Our Summer Newsletter includes articles about what's new in software updates for both PastPerfect 5.0 and PastPerfect Web Edition. There are also how-to articles and add-on product information for organizations who are ready to share their collection information publicly.

Throughout the year, our support team is happy to answer questions by phone at our toll free number 1-800-562-6080 and by email at support@museumsoftware.com. Our support and sales office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time (6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time). Our voicemail is active 24 hours a day, and we will respond to calls in the order they are received.

Please note our office will be closed for the Independence Day holiday on July 3rd and 4th. Our office will also be closed for the Labor Day holiday on September 4th.

The latest update for PastPerfect 5.0 users is 5.0F9. Available as a free download from our website (https://museumsoftware.com/softwareupdates.html), the update is cumulative and includes minor features and fixes. New features include the ability to sort images numerically when using Attach Multiple in Image Management and the ability to watermark thumbnail images for PastPerfect Online (in addition to watermarking the larger images).

If you are updating from PastPerfect 5.0F6 or an earlier Version 5.0 program and you are using a networked PastPerfect, please run the update at each workstation.

Please review the update instructions at our Knowledge Base before running the update. Before you begin, you want to back up data to hard drive, perform a reindex of all files, make a second data hard drive backup, and close the program on all PastPerfect computers.

If you have any questions about updating your PastPerfect 5.0 program, please contact our support team.

This Fall we are offering a series of free lectures for PastPerfect 5.0 users who are sharing their collections through PastPerfect Online. Join Allison and Demi on Mondays at noon for an in-depth overview of the Web Publishing Wizard.

Registration links will be sent to all PPO Newsletter recipients in August. We will send recordings of these webinars to everyone who registers, so we invite you to sign up even if you are unable to attend the live session(s). If you're a user of PastPerfect Online and are not receiving the newsletter, please email pposupport@museumsoftware.com.

Selecting Your Records to Go Online: September 18, 2023 @ 12pm Eastern

In our first lecture, we will review selecting records to be shared online individually, using a query, and using a Catalog List. We will discuss how to remove both records and individual image attachments. We will also share a few tips on how Catalog Lists can be used to further manage your online collections for future uploads.

The Web Publishing Wizard Part 1: September 25, 2023 @ 12pm Eastern

Our second lecture will cover the first three steps of the Web Publishing Wizard and will review how to select which fields are shared and why field order matters, customizing the display names for your fields, and setting up Advanced Search categories and field mapping.

The Web Publishing Wizard Part 2: October 2, 2023 @ 12pm Eastern

Our series concludes with the final three steps of the Web Publishing Wizard: reviewing your selected records, creating web copies of your selected data and images, and uploading your files.

With the MultiMedia Upgrade, PastPerfect 5.0 users can attach digital images to Catalog, People, Exhibits, Sites, Condition Reports, and Contacts records. Images can be acquired using a scanner or by selecting image files from your computer, network location, or removable drive. Compatible formats include JPG, BMP, TIF, and PNG. If you have PDFs or other documents to link to records, they can be attached through the Media button in the navigation bar.

If you are attaching images using an existing image file (rather than scanning), they can be attached individually or in multiples. Clicking the "Attach Multiple" button enables you to navigate to the images' location and select the folder where they are contained. Once the folder is open, you can select and attach multiple images to a single catalog record at once. If the image file names are numbered, you can sort the list numerically before attaching the images.

When attaching larger images (the default setting is 2000 KB or larger), PastPerfect will attach the larger image as-is and place it in the MultiMedia folder. You can then access this larger image from the Media button in the navigation bar. From the larger image, PastPerfect will create a discovery-sized JPG for Image Management. It is from this discovery image that the image thumbnail is created on-the-fly for the record screen. It is also the Image Management image that is used to create image thumbnails on reports and catalog lists.

We offer a number of free resources with more information about attaching images to records.

User Guide:

Multimedia Chapter

Knowledge Base Articles:

How do I attach an image to a record?

What are PastPerfect's recommendations for Image formats and file sizes?

Video Tech Tip:

Attaching Images to Catalog Records

If your organization does not own the MultiMedia Upgrade and you want more information about this add-on, please visit our product page at https://museumsoftware.com/pp5.html#multimedia.

Our latest update added several new features:

• Option to view multiple-entry authority file fields with more than five entries in new window
• Ability to sort multiple-entry authority fields alphabetically
• New Catalog filter field "Number of URLs"
• New People filter fields "Number of Associated Catalog Records", "Number of Attachments", and "Number of URLs"
• Added "View Images" to Full Catalog Search and Search by Lexicon
• New Catalog Images report available from View Images screen
• Added Activities Log prompt for all documents available in Temporary Custody, Accessions, and Incoming Loans
• "Query" button added to Catalog and Contact Lists to return to filtered results
• Public Access Keyword Search can be narrowed by record type

To see a full list of features and fixes from each update, click "Version History" in the footer while you are logged into Web Edition software. You can also find more information about some of these features in the User Guide.

PastPerfect uses authority files to help speed up data entry and keep your data consistent. There are over 100 authority file controlled fields in Web Edition. If a field has an authority file, you will need to select from the authority file to enter data into the field. Some authority files are pre-populated by PastPerfect with terms common for collecting institutions like Status and Condition. Other authority files need to be created by your organization.    

You can set up authority files in Settings as you get started in the software. You can also add terms to authority files as you enter data in your records. Fields with authority files have an “a” button to the right of the field. To access an authority file, click Edit on the record, then click the “a” button. A couple of the authority files have a different icon, such as People with its person icon.

Once you open an authority file, the terms are displayed in alphabetical order. You can scroll through the terms and pages or you can do a quick search for a term. If the term does not exist, you can add it to the authority file by clicking “Add New.” Or if the term will appear in only one record, you can add a “One Time Use” term. This term will not be added to the authority file. If you use that term in another record, PastPerfect will prompt you to add the term to the authority file.

Some authority file fields allow for multiple entries like Place, Material, and Medium. These multiple entry fields display terms in the order they were selected. However, you can manually order the entries or automatically sort them alphabetically after they have been added to the field.

We offer free resources for learning about setting up and using authority files, including User Guide articles, an introductory video, and Knowledge Base article.

User Guide:

Setting up Authority Files

Using Authority Files

Video Tech Tip:

Using Authority Files 

Knowledge Base:

When should I add terms to an authority file versus One Time Use?

PastPerfect Web Edition's Public Access add-on enables you to share your collections through a customizable, searchable online site. You select the records, fields, images, and media you want to share with the public. Any newly selected records, updates to records, or changes to site settings are available instantly on your site.

Each Public Access site is customized by our staff to complement your organization's main website. After the initial customization, you can make additional changes to the navigation buttons, text on the home page, advanced search categories, email forms, and much more. There is no setup cost, but Public Access has an annual hosting fee based on your Web Edition hosting level.

For more information about Web Edition's Public Access add-on, please visit our website product page at https://museumsoftware.com/publicaccess.html. While there you can view pricing information and check out a selection of Public Access sites.

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 webedition@museumsoftware.com to get started on the next steps.