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Tessa Brawley
Professor Emily Dittman
MUS 607: Collections Management
21 September 2011
Assignment #1: Comparison of Two Museum Databases
PastPerfect 5.0
Artsystems Gallery Pro
Target Audience and Price
Smaller museums including those that collect art,
Targeted to museums of varying sizes, universities,
historical artifacts, archaeological artifacts,
private dealers and foundations. Also utilized by
geology, history, or natural history. An affordable
non-museum entities, such as the U.S.
option ($870) for museums with limited budgets.
government’s Internal Revenue Service. More
expensive ($2,995) and targeted at larger
institutions.
User Interface and Basic Applications
• Main menu sections include: Collections,
• Five different modules available through the
Research, Reports, People and Sites, Backup
main menu at the base of the screen: Works,
and Reindex, Development, and Optional
Contacts, Editions, Transaction, and Catalogue.
1
Features.
• In the Works menu, important tools are placed
• In the Collections menu, there are four separate
on the top of the screen while tabbed folders are
catalog screens with customizable data fields:
placed in the middle. Tabbed folders include:
• Objects: Over 250 data fields that allow you
Details, Value, Financials, Activity, Expenses,
to enter detailed information about each
Photo, Conditions, Miscellaneous, Note,
artifact. Object fields include Object ID,
Provenance, and Catalogue.
Object Name, Collection, Source, Material,
• Details2: This is the default tab in the Works
Site Name, Permanent and Temporary
menu and displays the object’s current
Locations, Provenance, Detailed
location and location details, signature
Description, Dimensions, Place of Origin,
data, the type of object and categories for
Early and Late Dates, Condition, Status,
style, period, etc. You can also use check
Maintenance Cycle Information, Appraisal
boxes to mark the object as Inactive,
History, and Detailed Notes.
Marked for transaction or to a list, or as a
• Photographs: Has data fields for cataloging
Reserve.
photos, including photographer, studio, film
• Value: Keeps track of current values and
size, title, print size, people, place,
value histories of object, including Appraisal
description, classification, event, and
Value, Retail Value, and Insurance Value.
copyright information.
• Financials: Displays information on the
• Archives: Allows for recording information
acquisition/consignment of the object, such
about document collections, manuscripts,
as the purchase or consigned form and the
oral histories, maps, music collections, and
object’s potential or realized profit.
personal papers. Fields for each entry
• Activity: Linked directly to the transactions
include title, creator, dates of creation,
records and contains a table that
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See Figure 1 for a visual representation of the Main Menu of PastPerfect 5.0.
See Figure 2 for a visual representation of the Details tab of the Works Module in Gallery Pro.
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dates of accumulation, abstract,
administrative/biographical history, storage
location, container list, access conditions,
finding aids, system of arrangement and
notes.
• Library: Allows you to record information
on published materials (books, pamphlets,
and magazines). Data fields include call
number, title, author, subjects, publisher,
series, edition, Library of Congress call
number, and ISBN.
• The Activities menu includes: the Temporary
Custody option for objects not yet accessioned,
Accessioning, Exhibit, Loans (incoming and
outgoing), and Deaccessions.
• Main menu color scheme and button design can
be customized by users.
automatically updates each transaction
completed with the item.
• Expenses: Tracks expenditures related to
the item.
• Photo: Details the photograph’s or scan’s
current location and photographer.
• Conditions: Provides fields for recording
and updating the object’s physical status.
• Miscellaneous: Contains a notes area for
recording extra information and also
includes six user identifiable fields.
• Note: Provides a fully searchable scrolling
text area for recording notes not recorded
elsewhere.
• Provenance: Where users can record the
item’s history. Can be linked to the Contacts
Module, an infosheet, or a collection list.
• Catalogue: Displays literature and
exhibitions relating to the item and that
have been entered as a record in the
Catalogue Module.
• Inventory numbers for objects are color coded to
denote the object’s status.
Authority List/Lexicon
Nomenclature 3.0 for Museum Cataloging edited
In the Details tab of the Works Module, types of
by Paul Bourcier, Ruby Rogers, and the
works (painting, photograph, sculpture, etc.) are
Nomenclature Committee. PastPerfect checks new available along with multiple descriptive categories
object entries against this authority list, but is
for style, period, and subject. While examples are
flexible in allowing users to revise or add to the
given, no recognized nomenclature or lexicon is
list.
available for reference.
Searching Options
The Research tool on the main menu provides
Every entry field is searchable by pressing the
users with searching methods, including searching binoculars icon in the tools menu at the top of
by catalog lists, all four catalogs, by keyword, by
each screen which opens the Search Wizard for
lexicon, by people or by search term.
keyword searching.
Web Capabilities
 Add-on package, Virtual Exhibit, allows users to  Add-on package, Web Manager or Web
convert catalog records and images from
Manager 2011, allow users to create a
PastPerfect into HTML for posting on the web. It
customized website for their collections based
allows you to use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to
on data already entered into the Gallery Pro
design a collections based website. Virtual
database. The design and structure can be
Exhibit allows museums to personalize their
customized to suit or match an existing site as
home page, font size, screen color, and image
well. A range of pricing options is available to
sizes for your website.
match different needs of each museum.
