1. SPECTRUM & Museum Documentation
Standards in Brazil
Nick Poole
CEO, Collections Trust
2. Today’s session
SESSION ONE – Getting to know you
• Welcome & introductions
• Understanding the challenges faced by Brazilian museums
• Why standards?
SESSION TWO – The UK Case Study
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•
•
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The situation for UK museums
The standards landscape in the UK
Different types of standard
The UK Museum Accreditation Scheme
3. Today’s session
SESSION THREE – Collections Management & Documentation
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•
•
•
•
•
•
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Strategic Collections Management
CIDOC Principles
The role of SPECTRUM
Collecting Policies
Strategic Collections Development
Building Collections skills
The importance of leadership
Demonstrating value & impact
4. Today’s session
SESSION FOUR – A look ahead
• The future development of Collections Management &
Documentation
• Putting collections online
• Supporting museum development in Brazil
• Building international relationships
Q & A SESSION
7. Introducing myself
• Nick Poole
• Working in museums since late 1990’s
• Director of the Collections Trust
• UK representative for Culture in Europe
• Former Chair of ICOM UK
• Member of UK Museums Association Ethics Committee
8.
9. About the Collections Trust
• Working with 23,000 museums in 18 countries worldwide
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Connecting people with collections
Supporting professional development
Building digital capacity
Demonstrating the value of Collections Management
• We want to help as many museums as possible give as many
people as possible the chance to learn about themselves and the
world around them.
10. Three key elements of our work
• All of our work is driven by 3 guiding principles:
– Trust
– Community
– Expertise
• In practice, this means we:
–
–
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Publish standards
Deliver training and advice
Carry out research projects
Coordinate network activities
Celebrating achievements
11. The Collections Trust’s role
Discover
Refine
Manage
Deliver
Engage
Improve
Strategic
Planning
Interpretation
Collections
Management
Loans & Mobility
Audience
Engagement
Business
administration
Acquisition
Research
Documentation
Exhibition
Planning
Strategic
Marketing
Key Performance
Indicators
Digitisation
Collections
Development
Environmental
Control
Digital Content
Outreach
Process
improvement
Integrated Pest
Management
Web/mobile
Education/
Learning Support
Cost reduction
Integrated Risk
Management
Licensing/IPR
Commerce/ retail
Disaster Planning
& Resilience
Fundraising
Digital Asset
Management
Conservation
Collections Trust
core competencies
12. Discussion – what are the key challenges faced by:
• Your museum
• The Brazilian museum sector
• Museum visitors
13. Why ‘Standards’?
• ‘Just do it’
• Shared ethical principles
• Codes of Ethics
• Codes of Practice
• Professional best practices
• Professional standards
14. Benefits of Standards
• Promoting quality
• Reducing risk
• Supporting collaboration (within & between sectors)
• Reducing risk
• Creating the conditions for sustainability
• Encouraging innovation
16. The United Kingdom
• A federation of four countries:
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–
–
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England
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
• Population 62.23m
• An aging population
• 99% literacy above age 15
17. UK Museum Community
• The Museums Association provides a widely-accepted definition
of a museum that is different from the ICOM definition:
– 'Museums enable people to explore collections for inspiration, learning
and enjoyment. They are institutions that collect, safeguard and make
accessible artefacts and specimens, which they hold in trust for society.'
• This definition includes art galleries with collections of works of
art, as well as museums with historical collections of objects.
18. UK Museum Community
• 2,500 museums or museum-like organisations
• 1883 currently Accredited
• No overarching Museum Strategy
• Partly funded by Government, partly by private enterprise
• Majority of UK museums have free admission, but charge for
exhibitions & services
19. UK Museum Community
• Separate ‘museum communities’
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National museums
Independent museums
Local Government museums
University museums
Sites and monuments
Historic houses, gardens & castles
Historic coastline
Regimental museums
Royal Palaces
20. Current challenges for UK museums
• A crisis of identity – whether museums should be politically
‘neutral’ or actively fight for social justice
• A transition from state funding to commercial income-generation
• Increasing complexity in terms of new material (collecting
contemporary material, digital media & documentation)
• Increasing complexity in terms of delivery (websites, mobile
applications, social platforms)
• A crisis in authority – in the age of Wikipedia, what is the basis of
the authority of museums?
