The document discusses the evolution and future of museum accreditation and the Collections Trust's role in this process, emphasizing the importance of public access to collections and the need for museums to integrate collections management with organizational planning. As the accreditation scheme is reviewed, there is a focus on reducing bureaucracy, utilizing technology, and creating a more interactive and holistic approach to managing collections. The introduction of Spectrum 4.0 marks a shift towards an international standard with an emphasis on simplifying procedures and enhancing connections between collections and user needs.

1. MUSEUM ACCREDITATION AND SPECTRUM 22 nd April 2010 Gareth Salway, Trustee, Collections Trust

2. Established in 1977 Mission is ‘to campaign for the public right to access and engage with collections.’ Defined by its Strategic Plan Making the Connection Key work programmes: Collections Link, connecting the Collections Management community in museums, archives and libraries OpenCulture, developing next generation tools, practice and business models Defining standards, systems and processes to support the profession INTRODUCING THE COLLECTIONS TRUST

3. After nearly 20 years of standardisation and 10 years of investment through Renaissance in the Regions museums are stronger more professional and more resilient than ever. As a result, we are in better shape to weather the downturn and to prepare for subsequent rebuilding. We have an opportunity for museums, and culture and the arts more generally, to act as beacons of stability, education and inspiration during this period. It is vital not to lose the last 10 years of knowledge, insight, expertise and understanding as we go through the next 2 years of uncertainty. THE BROADER CONTEXT

4. The review process began mid-2009 Led by the Standards and Improvement Team at MLA Supported by Collections Trust, AIM, the MA and others Aiming to deliver a new Museum Accreditation Scheme in late 2010 A work in progress – sector consultation on the draft standard will run for 6 weeks from the beginning of May Get involved and have your say! REVIEWING ACCREDITATION

5. Retain the value of Accreditation as a national scheme Reduce bureaucracy, duplication and reporting Make use of technology where practical/realistic Make it scalable across different institution types and circumstances Make it a useful tool for organisational planning and development Put people and collections at the heart of the standard ‘ From a static minimum standards benchmark to a living improvement tool’ CORE PRINCIPLES OF THE NEW SCHEME

6. NOTE this is purely speculative – discussions are ongoing! Moving away from separating out ‘Collections’ from ‘Governance’ or ‘Facilities’ Moving towards integrated, holistic services which emphasise collections & people Based on the principle and structure of the Collections Trust/BSI Publicly Available Specification 197: Code of Practice for Collections Management ALL collections-related activity (development, care, information, use) should be treated as part of a continuum, and all activity must connect to the strategic aims of the museum and the needs of its users. COLLECTIONS IN THE NEW SCHEME

7. Defines Collections Management in museums, archives and libraries Sets out the core principles of effective Collections Management as a tool for improving services, achieving efficiency and increasing impact An overarching framework which connects SPECTRUM to broader management A companion publication Collections Management: A Practical Guide Buy them online from http://www.collectionslink.org.uk/index.cfm/shop Followed in the summer by PAS198: Code of Practice for Environmental Management and companion guide BSI PAS 197: A Code of Practice for Collections Management

8. Minimal requirements of Accreditation (7 primary procedures plus Retrospective Documentation ) unlikely to change Requirement to have Policies and Procedural Manual in place unlikely to change either BUT a more pragmatic approach – less backlog-counting and more strategic decision-making Incorporating the elements of SPECTRUM 3.2 that are about User-Generated Content and Copyright Moving towards SPECTRUM 4.0 ACCREDITATION AND SPECTRUM

9. Minimal requirements of Accreditation (7 primary procedures plus Retrospective Documentation ) unlikely to change Requirement to have Policies and Procedural Manual in place unlikely to change either BUT a more pragmatic approach – less backlog-counting and more strategic decision-making Incorporating the elements of SPECTRUM 3.2 that are about User-Generated Content and Copyright Moving towards SPECTRUM 4.0 ACCREDITATION AND SPECTRUM

10. SPECTRUM is evolving into an international, open standard Due for launch early 2011 A greatly simplified core standard supported by ancillary resources Separating out the procedural standard from the structural Moving to 21 SPECTRUM Business Processes A SPECTRUM 4.0 XML Schema to facilitate information exchange A separate legal framework for each territory/language SPECTRUM 4.0 (part one)

11. SPECTRUM adopted in 8 EU Member States Emerging as a de facto standard for Collections Mobility Working towards business process automation by connecting your KE Systems to the Business Processes SPECTRUM Terminology web service to go live in June 2010 offering web services-based access to SKOS-structured terminologies Looking to a future of hybrid/integrated management of physical and digital assets SPECTRUM 4.0 (part two)

12. SPECTRUM Partners Scheme ensuring compliance of KE Emu systems and services with SPECTRUM and Accreditation OAI and web services-based syndication of your object records to Google, Europeana, the BBC, Wikipedia, Brittanica and a range of others via Culture Grid The Vault – offering hosting, preservation and management of museum datasets and digital assets Cloud-based hosted image licensing and resale, including print-on-demand and global e-distribution of image collections COLLECTIONS TRUST CORE OFFERS 2010-11

13. Come and visit Collection Trust (and KE!) at Collect 2010 – the annual Collections Management Trade Fair, in London on the 28 th June (book online at http://www.collectionslink.org.uk ) Join the new Collections Link website and professional network to access more than 2000 best practice guides and resources from http://www.collectionslink.org.uk FIND OUT MORE