Welcome April, Spring, and warmer weather! To encourage a moment of levity, and in honor of National Humor Month, we're opening this newsletter with a joke.

Does February like March? No, but April May.

In all seriousness, we hope this season of re-openings, new exhibits, school programs, tours, events and internships will be fruitful for your organization and your community.

We also want to highlight a couple of dates to celebrate museums and archives.

One important date just passed! March 31st was World Backup Day. Did you celebrate by making a PastPerfect data backup?

May 18th is the International Council of Museums' International Museum Day. The theme this year is the important role museums play in education and research.

June 9th is International Archives Day, which commemorates the day in 1948 when the International Council on Archives was created under the auspices of UNESCO. It is a day to raise awareness of the importance of archives and the profession.

Our PastPerfect support team is happy to be of service to our clients. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. Our normal business hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:30pm Eastern. You can reach us by calling 1-800-562-6080 or emailing support@museumsoftware.com.

Here are a couple of additional important dates to note. Our support and sales office will be closed for the following U.S. holidays.

Monday, May 27th: U.S. Memorial Day

Thursday, July 4th: U.S. Independence Day

This article is the first in a series that covers general topics helpful to all PastPerfect users.

What is the difference between accession records and catalog records? Accession records are for tracking how, when, and from whom permanent collection items have been acquired. While catalog records are for recording information about the collection items themselves.

An accession is defined as one or more items acquired at one time from a donor or group of donors constituting a single transaction between a museum and a source. When your institution receives an item or group of items from a donor, the accession record is where you enter the information about the donor and the context of the donation. Accession fields include donor name / source, how items were received, when items were received, when items were accessioned, and a description of all items from that acquisition. When you begin creating catalog records for these items, you can connect the Accession record to the catalog records.

A catalog record contains information about an individual item like a quilt, photograph, diary, or book. They contain identification fields including an Object ID (unique catalog number), Object Name, Title, Status, Date (created), Catalog Date, and Description. Each catalog contains additional fields specific to that item type. For instance, the Photos catalog has fields for Photographer, Studio, Print Size, Film Size, and Negative Location. Each catalog record includes common fields to track appraisal value, condition, location, legal information, notes, search terms, and more.

In addition to Accession records, PastPerfect also has the ability to track Temporary Custody and Incoming Loans. Temporary Custody is for recording information about items that are temporarily in your organization's custody before a decision is made whether they should be accepted into the permanent collection. If items have already been accepted into the collection, a new Accession record can be created without creating a Temporary Custody record. However, if items are being considered for the collection and are in your organization's custody, a Temporary Custody record should be added first. Then when the items have been accepted into the collection, the Temporary Custody record information can be transferred to an Accession record.

An Incoming Loan record contains information about the lender, purpose, and date range for items on loan to your organization. Like Accession records, you can connect an Incoming Loan record to catalog records that are created to describe the borrowed items.

Additional resources:

• What is the difference between an Accession Number and an Object ID Number in PastPerfect?

Have you ever tried to find new catalog records using Research by Keyword, and you cannot find the records? Many times the issue is the keyword index has not been rebuilt since the records were added, so the index does not include the new records' keywords. You can rebuild your keyword index in a few areas of the software.

The first area you can rebuild your keyword index is on the Research By Keyword screen itself. At the top right of the screen there is a outlined box with a "Rebuild Indexes Now" button just below it. Clicking the "Rebuild Indexes Now" button will rebuild the keyword index for all your catalog records based on the settings in Setup | Keyword Search.

You can also rebuild the keyword list during a Reindex. Before starting a Reindex, you must have other users exit their PastPerfect programs on their workstations and back up data to hard drive. Then check "Keyword List" in the Select Files to Reindex section before staring your Reindex.

The third program area is Setup | Keyword Search. From this screen you can select the fields to include in keyword search for each catalog, add characters to include in the keyword list, and exclude words from the keyword list. This is where you can expand or fine tune which fields are included based on your organization's collections. Once you adjust the settings, click "Rebuild Indexes Now" for your changes to take effect.

If there are words that appear more than 1000 times, you will see a message suggesting you review these keywords when you first open the Setup | Keyword Search screen. This is an opportunity to evaluate whether the words are helpful for searching. Click "View Index Keyword List" and then click the "Count" column header to sort words by the number of times they appear. The highest numbers (most used words) should be at the top of the list. Review each word and if it does not benefit searching, add it to the excluded words in "Do Not Include These Words in Keyword List". Click "Rebuild Indexes Now" to update the keyword index with your changes.

Additional resources:

• How do I utilize Keyword Searching?

Did you know you can set up which fields are included in filters and query results? Whether you're searching an individual catalog like Objects, across all four catalogs, or Contacts, you can choose the fields for creating filters as well as the fields that will display in your search results. These selected fields are also the filter and query results fields that you will use when building and viewing Catalog and Contact Lists. The query results fields that appear on search results and lists are also the fields you can sort records by.

To select fields to search by:

1. Go to the Setup drop-down menu from the PastPerfect Main Menu
2. Select Query Fields
3. Select the program area you want to select fields for: All Catalogs, Objects, Photos, Archives, Library, Contacts, Accessions
4. Review the list of Available Fields. When you find a field you want to add as a filter field, double click on the field. This will move the field to the Fields to Include in Query column. Now the field will be available when filtering for records in that program area.