21. What is a Collection?
Physical
Physical
Collections
Collections
22. What is a Collection?
Physical
Physical
Collections
Collections
Administrative
Administrative
Information
Information
23. What is a Collection?
Physical
Physical
Collections
Collections
Administrative
Administrative
Information
Information
CollectionsCollectionsbased
based
Knowledge
Knowledge
24. What is a Collection?
Physical
Physical
Collections
Collections
Administrative
Administrative
Information
Information
CollectionsCollectionsbased
based
Knowledge
Knowledge
Narratives
Narratives
25. What is a Collection?
Physical
Physical
Collections
Collections
Administrative
Administrative
Information
Information
CollectionsCollectionsbased
based
Knowledge
Knowledge
Digital
Digital
Assets
Assets
Narratives
Narratives
26. What is a Collection?
Physical
Physical
Collections
Collections
Administrative
Administrative
Information
Information
CollectionsCollectionsbased
based
Knowledge
Knowledge
Physical
Physical
surrogates
surrogates
(3D print)
(3D print)
Digital
Digital
Assets
Assets
Narratives
Narratives
27. What is a Collection?
Physical
Physical
Collections
Collections
Physical
Physical
surrogates
surrogates
(3D print)
(3D print)
iall
mater
e mater ia
f th e
th
nature o f trusts us to
ature o
s to
The n
The
ty trusts u e ffor
cie ty
e
Administrative whiich so ci e and car e or Digital
Administrative wh ch so g e and car
Digital
ag
Information collllect,, man a
a
t man beyond allll Assets
Information co ec
o nd
Assets
nged bey .
ged
a
ch a n
has ch
....
has
gn t on .
cogniitiio n
re co
re
CollectionsCollectionsbased
based
Knowledge
Knowledge
Narratives
Narratives
28. Our changing role...
The role of museums has always been a balance between physical
protection and facilitating access
We’re replacing access with activism, relevance, engagement &
participation
To become relevant, the museum has to become responsive
31. Standards in UK museums
•
Legal basis of publicly-funded museum services – the 1964 Public Libraries and
Museums Act
•
UK Museums Accreditation Scheme is a minimum standard which museums
are required to meet in order to receive public funding
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Accreditation requires the use of the 8 ‘primary procedures’ of the SPECTRUM
standard
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Legal requirements for employment, health & safety and service delivery
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‘Voluntary’ standards for different types of collection or activity
34. What is Documentation?
Who owns it?
Who owns it?
What is it
What is it
made of?
made of?
What is it?
What is it?
Where is it?
Where is it?
Why do we
Why do we
have it?
have it?
How big is it?
How big is it?
What is it
What is it
connected to?
connected to?
Who collected
Who collected
it?
it?
How much is
How much is
it worth?
it worth?
Where was it
Where was it
found?
found?
35. What is Documentation?
What does it
What does it
Why should II What is it mean?
Why should What is it mean?
What story
made of?
made of?
care?
care?
What is it?What story
What is it?
Who owns it?
Who owns it?
does it tell?
does it tell?
What is its
What is its
context?
context?
Why do we
Why do we
have it?
have it?
Where is it?
Where is it?
How do II
How do
relate to it?
relate to it?
How big is it?
How big is it?
What makes
What makes
it unique?
it is it
Whatunique?
What is it
connected to?
connected to?
Who collected
Who collected
it?
it?
Is it ethical/
Is it ethical/
political/
political/
moral?
moral?
Where was it
Where was it
found?
found?
What does it
What does it
How much is
How much
help me
help me is
it worth?
it worth?
understand?
understand?
40. What is Documentation?
The aim of documentation is not the creation of
fixed points, but to facilitate the museum in
reflecting the changing nature of knowledge &
understanding about our collections.
41. What is Documentation?
In a connected world, knowledge flows freely
between contexts and communities, becoming
greater & more valuable as it travels.
42. The importance of trust
Museums remain among the most trusted civic institutions, more than banks,
politicians and the media.
