I recently participated in a ‘Past Perfect User Group’ session. This group is composed of a number of museums in southern Ontario, all of whom are small to medium in size and use Past Perfect in their museums. I was invited to sit in on their most recent meeting by the Dufferin County Museum and Archives (DCMA), where I have been a volunteer and user of Past Perfect for the past three years.
I was thoroughly impressed by the support network these museums have created to assist them in the use of the software. The group meets at least twice a year and are very supportive of museums who are new to the software. During their most recent meeting they shared experiences, discussed the release of version 5.0 of Past Perfect, outlined training methods, and explored new ways to utilize the tool. It was great to see these museums working together to gain the most out of a software package and to see their enthusiasm over using technology to assist in collections management. Support networks not only provide much needed assistance, but also help forge collaboration and sharing, both of which are ideal in the heritage field.