Documentation of general philosophy and methods in the planetarium field has always been a difficult thing to produce, given the demanding conditions that these people work in. While not a "bible" of all planetarium techniques, this book is so-named a "primer" for a specific reason -- to provide an overview of some of the most important concepts of what planetarians do, how they do it, and who they're doing it for!

What are the most important things you wish you could have known when you first started in this business? What are some of the best ways to raise money for a planetarium operation? How can I produce professional-looking visuals for the least cost? Where can I get information on planetarium resources? These are just some of the questions that we try to answer with this guide.

NOTICE! The Primer is now mostly revised! The new articles are now available on the Member's Page as PDF files. Below is the table of contents of the original hard copy. Instructions on how to get the book is below. If you would like to become a RMPA member and have access to materials in the members area, go to the Join RMPA webpage!

SECTION A: Operating a Modern-Day Planetarium: "The Big Picture"

Role and Value of the Planetarium, Jeanne E. Bishop

The Development Triangle, James A. Horn

Facility Configuration, or "Things I Didn't Know I Needed, But I Do!", Rick Greenawald

The Monty Python, Barnum and Baily, Super Deluxe Planetarium of the Future, James G. Manning

Links Between Planetarians, Educators and Scientists, Carolyn Collins Petersen

Philosophy and Directions in Planetarium Programming, Tom Clarke

Public Education in Astronomy, Andrew Fraknoi

The Educational Value of the Planetarium, Jeanne E. Bishop

Professional Work Ethics for Planetarians, Mike Murray

Hiring and Training For Excellence, William T. Peters

SECTION B: "You Need To Know..."

Doing It Well, Richard McColman

Tallying The World's Planetarium Attendance, Mark C. Petersen

Astronomy Learning and Student Thinking, Jeanne E. Bishop

Fighting Science Illiteracy from the Planetarium, Dave Hostetter

Developing a Support Staff, Mike Murray

The Art of Managing Planetarium Assistants, Christine Shupla

A Method for Training Staff in a College Planetarium, Eileen M. Starr

Leveraging Volunteers, Victoria Wiggins

Fire Safety (or, how not to get burned on the issue of exit lights), Dale W. Smith

SECTION C: "Whuddya Doin' Under There?"

Introduction to Show Design, Mike Murray

Be Creative: 30 Ways to Use Your Dome, Bess Amaral

Production Values for Planetariums, Wayne Blankenbeckler, Laura Kyro, Richard McColman

Little Things Mean a Lot, Mike Murray

Some Techniques For Working With School Groups, Christine Shupla

Planetarium Usage for Secondary Schools, Gerald Mallon

Planetarians and the Art of Communication, Steve Tidey

Criteria for Producing Planetarium Laser Shows, Mike Murray

Infusing Multi-Media Elements Into Laser Shows, Mike Murray

AV Presentations: Pizzazz With a Purpose, Pamela Picard

Make Your Writing More Readable, Tom Johnson

Planetarium Scriptwriting for Beginners, Steve Tidey

Scriptwriting Workshop, Francis C. Biddy

Of Starshows, Thumbs, and Entropy, Mark Bourne

Ask the Teacher: Keeping Control in the Theater, Roger Keen

Storytelling in the Planetarium: Two Approaches, John T. Meader

The Live Star Talk: How Not To Bore Your Audience, Christine Shupla

SECTION D: "It's An Audio/Visual Medium!"

The Frugal Slide Producer, Gregg Tubbs

Sound Advice: The Aesthetic Approach to Blending Ideas With Emotion, Phyllis B. Pitluga

Music For Planetarium Sky-Shows, Paul Kaplan

A Primer About Audio Tape Formats, Mark C. Petersen

Basics of Optical Projection, Bob Stoller

Low-Tech Slide Alignment, Richard McColman

Fine-Tuning Your Exposures, Richard McColman

Maintaining A Focus, Richard McColman

Slide Masking Revisited, Richard McColman

SECTION E: "I'm Paying For This Microphone, Mr. Bush..."

So, You Want to be a Fundraiser?, Sheri Barton Trbovich

Corporate Sponsorship: Fact, Fiction, and Practicalities, Hanly Burton

Fifteen Success Strategies, Rick Crosslin

How to Obtain Funding, Bess Amaral

Facts First: An Information Based Approach to Making Membership Matter, Charlie Wilson

Some Notes on Planetarium Promotion, Mike Murray

SECTION F: "Remember the Scout's Motto..." (Resources for Planetarians)

Why You Should Join Planetarium Societies, James G. Manning, Mike Murray

The GLPA "TIPS" Booklets, Gary E. Sampson

Planetarium Articles and Poetry, Gary Tomlinson

Papers Available from ASP College Teaching Symposium, Andrew Fraknoi

Internet Action: A list of useful internet resources, Mike Murray, Alan Gould

SECTION G: Supportive Activities

Public Observatory Operation, Jon Bell, John Hare

Teaching In An Outreach Program, David H. Levy

Organizing Your Universe: How to Grow An Astronomy Club, Mike Murray

How to Host a Radio Astronomy Show, Jon U. Bell

A Local Newspaper Column About Astronomy and the Night Sky, David B. Friend

The Sky Promoter's Ten Commandments, Jon U. Bell

So, how can you get a copy? Just pay $15 to become a RMPA member and you'll get one free as a member benefit. (Connect to more information on becoming a member.)