In a world of hyper-connected information, trust has a direct value
Museums are rich in trust because of professionalism and accountability – which
are expressed through Documentation, Conservation & Collections Management
Our professional standards are the reason why the public love and trust
museums.
43. Different types of Standard
• There are many different types of ‘standard’
CERTIFIED
TECHNICAL
VALUES
VOLUNTARY
44. Different types of Standard
• There are many different types of ‘standard’
BS5454
BS5454
CERTIFIED
PUBLIC BENEFIT
PUBLIC BENEFIT
ACCREDITATION
ACCREDITATION
TECHNICAL
VALUES
SPECTRUM
SPECTRUM
MISSION
MISSION
VOLUNTARY
45. UK Museum Accreditation Scheme
• A minimum-standards scheme run by the Arts Council England
• Designed to offer museums benefits in:
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Performance
Profile
People
Partnerships
Planning
Patronage
46. Key areas for Accreditation
• Organisational Health
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Mission
Forward Plan
Staffing & expertise
Emergency Plan
Environmental Sustainability
• Collections
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Legal ownership
Collections development
Documentation policy & plan
Collections care policy & plan
Documentation procedures
Security arrangements
47. Key areas for Accreditation
• Users & their experience
– Quality
– User-focus
– Effective learning
48. Achievements of Accreditation
• Creating a level field for large and small museums
• Supporting the case for investing in developing the museum
• Providing a structure for prioritisation
• Providing a ‘point of entry’ for other industries who want to work
with museums
• Giving politicians clarity about the scale and needs of the
museum sector
52. Collections Management & Documentation
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Strategic Collections Management
The role of SPECTRUM
Collecting Policies
Strategic Collections Development
Building Collections skills
The importance of leadership
Demonstrating value & impact
53. Strategic Collections Management
• Strategic collections management is about designing a museum
that works well & works together
• Making decisions based on the needs of the audience and the
organisation
• Ensuring effective management based on the right balance of
skills, resources, systems and processes...
61. Users
Users
Politics
Politics
Funding
Funding
Culture
Culture
Organisation’s Mission Statement
Organisation’s Mission Statement
Care
Care
People
People
f
ycle o
c
uous nt, Policy
Collections Management Policy
Collections Management
contin veme
A
impro , review,
Userning
Learn
ea
lUse
anLearn
g d
in
plann ment
p Systems
Processes velo
Processes
Systems
de
Evaluation & improvement
Evaluation & improvement
Rich, meaningful experiences for users
Rich, meaningful experiences for users
Develop
Develop
Info
Info
62. CIDOC Principles
• CIDOC believes that collections without adequate documentation
cannot be considered to be true “museum” collections. This is
because:
– they cannot be adequately safeguarded and cared for
– the museum cannot demonstrate its accountability for them
– their value for research and interpretation is greatly reduced
63. The role of SPECTRUM
• SPECTRUM acts as the bridge between the strategic aims of the
organisation and the way the museum delivers its work
• Connecting staff, procedures, systems and information to
support the aims of the museum
• It is not a fixed standard – it is like a recipe book. Museums take
from it what they need to improve their Collections
Management.
65. The core elements of SPECTRUM
•
SPECTRUM helps museums review their work with their collections,
celebrate good practice and identify opportunities to improve!
•
SPECTRUM Standard including translations/ localisations, SPECTRUM Digital
Asset Management, the SPECTRUM Schema and the Archive of previous
versions of SPECTRUM
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SPECTRUM Labs, including new ideas and potential applications of the
SPECTRUM Standard
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SPECTRUM Resources which support the application of the standard
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SPECTRUM Community which includes anyone who uses the standard
nationally or internationally
67. SPECTRUM Facts & Figures
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23,000 museums using SPECTRUM Compliant™ systems
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8000 professionals actively involved in the development of the standard
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17 SPECTRUM Partner systems
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Translations in Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Flanders, Germany
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Active communities in the Nordic countries
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Under development in Qatar and China
72. The benefit of standard procedures
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Ensures consistency when collections staff change
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Provide a language for non-collections staff to engage with collections-related
work
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Provide an effective way for different museums to talk to each other
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Promotes security and accountability
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Promotes the efficient use of time and resources
73. Collecting Policies
• Connecting the collecting activity of your museum with your
mission
• Defining what to say ‘yes’ to (and when to say ‘no’)
• Providing the basis for shared collecting activity
• Taking a strategic overview of how your collection should
develop in the future
74. Strategic Collections Development
•
A collection should not be static, it needs active development to ensure that it
continues to support the museum’s mission and the needs of your audiences
•
There is a need for Acquisition policies to ensure that the collection is actively
being developed
•
Need to support an active, inclusive approach to disposing of material from
collections
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Finding ways to avoid institutional bias when we decide what to keep and
what to get rid of
•
We need to understand different models of disposal, including sharing
collections with the community
75. Collections Skills
•
Being a successful museum professional requires more than skills in
collections management
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There is a strong structure of shared values including a commitment to
accountability and transparency
•
Museum professionals need skills in management and finance as well as
knowing about their collections
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Need to ensure structured professional development throughout your career
in museums
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Planning for continuity – how do you avoid losing knowledge when people
leave?
