Presentation to the SPECTRUM Community at OpenCulture 2014 celebrating 20 years of SPECTRUM, the international standard for Collections Management.

1. Welcome to the 2014 SPECTRUM
Community Meeting!
Nick Poole, CEO, Collections Trust

2. Welcome to the 3rd
annual meeting of
the international SPECTRUM
Community!

3. But first...

4. Happy 20th
Birthday SPECTRUM!

5. What is SPECTRUM?
• SPECTRUM is an open, and freely-available standard which defines and
promotes best practice in the management and use of collections in
museums, archives, galleries and similar cultural organisations.
• Now in its 4th edition, SPECTRUM is used by more than 23,000 museums
in 40 countries worldwide to improve the management, sustainability and
use of their Collections.

6. SPECTRUM Mission
• Our mission as the international community responsible for the
development, localisation, promotion and support of SPECTRUM
worldwide is to ensure that wherever collections are, they are managed
accountably, professionally and with due regard to public interest.
• SPECTRUM is an open standard, developed by, with and for the
international cultural community on behalf of the audiences we serve.

7. STANDARD
WORLDWIDE COMMUNITY (23,000)
COMPLIANCE
(18)
GUIDANCE
PDF/XML/PRINT
+ SCHEMA
DIGITAL ASSET
MANAGEMENT

8. The SPECTRUM Community
We are a global
community working
together to help
create great museums
for audiences
worldwide, sharing
best practice and
preparing to meet the
challenges of the
future

9. SPECTRUM National Partners
• Publicly or state-funded organisations with a
charitable or public-benefit remit
• Sign the SPECTRUM National Partners
Agreement on behalf of their Community
• Support the development of SPECTRUM on an
ongoing basis
• Promote SPECTRUM to their national
community
• Share responsibility for the direction &
sustainability of SPECTRUM worldwide

10. SPECTRUM National Partners
• Netherlands
• Germany
• Flanders
• UK
• Finland
• Norway
• Sweden
• Portugal
• Brazil

11. SPECTRUM Champions
• Commit voluntary time and effort to
promoting and supporting SPECTRUM in their
national community
• Able to lead or support translation and/or
localisation of SPECTRUM
• Able to promote SPECTRUM to the
appropriate organisation to act as the
National Partner for their community

20. Copyright Roger Layton, Roger Layton Associates (c) 2013

21. “We work together”, I told him from
the heart. “Whether we work together,
or apart.”

22. Thank you so much to everyone that
has worked so hard to open
SPECTRUM up to museums all over
the world!

23. SPECTRUM Users
• Willing to commit voluntary time and effort to
promoting and supporting SPECTRUM in their
organisation
• Committed to best practice and to managing
their collections accountably, professionally
and with due regard to public interest
• Able to contribute ideas and knowledge to the
future development of SPECTRUM

24. SPECTRUM Partners
• Developing and supporting commercial
products which support Collections
Management & make use of the SPECTRUM
standard
• Committed to the development and
promotion of SPECTRUM and standards of
best practice to their client communities
• Able to contribute expertise and knowledge
to the future development of SPECTRUM

25. SPECTRUM Partners
• Adlib Information Systems
• Axiell
• Collector Systems
• The ETHER Initiative
• Gallery Systems
• Keepthinking
• KE Software Ltd
• Media Equation
• Mobydoc
• MODES Users Association
• Picturae
• Selago Design
• Semantika
• SKINmuseum
• System Simulation Ltd
• Vernon Systems
• zetcom Ltd
We have a responsibility to support these companies who
support our sector and help drive innovation & best practice. Do
take time to meet with them over the next 2 days & find out what
they have to offer!

26. SPECTRUM DAM Partners
• Integrating Digital Asset Management
alongside core Collections Management
practices
• Committed to the development and
promotion of SPECTRUM DAM best practice
to their client communities
• Able to contribute expertise and knowledge
to the future development of SPECTRUM and
SPECTRUM DAM

27. SPECTRUM DAM Partners
• Extensis
• KE Software
• Media Equation
• System Simulation
DAM is likely to be the next big development for museums
worldwide. Meet with the SPECTRUM DAM Partners and find out
how they are supporting best practice!

28. Highlights of 2013-14!
• SPECTRUM launched in Germany
• Welcoming Norway, Sweden, Finland, Brazil as National Partners
• SPECTRUM DAM launched
• SPECTRUM & Collections Management System events in Norway
• Regional SPECTRUM Workshops in South Africa
• Collections Management Competency Framework Launched
• New SPECTRUM section on Collections Trust website

30. PRACTITIONER MANAGER LEADER
Commitment to
customer focus
Collections Management as a tool
to support effective display &
interpretation
Ethics and social
responsibility
Collections Management
underpinned by professional
values & ethics
Delivering effective
outcomes
Professional practice
competencies (eg. documentation,
environmental management)
Developing positive
relationships
Managerial and communications
competencies

32. http://www.vocman.com/cultureGrid

33. Challenges for our industry
• Do more with less
• Maintain accountability and public trust
• Open up collections for discovery, use, enjoyment and research
• Achieve and maintain best practice in collections stewardship
• Develop integrated workflows to manage & share collections knowledge
• Remain relevant, exciting and innovative
• Engage audiences before, during and long after the visit

34. Challenges for SPECTRUM
• Strategy
• Organisation
• Technical

35. SPECTRUM Strategy
• Define our vision for the future of SPECTRUM
• Set out our strategy for achieving it
• Define the impact we are seeking to achieve
• Evaluate our performance
• Advocate for the value and impact of SPECTRUM for our audiences

36. SPECTRUM Organisation
• We are now a global community
• New communities in Turkey, China, Qatar, Japan, Ukraine & elsewhere
• How can we best organise our work?
• How do we avoid duplication?
• How can we ensure that everyone benefits from individual community activity?

37. SPECTRUM Technical
• Is SPECTRUM fit for purpose?
• What are the technical challenges that lie ahead?
• How is documentation evolving?
• What are the challenges and opportunities of COPE?
• How do we address DAM integration?
• What are the other museum processes & workflows we need to address?

38. Thanks to the SPECTRUM Community!
SPECTRUM is the work
of more than 3000
practitioners just like
you. It is owned and
developed by the
community, for the
community. Thank you
for all of your work
testing, evaluating &
improving SPECTRUM

39. Let’s go forward together!
http://www.collectionstrust.org.uk/spectrum