To select fields for search results:

1. In Setup | Query Fields, select the program area you want to select fields for
2. Click Change Query Results Field List under the Actions section on the left
3. Starting with Field 3, you can use the drop-down menu to select a field to include in search results
4. In the Header Caption field, you can change the name for the field as it appears in search results

Please note if you have PastPerfect Security enabled, each user can set up their own Query Results Field List.

Additional resources:

• How do I add fields to my Catalog Search Results?
• How do I add fields to my Contact List Search Results?
• How do I use the Query Function?

The latest software update includes new reports, added functionality, and several enhancements to improve user experience.

• New "List with Large Image" report available from Catalog Lists and Query screens
• New "Search Terms Used" report lists the number of times a search term appears in the Search Terms field
• New "Subjects Used" report lists the number of times a subject appears in the Subjects field
• Focus on Query screens has been set to Quick Search box
• Restriction added for "Source"
• Catalog record reports now include Object ID and Object Name in report header
• Field labels in the Location accordion are top-aligned to improve user experience
• Title field on catalog records can be expanded to view full text
• People and Description fields added to Image Management record report
• "Display Name" field added to Attach URL modal
• "In Memory Of" field added to Source accordion on catalog records
• New catalog filter and option fields "Attachments/Description" and "Attachments/Display Name"
• "Overdue Incoming Loans" Standard View added to Incoming Loans Query screen
• Added Activities Log prompt for all documents available in Outgoing Loans
• Public Access Image Viewer has been updated to improve user experience

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.

The first Web Edition training classes are available! Each class focuses on a specific area of the software and reviews features and common scenarios for each area. These classes are free and available to watch on-demand.

Accessions Process Training Class

PastPerfect Web Edition's Temporary Custody and Accession features help document the transition from potential donation to the organization's ownership of collection items. In this class, we review completed Temporary Custody and Accession records and work through different acquisition scenarios including accessioning items from Temporary Custody, recording purchases made by staff, tracking items directly accessioned into the collection, and handling an accession received from multiple donors. A brief review of creating Contact records for donors, producing Deeds of Gifts and other documents, and adding catalog records from an Accession record are also demonstrated.

Click here to view.

Photos Catalog Training Class

Cataloging your photographs helps preserve the stories they tell. In this training, we review a completed catalog record and the Photos catalog specific fields. We discuss recommended cataloging techniques for creating new records, including cataloging accessioned items, documenting Found in Collection photographs, using the Fill with Current feature, and attaching multiple images to a record.

Click here to view.

Library Catalog Training Class

PastPerfect's Library catalog is a great way to document published material in your organization's collection. In this training, we review a completed catalog record and the Library catalog specific fields. We discuss recommended cataloging techniques for creating new records, including cataloging accessioned items, documenting Found in Collection items, using the Fill with Current feature, and attaching multiple images to a record.

Click here to view.

Additional classes on other software areas, including cataloging in Objects and Archives, will be released throughout the year. Bookmark the Web Edition channel to access training classes as soon as they are released!

PastPerfect Web Edition Query screens are the main access point for all records in your software. From a Query screen, you can perform various actions on the records in the Browse Grid, including printing a variety of reports.

When you first come to a Catalog Query Screen, the list of records displayed will be based on the selected default view. Reports will include all records displayed in the Browse Grid, so you may want to change to a custom view or filter records before printing reports.

Available catalog report layouts:

Grid / Grid with Images - This layout displays each record in a row with the fields in columns. The Grid with Images report adds each record's primary image thumbnail in the left column.

List / List with Images - The list layout displays each record's fields in a vertical list. The List with Images report adds thumbnails for all images attached to the record.

List with Large Image - This new report includes a large image of the record's primary image, displayed above the fields. When this report is printed or saved to PDF, each record appears on a separate page.

Labels / Labels with Images - This layout includes the following fields: Object ID, Object Name, Collection, and Home Location Building. Label layouts are sized for Avery 5160 labels (each label is 1 inch in height by 2 5/8 inch wide). You can select the label start position on the label sheet. The Labels with Images report adds a thumbnail of the primary image for the record.

Barcode Labels / Barcode Labels with Images - This layout displays the Object ID in barcode font Code 128, the Object ID and Object Name fields. There is the option to include the Home Location Building field and/or Title field. The Barcode Labels layout is also sized for Avery 5160 labels. The Barcode Labels with Images report adds the primary image thumbnail.

With the exception of the label layouts, you can choose which fields to include on reports by opening the Options accordion and moving fields to the "Included Fields" column. To set the field display order, left click on the field name and slide the field to the desired position, then click "Apply".

If you do not see the field you want in Available Fields, go to Settings | Catalog Filter & Option Fields. In the lower half of the screen, under "Select Catalog Option Fields," click the tab for the catalog you want to select fields for. Locate the field in the "Field List" on the left. Select the field and use the right arrow to move the field to the "Option Fields". Then head back to your Catalog Query screen to select records, choose option fields, apply changes, click Print, and pick your report layout.

Additional Resources:

• How can I customize the fields in my filters and search results?

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.