Did not think of that. We just bought the new iMac...I will be using it for classes as we are buying Filemaker in the Mac version.
Speaking of which, what software do you consider to be the best for historical collections management?

Shawn M. Weisser


Lori Allen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>OH Deb,
>You are a woman after my own heart!  After 10 years self-employed, I knew
>that little secret: the only way to make money is to write off EVERYTHING.
>I bought a Palm m505, with keyboard and software for a total of about $700
>last year when I started grad school and wrote it off as school supplies.
>It is, I take all my notes in class on it.  Think out of the box and
>itemize, itemize, itemize.
>Lori Allen,
>Graduate Student, UMSL
>
>"Well behaved women rarely make history."
>                                  - Anonymous
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
>Behalf Of Deb Fuller
>Sent: Wednesday, April 17, 2002 9:34 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Statement on "museums won't (can't) pay for an employee's
>distance education?
>
>
>--- Jay Heuman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>>      It is my belief that more museums ought to permit
>> employees more administrative (paid) leave for continued
>> education and related professional activities (such as
>> attendance at conferences, symposia, etc.).  The fees for
>> such opportunities, unless budgeted by the museum AND a
>> requirement of the job (specified in the job description),
>> ought to be the responsibility of the employee.  This means
>> the museum has no direct pay out of monies not already
>> budgeted.
>
>While I agree with you on the paid leave, I don't on the last statement
>that
>conference fees should be the responsibility of the employee. Museums
>should
>try and pay for these things and put them in the budget. If they are never
>budgeted then you will never have the chance to get the money for them. I
>believe that no museum is so strapped for a few hundred dollars that it
>can't
>pay at least registration fees. If you are that strapped, then you really
>need
>to take a good hard look at your budget and where money is going.
>
>It might be a good idea at the beginning of the year to get all the staff
>together and go over all the applicable conferences/workshops that are
>coming
>up and see who wants to attend what. Tally the registration fees, lodging,
>per
>diem and travel costs and see what you can afford. This is where
>compromises
>come in. Are you going to foot the bill for one person and all of their
>expenses or just cover registration for everyone? Are you going to set a
>rotating schedule to who gets to go each year? Since annual events are
>usually
>planned out a few years in advance, maybe you can negotiate what year
>people
>go.
>
>As for personal expenses, two words - TAX DEDUCTION. Please people, if you
>aren't itemizing these expenses that you pay out of pocket you are robbing
>yourself. Keep your receipts for EVERYTHING. Visit a museum on vacation -
>deduct the entrance fee. It's research and can be counted as a business
>expense. Get a new book related to your job? Again, another business
>expense.
>Dues to professional organizations, magazine subscriptions, or other
>professional related services are tax deductable. Run errands for the
>museum
>using your car and don't get mileage from the museum for it? Mileage to
>ANYTHING not too and from your usual job site is deductable. It all adds
>up,
>sometimes to hundreds or thousands per year. AAM and IPS for me are $100
>per
>year alone. Talk to an accountant if you aren't sure what you can count or
>not.
>If you have to pay to talk to someone, that's deductable as well.
>
>For those who work for local, state or federal institutions, ask for
>government
>rates. Those can make a BIG difference. Sometimes state and local
>governments
>aren't counted as the government rate or get different ones than the
>Federal
>rate but it usually ends up to be cheaper than the rack or even conference
>rate. For example, at a conference in Worchester, MA that i'm attending in
>May,
>the conference rate is $130 per night. Since I work for the SI, I asked for
>the
>govie rate and go $79/night. What a difference.
>
>Also, get on any travel frequent flyer/rental/hotel stay plan you can. It
>too
>adds up. With the competition now, most airline and car rentals offer the
>same
>or matching rates so it pays to stick with one company. Marriott rewards is
>excellent and covers their cheaper line of hotels like Courtyard and
>Residence
>Inns. I have a United credit card which gets me miles and a Marriott card
>which
>converts to miles as well. After about 5 years of having it, I have enough
>for
>a free trip to Australia in business class. For North America flights, it's
>only about 25,000 miles for a free ticket. With all the booster miles and
>promotions, you can easily earn it within a couple of years.
>
>And credit cards now have balance transfer interest rates of 5% or less so
>you
>might as well charge your expenses and pay them off gradually. $1000 in
>total
>expenses for a conference isn't a huge price to pay if it lands you a
>better
>job or greatly enhances your work. And if you prove that conferences are
>worth
>going to, maybe your museum will help chip in for expenses next year.
>
>So be resourceful and get out there!!
>
>Deb
>
>
>__________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax
>http://taxes.yahoo.com/
>
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