 Another addition is PastPerfect-Online, a tool to  When Web Manager is purchased, a monthly fee
create searchable HTML webpages and an online
is applied for technical support from Artsystems.
hosting service for the PastPerfect database.
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PastPerfect-Online includes a wizard to help
users set up research tools such as searches by
keyword, images, and 15 other categories. It also
includes design options to help users build a site
that compliments their existing webpage.
Digital Photography Integrations
Digital photographs can be uploaded and
 Digital images can be attached or downloaded to
associated with each object entry if PastPerfect
each work record for easy object recognition and
is equipped with the MultiMedia Upgrade
description and can be viewed in thumb nail
option for an additional fee. With this addition,
view or full screen view. The database software
up to 999 digital images can be associated with
saves paths to image files rather than embedding
each catalog record.
them to insure stability.
Main menu Slide Show option allows users to
 Images can be selected as a group in Lightbox
select images from specific catalog records.
View to mark them to a worksheet, transaction,
or a report.
Security Options
There is a password protection system that
 A Data Conversion service is available for an
secures the collections.
additional fee with the purchase of Gallery Pro,
however, no other security features are detailed
There is also an option of deciding who has
from the Artsystems website.
access to different parts of the database and
who can edit or add records through PastPerfect
Security, which is included in the purchase of the
system.
Backup screens are accessible from the main
menu and allow for securing data to external
systems, such as a hard drive or to different
media formats (CDs, DVDs, flash drives, or
external drives).
System Requirements
The database is restricted to a single computer
 The database requires a Windows operating
or a single file server on a compatible local area
system for a Mac or PC. The new upgrade for
network.
GalleryPro, Artsystems Pro 2011, runs on Mac
and Windows operating systems and is cross
PastPerfect can be installed to any computer
platform for mixed networks.
with a Windows operating system and the
following requirements:
 Minimum Requirements: 266 MHz Pentium II
PC, 256 MB RAM Supported on following OS:
Minimum Requirements:
Windows 2000, Windows XP Pro, Windows
 1 GHz Processor
Vista* Ultimate, Windows Vista* Business,
 512 MB RAM for Windows XP
Windows Vista* Home Premium (stand-alone
 2 GB RAM for Vista and Windows 7
only), Windows 7 Home Premium (home
 1024 x 768 Resolution Color Monitor
networks only), Windows 7 Professional.
 Laser or inkjet printer
 CD-ROM drive
 Windows XP
 Microsoft Word 2003
Other Special Features
Catalog Lists option allows for selecting
 There are multiple options for Works Reports
individual lists of records that can be viewed,
than can be printed for further use, such as work
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printed, moved to outgoing loans, exhibits, etc.
infosheets, catalogue infosheets, image
presentation reports, work reference reports
 A Mapping Feature allows users to map items by
price lists, and more.
sites or contacts through MS Streets & Trips, MS
Map Point or Google Earth Pro.
 Contacts Reports, Transaction Reports, Financial
Reports, Catalogue Reports, and Editions
 Recycle Bin allows you to easily recover deleted
Reports can also be generated through the
records.
database.
 Authority Files are also an option to ensure that
 Outlook email service, Microsoft Word, and
staff is entering consistent and accurate
Quickbooks Pro can be accessed through the
information. These files are available for over
database for information sharing and
100 data fields.
integration.
 Pre-filled Data Default records are also available
to allow for faster input of similar or identical
objects.
Conclusion
In choosing between PastPerfect 5.0 and Gallery Pro, I would select PastPerfect to use as the database
software for my museum collection. As can be seen in comparing figures 1 and 2, the PastPerfect system
is more visually appealing than Gallery Pro, which has a very standard data entry format that looks
similar to other databases. Gallery Pro is targeted to businesses other than museums and its functions
reflect those other audiences it is targeting. Unlike PastPerfect, Gallery Pro does not incorporate any
standardized authority list for data entry, which I could see as being potentially problematic for
searching or creating lists and reports of similar objects in a collection. Additionally, there were no
security options that I could find from the Gallery Pro website while PastPerfect includes security and
backup options built in to the system itself. The only limitation for PastPerfect is that it might not be the
most suitable option for large museums. However, its small price, visual appeal, and applications make
PastPerfect 5.0 appear to be the better choice of the two options.
Figure 1: PastPerfect Main Menu
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Figure 2: Gallery Pro Works Module Details Tab
Works Cited
Artsystems. Gallery Pro. 2011. 17 September 2011
<http://www.artsystems.com/products/gallerypro.htm>.
PastPerfect Software, Inc. PastPerfect 5.0 User's Guide. 2011. 17 September 2011
<http://www.museumsoftware.com/userguide.shtml>.