76. Developing integrated skills
ENTRY-LEVEL
CORE VALUES
ACADEMIC
MID-CAREER
LEADERSHIP
LEGACY
Integrity, accountability, openness, honesty, diversity, efficiency
Environment,
IPM, security,
labelling etc.
Strategic CM,
Collections
development
Organisational
knowledge
transfer,
research
PROFESSIONAL
PRACTICE
Housekeeping,
handling, packing
Collections
theory, research,
documentation
MANAGEMENT
Timemanagement
Project
Management
PPM, Risk, HR,
Finance,
Marketing
Strategic
planning,
advocacy
Continuity
planning
Broad interest
General subject
focus
Practice-based
expertise
Specialist
academic
knowledge
Subject
knowledge
transfer
SUBJECT
EXPERTISE
SOFT SKILLS
Mentoring, facilitation, negotiation, communication, networking
77. The importance of leadership
•
All of the standards and best practices in the world will not solve the problem
if leaders are not engaged
•
Collections development requires long-term commitment – there are very few
‘quick wins’
•
Costs are very clear, but the return-on-investment is much less clear
•
Taking action to prevent future problems, not waiting until things have gone
wrong before you act
•
Developing a museum-specific ‘Management & Business Administration’
qualification – mixing management, enterprise, commerce and museum skills
78. Demonstrating value & impact
• There are many different systems for evaluating the impact of
collections-based work
• Some systems are quantitative, based on measurement and
performance indicators, and some are qualitative, based on
judgement and peer-review
• About achieving a balance between inputs (time, effort,
resources) and outputs (direct, short-term impact and indirect
long-term impact)
79. Users
Users
Politics
Politics
Funding
Funding
Culture
Culture
Organisation’s Mission Statement
Organisation’s Mission Statement
Collections Management Policy
Collections Management Policy
Care
Care
Use
Use
Learn
Learn
Develop
Develop
People
People
Processes
Processes
Systems
Systems
Info
Info
Value for whom?
Evaluation & improvement
Evaluation & improvement
Rich, meaningful experiences for users
Rich, meaningful experiences for users
80. Measuring the value of culture
• An attempt by the UK Government to
decide which model of ‘value’ to use
• Presenting the weakness of the
‘economic value’ argument
• Presenting the weakness of the
‘intrinsic cultural value’ argument
81. Measuring the value of culture
Total Economic Value
Total Economic Value
Use Value
Use Value
Actual use
Actual use
For yourself
For yourself
Non-use Value
Non-use Value
Existence Value
Existence Value
Option Value
Option Value
For others (altruism)
For others (altruism)
For future generations
For future generations
People love museums, even if they don’t go to them....
82. Collections Management Key Performance
Indicators
• Providing a set of tools for museums to define their own
performance indicators, based on:
– Quantitative indicators (such as number of objects catalogued to a
particular level)
– Practical indicators that interface with existing museum activities
– Directional indicators specifying whether an organization is getting better
– Actionable indicators (things your organization can control to affect or
drive change)
– Financial indicators (such as cost)
83. Collections Management Key Performance
Indicators
• Key features of collections performance indicators:
– Consistency and comparability : Definitions should be consistent over time
and between institutions to enable comparison of like with like
– Clarity: Indicators are simple, well-defined and easily understood
– Controllability : Only aspects of performance over which there is control
should be measured
– Limited : The organisation should always concentrate on a limited number
of PIs that give the most valuable collections management information
– Feasibility : Can the PIs be measured easily?
