicants
should have a primary mission to serve as a history museum, and at least
one person (paid or volunteer) dedicated to "the acquisition, care and
exhibition" of collections. Organizations must display objects on a
regular schedule and be open to the public at least 90 days per year.
It is also necessary to show due diligence in complying with the
American with Disabilities Act.
The Historical Commission awards matching grants of up to $1000 for
collections and conservation projects. Museums must provide a 50%
match, which might be a combination of cash and in-kind services
(including volunteer hours). Applications are due in mid-October.
For more information, please visit
www.thc.state.tx.us/grantsincent/gramus.shtml or contact staff by
emailing history@thc.state.tx.us or calling 512-463-5853.
New York
The New York State Council on the Arts awards grants for collections
management projects to New York institutions. NYSCA funds requests for
"collections storage improvement, conservation surveys, collections
assessment, new collections research, catalogues of permanent
collections, historic furnishing reports, cataloging and digitizing
collections." Projects that have a public dimension and connect the
importance of this work to the betterment of the whole institution are
most competitive. Organizations should also have an up-to-date
collections policy in place.
These grants are not intended for processing archival collections or
library materials. Please contact your regional Documentary Heritage
Program <http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/grants/grants_dhp.shtml> for
archival project funding. For library projects, please contact the NYS
Program for the Conservation and Preservation of Library Research
Materials <http://srv36.nysed.gov/libdev/cp/> .
The registration deadline is March 2, and application deadlines will be
later in the Spring. Applicants are encouraged to contact Museum
Program staff before the beginning of March to discuss projects. Please
contact:
Kristin Herron, Director, - 212-741-7848, kherron@nysca.org or
Fabiana Chiu-Rinaldi, Associate, - 212-741-7847, Fabiana Chiu-Rinaldi, Associate, - 212-741-7847, fchiu@nysca.org.
The NYSCA website will have the latest information and instructions on
upcoming grants:
www.nysca.org/public/guidelines/museums/collections.htm.
Oregon
The Oregon Cultural Trust offers year-long project grants to nonprofits
and cultural units within federally recognized Indian Tribes in Oregon.
Grants are competitive and awarded to organizations that "address
'significant' opportunities to advance, preserve or stabilize cultural
resources; develop new resources; or have a broad cultural impact beyond
the applicant itself." The Preservation grant program focuses on the
state's cultural heritage "assets and achievements." In 2009-2010,
history institutions might build strong applications that relate to the
150th anniversary of statehood.
The Cultural Trust encourages applicants who have broad reaching
projects. Organizations with smaller projects may apply for Trust
funding through their local cultural coalition. For more information
about Cultural Trust grants, please visit www.culturaltrust.org
<http://www.culturaltrust.org/> or call 503-986-0088.
Grant guidelines will be posted in February 2009 on the website
<http://www.culturaltrust.org/programs/grant_opportunities.php> , and
the upcoming application deadline is mid May.
Applicants are encouraged to contact staff for advice on proposals well
in advance of the May deadline. Please contact:
Jim Cox, Trust Manager - 503-986-0089, james.w.cox@state.or.us or
Christine D'Arcy, Executive Director - 503-986-0087,
christine.t.darcy@state.or.us.
5. Report Highlight: Records Added by User
Knowing the number of records added into the PastPerfect program for a
specific period of time can be of use when reporting to your board, your
patrons, or to a granting agency.
The "Records Added by User" report can be used whether or not your
institution has activated security within PastPerfect. If you have not
activated security, all records will be associated with an "Unknown"
user designation. If you have activated security within PastPerfect,
then the User name that appears on the report will be the same as the
user's login name, when entering PastPerfect.
This report lists the total records initially added, not cataloged or
modified, by each user during a selected time frame. It includes
records added to all Objects, Photos, Archives, Library, Temporary
Custody, Accessions, Incoming Loans, Outgoing Loans, Exhibits, and
Contacts catalogs.
To access this report please:
1. Click on the "Reports" button from the Main Menu of PastPerfect.
2. Select the "System" button on the left hand side.
3. The "Records Added by User" report will be a little over halfway down
the list of reports in the middle of the screen. Select the report name
and then click on the "Run Report" button.
4. Enter the date range you would like to use for the report.
After you have made your date selection, you may preview or print the
report. Those who have PastPerfect version 4.0C8 and above may also
export this report to PDF, Word, or HTML by clicking the "Print" button
and then selecting the desired output type.
For further information or for assistance with this Report Highlight,
please contact our Support Office at 1-800-562-6080 or email
support@museumsoftware.com.
6. Tech Tip: Adding a Watermark to an Image in PastPerfect
The ability to attach up to 999 digital image files to each of your
PastPerfect records is enabled with the optional Multi-Media Upgrade.
