PastPerfect Software
October 5, 2022 | Fall Newsletter
PastPerfect 5.0
Report Highlight: Donation Totals by Fund
Classifying Unclassified Object Names
PastPerfect Web Edition
Attaching Images, Media, & URLs
New Public Access Features
On-Demand or Live Webinars
Online Collections
Collections Spotlight
Staff Pick
Earl Lloyd becomes first Black player
in the NBA
IMLS Grant Program Applications Due November 15th
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has several grant programs with application deadlines on November 15, 2022.

Museums for America

Inspire! Grants for Small Museums

Museum Grants for African American History & Culture

Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services Program

General information about IMLS grants, including eligibility criteria and application steps, can be found at https://www.imls.gov/grants/apply-grant/available-grants.
PastPerfect 5.0
Report Highlight: Donation Totals by Fund
As the end of the year approaches, it is helpful to report on the results of fundraising efforts. The "Donation Totals by Fund" report enables PastPerfect 5.0 users to enter a date range and see the total monetary donations for each fund. The report includes each fund name, the total numbers of donations in the specified date range for each fund, and the total amount donated to each fund. The overall totals of the number of donations and amounts for all funds appear at the bottom of the report.

If you are looking for reports with individual donor information, the "Donation & Dues Summary with Fund Details," "Donations, Dues & In-kind Gifts," "Donations by Date Range", and "Donations by Fund or Date Range" reports are helpful.

To find these reports, click on "Reports" from the Main Menu and select "Dues & Donations" on the left side under Report Types. Select the report name and double click or click "Run Selected Report".
Classifying Unclassified Object Names
If you are reviewing catalog records and have found that users have entered unclassified object names, there is a PastPerfect 5.0 tool that enables you to correct this data easily. With a few clicks, you will be able to select a new Object Name from the Lexicon and change all of the records with that object name.

From the Main Menu, click on "Setup" in the upper left corner and select "Lexicon" in the drop-down menu. Click "View Unclassified Object Names" and select the unclassified name in the list at left. Click "Select Name from Lexicon." Choose "Alphabetical Listing of Terms" in the upper right to view a list of Object Names. Keep in mind that object names are inverted with the "basic" name first followed by a descriptor (i.e. Chair, Rocking and Print, Photographic).

Click anywhere in the list, then quickly type the first couple of characters in the name. If you type "c" then "h," you will navigate to the terms starting with "ch." Double click on the Object Name, so that it appears in the field at the bottom. Click "Select as Object Name". When asked if you want to change the object name in all the records, click "Yes." You will see that a number of records have been changed.

This functionality is available if you are using Nomenclature 3.0 or Nomenclature 4.0. To check which version your program is using, go to "Setup" and then "System Parameters".
PastPerfect Web Edition
Attaching Images, Media, and URLs to Records
With PastPerfect Web Edition, you can attach images, media files and URLs to Catalog, People, Exhibit, Site, and Contact records. Images can also be attached to Condition Reports, while media files and URLs can also be attached to Accession, Temporary Custody, Incoming Loans, and Outgoing Loans.

To attach images click "Image Management" while in Edit mode. Click "Add Image" and navigate to and select the image you wish to attach. If you have selected multiple images, the images will attach in the order they upload. To change the order, click "Show All" and slide the images into a different order. The first image will be the thumbnail you see when you first open a record, used on reports that include a single image (such as Barcode Labels with Images), and on the View Images screen from the Catalogs - Query screens or Catalog Lists.

For more information on attaching images, including the tools available in Image Management, visit the user guide: https://museumsoftware.com/we/#t=collections_imagemanagement.htm

To attach media files or URLs to a record, edit a record and open the Attachments & URLs accordion. For media files, you can drag-and-drop files or click "Add Files" to navigate to and select the files. Media files might be PDFs, Word documents, audio files, video files, or any other digital files you wish to attach to a record. To add a URL, click the "Attach URL" button and paste the website's address in the URL field.

For more information on adding media files or URLs to a record, visit the user guide: https://museumsoftware.com/we/#t=collections_attachmentsURLs.htm

Organizations with Public Access can now share Attachments & URLs for any Catalog, People, Exhibit, or Site record that is publicly shared. Visit https://museumsoftware.com/we/#t=PublicAccess_Select_Records_for_Public_Site.htm for instructions on selecting Attachments & URLs.
New Public Access Features
Last month, we published a build for Web Edition that included a number of new features for Public Access:

  • Images can be displayed at one of four different sizes: Small (640px), Medium (960px), Large (1200px), Extra Large (1440px)
  • URLs on Catalog, People, Exhibits, and Sites records can be shared
  • Record page layouts have been modified for better tablet and mobile appearance
  • Advanced Search check boxes will be renamed if the matching Navigation Button is also renamed
  • Email, Feedback, and Image Request Forms can be renamed
  • Image Purpose Description and Format Required fields can be renamed or left empty to hide on Image Request Form
  • Child Records and Related Records fields added for catalog records allowing users to control display of these records
  • Catalog records will display first fifteen Child Records, Related Records, and Container Lists with a button to Show More to view additional records
  • All fields from Sites are available to select for public view

See the user guide for more information about Public Site Settings:
Demonstration Webinar Available Live or On-Demand
Curious about upgrading to PastPerfect Web Edition? We invite you to register for our hour long, on-demand or live webinars that walk through the collections and contacts capabilities of our cloud-based software. Register for either webinar here: https://museumsoftware.com/demo.html.

After the webinar, if you think Web Edition is the right choice for your organization, contact the team at [email protected] to get started on the next steps.
Online Collections
Collection Spotlight
Staff Pick
We are asking each of our staff to choose a favorite item from one of the many online collections. This artifact was selected from the online collection of the Detroit Historical Society by Sara because:

"I have always been drawn to the illustrations and colors of vintage postcards, particularly ones that depict architecture in places I've traveled or lived. This postcard depicts the Guardian Building, an Art Deco skyscraper with a gorgeous tiled lobby, located in Detroit, Michigan. I have a copy of this postcard in my personal collection that serves as a souvenir of a trip I took to Detroit many years ago where I had the opportunity to tour this building."