85. Generic Learning Outcomes
• Developed by the UK Government to provide evidence of the
impact of learning activity in museums, focussing on:
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–
–
–
–
Skills
Attitudes and values
Knowledge and understanding
Activity, behaviour & progression
Enjoyment, inspiration & creativity
• Successfully used as a planning and advocacy tool. Validity as
statistical evidence is less clear.
86. Generic Social Outcomes
• Developed to help museums describe and evaluate the impact of
their work with communities, focussing on:
– Stronger and safer communities
– Health & wellbeing
– Strengthening public life
• Providing tools to collect and analyse data about this impact
across different museum activities.
• www.inspiringlearningforall.gov.uk
87. MA ‘Public Attitudes’ research
• Research carried out by the UK Museums Association to learn
what the public want from museums:
•
Essential purposes
– Care and preservation of heritage
– Holding collections and mounting displays
– Creating knowledge for and about society
•
Priority purposes
– Promoting economic growth through tourism and regeneration
– Facilitating individual development through education, stimulation and
building skills
– Promoting happiness and wellbeing
88. MA ‘Public Attitudes’ research
•
Low-priority purposes
– Fostering a sense of community
– Helping the vulnerable
– Protecting the natural environment
•
Purposes challenged by the public
– Providing a forum for debate
– Promoting social justice and human rights
•
The public have a different idea of what the impact of museums should be
•
The ‘essential’ and ‘priority’ activities are exactly those which we find hardest
to provide evidence for
89. Designation & Significance
•
A scheme to recognise the outstanding significance of specific collections
•
Explicitly stating that not all collections are equal, and some are worthy of
better protection
•
Identifying methods for defining ‘significance’ beyond the view of the
museum and the curator
•
Looking at significance for local communities, particularly ‘communities of
interest’ and even in global terms
•
Prioritising heritage protection on the basis of significance and value
93. The future of Collections Management
•
Collections Management can power confident, exciting museums for a wide
range of audiences
•
We have to break down the barriers between different museum activities and
get rid of the idea of ‘front of house’ and ‘back office’
•
The challenge will be to collect a wider range of material, and deliver
experiences through digital and real-world channels, while remaining true to
the values of preservation and accountability
95. Putting Collections Online
•
We need to learn that ‘online’ is not an experience any more than ‘in-gallery’
– it is one of a number of tools with which we can deliver experiences for
people
•
Most normal members of the public do not value online collections very
highly
•
For the people for whom online collections are useful, they are very, very
useful
•
We need to understand more about what people want from experiencing
collections online
96. The continuum of use…
CONTENT
FUN
OUTREACH
LEARNING
A BIT
A LOT
AGGREGATION
RESEARCH
COLLECTIONS
MANAGEMENT
96
METADATA
DATA MINING
98. SPECTRUM & the CIDOC CRM
CIDOC CRM
Abstraction layer
Collections
management layer
LIDO, ESE, ?
Data interchange layer
By mapping up to CIDOC CRM from SPECTRUM, we can support COPE by
supporting a richer & more future-proof data interchange layer
100. Supporting Museum Development in Brazil
• Developing your museum community needs to happen both
from the grassroots (bottom-up) and the policy level (top-down)
• Standards alone do not deliver museum development – you need
a policy framework, commitment, time, resources and support
structures
• It is best thought of as a large-scale change programme –
modernising and professionalising your entire community won’t
happen overnight and it won’t happen without sustained
support.
101. There is a golden thread that connects the card-index cataloguing
of the 1970’s with the future of opening up collections online
Documentation is about much more than cataloguing objects, it is
what allows those objects to tell and re-tell their stories
In a connected world, it is the professionalism and accountability of
our documentation & collections care which give us our trusted
status
102. Practical Guides
•
A Practical Guide to Collections Management
•
A Practical Guide to Documentation
•
Both available from Collections Trust (RRP £24.99)
•
www.collectionslink.org.uk/shop