Additionally, the Multi-Media Upgrade for PastPerfect 4.0 allows for the
attachment of audio files, video files, Microsoft Word documents,
Microsoft Excel files, PDF files, web pages and more to each catalog
record. In order to view some of these attached files, you will need to
have the related software installed on your computer.
The attachment of digital image files to your records may assist with
the ability to identify items, perform research and diminish the need
for handling, which will help preserve your items. So, while adding
images can increase the usability of your data, watermarking your images
can keep them secure.
1. Find the record containing the image to be watermarked.
2. Click on the "Image Management" button, located below the thumbnail
of the image.
3. Click on the "Watermark" button in the lower right corner of the
Image Management screen.
4. Click on the "Setup Watermark" button.
5. The "Text shade" combo box contains two choices: grey or white. This
will provide the color base for your text watermark.
6. "Visibility %" allows you to adjust the intensity of the watermark,
using the up/down arrows. Because the watermark is based on shading,
even if the percentage is at 100, you may need to apply the watermark a
few times, before it is at the desired opacity.
7. The "Font" combo box allows you to choose between Arial or Times New
Roman.
8. "Bold" and "Italic" are check boxes. Placing a check in the box will
apply that style to the watermark.
9. If you wish to do so, you may enter custom location coordinates for
your watermark. It should be noted that x2 and y2 must be greater than
x1 and y1 and "Location of Watermark" on the Watermark screen must be
set to "Custom."
10. The "Text of Watermark" field can contain a maximum of 125
characters. The height of the letters will typically depend on the
number of characters used as well as the width of the area to which the
watermark is applied.
11. The "Remove spaces before and after text" check box will remove any
extra spaces surrounding the text. Due to the fact that the height of
the letters is partially dependant upon the number of characters in the
"Text of Watermark" field, the removal of spaces before and after the
text can result in a larger watermark.
12. When you have set up your watermark, please click on the "Exit"
button to return to the Watermark screen.
13. Next, please choose the location of the watermark using the combo
box in the middle of the Watermark screen. Remember, if you wish to use
the custom coordinates entered on the Setup Watermark screen, "Location
of Watermark" should be set to "Custom." Also, the height of the text
will be affected by the area allotted for the location of the watermark.
14. To preview your watermark settings, please click on the "Apply
Watermark" button. You may need to click on this button several times
before the watermark is at the desired opacity. The more you click on
the "Apply Watermark" button, the more opaque the text will become.
15. Click on the "Cancel" button at the bottom of the Watermark screen,
if you do not like the appearance of your watermark and wish to remove
it.
16. If, following step 14, you are happy with the appearance of your
watermark, please click on the "Exit" button.
17. Then click on the red "Save" button on the right, central area of
your Image Management screen. Once you save the image, you cannot
remove the watermark.
18. Click on the "OK" button when you receive the PastPerfect Message
"Image replaced with modified image."
If you have any questions about how to watermark your PastPerfect
images, please contact our Support Office at 1-800-562-6080 or email
support@museumsoftware.com.
7. Video Tech Tips for PastPerfect 4.0
PastPerfect Software, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of new
Video Technical Tips! To better assist you, we continue to develop
support services that are available from our website. In addition to
the development of Frequently Asked Questions
<http://www.museumsoftware.com/support/faq.htm> , we have started to
develop Video Tech Tips as an audio-visual resource. This newest
support service enables you to watch and listen, as the Video Tech Tip
displays a demonstration of PastPerfect procedures on your computer
screen.
Video Tech Tips may be viewed at your convenience! Once your selection
loads, the video will begin playing automatically. You may use the
controls below the video screen to pause, play, replay, and move
backward and forward within the video. Additionally, if you would like
to follow along using the text of the tip, a copy of the script is
provided on the Video Tech Tip web page by selecting "Printable Text
Version."
Current Video Tech Tips include:
Creating a Backup to Your Hard Drive and to CD or DVD
Updating your PastPerfect Program
Function Key Setup
Customizing and Using the Browse Screen
How to Set Up Security
Active vs. Inactive Memberships
Add Options-Fill with Blank, Current or Default Data
To view these Video Tech Tips, please visit our website at:
www.museumsoftware.com/tech_tips.htm. More Video Tech Tips are coming
soon!
8. Contact Information
Address: 300 North Pottstown Pike, Suite 200 Exton, PA 19341
Website: www.MuseumSoftware.com <http://www.museumsoftware.com/>
Sales & Product Info: 1-800-562-6080 or sales@museumsoftware.com
Support: 1-800-562-6080 or support@museumsoftware.com
Training: 1-800-562-6080 or training@museumsoftware.com
Data Conversions: 1-800-562-6080 or conversions@museumsoftware.com
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