Hi Dee and all

We are currently in the final stages of the decision to switch from our
current collections software (not Discovery!) to PastPerfect. The reasons
here are very basic and have everything to do with the current funding
crunches facing small and medium sized museums in today's economic times.
For a reference point, we are a privately funded Natural/Cultural History
museum with a yearly budget of around 3.5 million, a collection/library size
of about 35,000 items as well as a small Zoo and Raptor Aviary.

Our current software, considered by many to be the 'industry
standard/leader' for the past several years, has high yearly maintenance
costs, the newer versions require the latest and greatest and most expensive
hardware/SQL combinations and we are required to stay 'in version' by our
maintenance agreement, and lastly but probably most importantly ... as
staffing levels shrink, more and more entry/reporting work is being done by
volunteers and the current product's user interface and report generating
interface are neither intuitive, nor easily learned without extensive
training!

PastPerfect's interface is much more 'user friendly' and anyone with prior
Windows experience seems to pick it up in a few hours. Is it as powerful as
our current system? Not quite! BUT ... a slightly less powerful system being
utilized to it's fullest capacity by a greater percentage of the staff and
volunteers is far more beneficial to an organization than a more powerful
system that is only being used sparingly by a few.

Cost wise ... we can purchase the entire package (which will run on our
existing hardware) including the first years maintenance plus two modules
that we currently don't have on our present software for the cost of one
years maintenance on our current package.

Unfortunately, in thin times it becomes a matter of 'biggest bang for the
least bucks' and with no foreseeable increases in funding or staffing for
the next few years our research has determined that PastPerfect is the right
choice for us. Your results may vary!

Hope this helps those with questions. Stay tuned for the 'Conversion' story!

Randy Heise
Information Systems Manager
The High Desert Museum
59800 South Highway 97
Bend, OR  97702-7963
(541) 382-4754 Ext. 244
(541) 382-5256 Facsimile
[log in to unmask]
www.highdesertmuseum.org






-----Original Message-----
From: Dee De Roche [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2003 6:48 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: discovery to PastPerfect


Tim and other users of PastPerfect and/or Re: discovery,

I'd appreciate hearing WHY you are switching systems and your opinions on
the advantages and disadvantages of both these collections management
programs. One of the critical decisions yet to be made in rehabilitating
West Virginia's archaeological collections is which system will best serve
the needs of managing collections records and making them accessible.
Thanks.

Dee DeRoche, Curator
Archaeological Collections Facility of WV
801 Jefferson Ave.
Moundsville, WV 26041    Phone: 304-843-6394  Fax: 304-843-6395

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