Presentation to the Natural History Museum seminar on Collections Skills

1. Collections Management Skills
Workshop
28.05.2015

2. These slides are online…
www.slideshare.net/collectionstrust

3. Objectives for today
• Introduce you to the work of Collections Trust
• Explain the Collections Management Competency Framework
• Promote CPD & skills development in Collections Management
• Develop skills in advocating for Collections Management

4. The Collections Trust is...
...the professional association
for people who work in
Collections Management

5. Collections Management is...
...the strategies, policies,
processes and procedures
relating to a collection’s
development, information,
access and care

6. A professional association...
...an organisation (usually
non-profit) that seeks to
further the interests of a
profession, raise professional
standards and promote the
public interest

7. Why we do what we do
• Collections have an unique power to connect, inspire and enlighten
people. Everyone has an experience of an object which changed them,
gave them new insight or helped them to understand the world better
• The better collections are managed, the more openly and proactively they
are used, the more people feel entitled to have those experiences and
benefit from them
• Great museum experiences are powered by great, well-managed
collections.

9. Established 1977
• To promote the education of the public by the development of museums
and similar organisations by all appropriate methods;
• To develop, promote, maintain and improve standards of collections and
information management in museums, art galleries, heritage
organisations and other collections institutions;
• To provide services and resources which improve the standards and
methods of collections management and use.

10. Not-for-profit

11. Our work
• 3 main activities, funded by Arts Council England:
• Standards
• Workforce Development
• Advocacy

12. www.collectionstrust.org.uk

13. Professional expertise
• Covering current best practices in:
– Museum & Archive Accreditation
– Digitisation
– Documentation
– Copyright
– Integrated Pest Management
– Environmental Management & Control
– Participation
– Risk Management
– Museum Storage
– Insurance

14. Programmes for 2015
• Museum Storage
• Digital Asset Management
• Campaign for Good Curatorship
• Campaign for Collecting

15. www.campaignforgoodcuratorship.org.uk

16. Definitions & background

18. MUSEUM
PROFESSIONAL
LEGAL

19. The Collections Trust’s vision
of Collections Management
connects law, ethics, culture
and daily practice to enable the
museum to be open,
professional, adaptable &
accountable

20. Introducing
Investors in Collections
Management

21. Investors in Collections Management
• Setting professional Collections Management in the context of a learning
organisation
• Highlighting the commitment to ongoing continuous improvement
through leadership, culture, standards and practice
• Articulating the central value of Collections Management in a well-run
museum
• Providing a structure for professional development
• Developing tools and methods for advocacy

22. CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT

23. CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
PLAN
DO
REVIEW

24. CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
PLAN
DO
REVIEW

25. CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
PLAN
DO
REVIEW
MISSION

26. CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
PLAN
DO
REVIEW
MISSIONCOMPETENCIES

27. CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
PLAN
DO
REVIEW
MISSIONCOMPETENCIESRESOURCES

28. CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
PLAN
DO
REVIEW
MISSIONCOMPETENCIES
SKILLS & CPD
RESOURCES

29. CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
PLAN
DO
REVIEW
MISSIONCOMPETENCIES
SKILLS & CPD
STANDARD
S
RESOURCES

30. CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
PLAN
DO
REVIEW
MISSIONCOMPETENCIES
SKILLS & CPD
STANDARD
S
ETHICS
RESOURCES

31. CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
PLAN
DO
REVIEW
MISSIONCOMPETENCIES
SKILLS & CPD
STANDARD
S
ETHICS LEGAL
RESOURCES

32. CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
PLAN
DO
REVIEW
MISSIONCOMPETENCIES
SKILLS & CPD
STANDARD
S
ETHICS LEGAL
TECHNICAL
RESOURCES

33. CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
PLAN
DO
REVIEW
MISSIONCOMPETENCIES
SKILLS & CPD
STANDARD
S
ETHICS LEGAL
TECHNICAL
TOOLKITS
METHODOLOGIES
RESOURCES

34. CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
PLAN
DO
REVIEW
MISSIONCOMPETENCIES
SKILLS & CPD
STANDARD
S
ETHICS LEGAL
TECHNICAL
TOOLKITS
METHODOLOGIES
LEADERSHIP
RESOURCES

35. CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
PLAN
DO
REVIEW
MISSIONCOMPETENCIES
SKILLS & CPD
STANDARD
S
ETHICS LEGAL
TECHNICAL
TOOLKITS
METHODOLOGIES
LEADERSHIP
ORGANISATIONALCULTURE
RESOURCES

36. CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
PLAN
DO
REVIEW
MISSIONCOMPETENCIES
SKILLS & CPD
STANDARD
S
ETHICS LEGAL
TECHNICAL
TOOLKITS
METHODOLOGIES
ORGANISATIONALCULTURE
LEADERSHIP
EVALUATION
&
METRICS
RESOURCES

37. Role of the model
• Investors in Collections promotes the idea of a museum as a learning
organisation, committed to an ongoing cycle of review and continuous
improvement
• It sets professional practice and standards in the context of a well-run
organisation supported by skilled people and sufficient resources
• It is intended as a complement to the Museum Accreditation Scheme

38. Collections Management
Competency Framework
Defining the skills and
competencies of the
professional & volunteer
collections management
workforce

39. Why a Competency Framework?
• As a professional association, we need to be able to:
– Provide a structure for developing Collections Management skills
– Promote structured CPD for Collections Managers
– Raise awareness of the value and impact of CM skills
– Advocate for investment in CM competencies
– Providing a structure to engage with partners

40. Related Frameworks

41. Related Frameworks

42. Related Frameworks

43. Competency Framework

45. Using the framework
• Giving you a structure to plan and advocate for your own development
• Informing the teaching and training of core collections management skills and
competencies
• Promoting investment in CPD
• Raising awareness of the value and impact of CM skills on the wider delivery
of museum services
• Advocating for investment in CM competencies
• Providing a structure to engage with other industry partners

46. Developing careers in CM
• Formal education
• Academic & vocational training
• Promoting Traineeships
• Developing Apprenticeships in Collections Management
• Promoting CPD & career development
• Integrating CPD & skills into leadership development
• Providing for continuity planning

47. Q&A/discussion

48. BREAK!

49. Introducing EU Coll Comp
CPD & Skills Planning for
Natural History

50. About EU Coll Comp
• 3 year EU-funded project
• Project aims:
– To provide natural history museum staff across Europe with a common and
multilingual set of competencies to guide their personal development and identify
vocational and educational training needs
– To identify existing training opportunities and match these to competencies
– To identify gaps in training provision and develop a VET curriculum that provides a
clear prospectus of competency linked training opportunities for staff an managers
to use to attain competency for both their present and future jobs

51. ‘VET’?
• Vocational Education and Training is education that prepares people for
specific trades, crafts and careers
• ECVET (European Credit System for Vocational and Education and Training) is
a system for assessing an individual’s learning outcomes and validating them
in order to transfer credits from one qualification system to another
• Looking at the development, recognition and accreditation of practical &
technical skills in Collections Management
• Considering the implementation of a ‘formal’/certified CPD path for
Collections Management professionals

52. http://eucolcomp.myspecies.info/

53. Planning your CPD
Planning for your CPD in
Collections Management

54. What is CPD?
• ‘Continuing Professional Development (CPD)’ refers to the process of
tracking and documenting the skills, competencies, knowledge and
experience that you gain both formally and informally as you work,
beyond any initial training. It's a record of what you experience, learn and
then apply

55. How many of you have a CPD
plan for your work with
collections?

56. Benefits of CPD – for you
• Build confidence and credibility; you can see your progression by tracking
your learning
• Earn more by showcasing your achievements. A handy tool for appraisals
• Achieve your career goals by focussing on your training and development
• Cope positively with change by constantly updating your skill set
• Be more productive and efficient by reflecting on your learning and
highlighting gaps in your knowledge and experience

57. Benefits for your employer/host
• Helps maximise staff potential by linking learning to actions and theory to
practice
• Helps HR professionals to set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable,
realistic and time-bound) objectives, for training activity to be more closely
linked to business needs
• Promotes staff development. This leads to better staff morale and a
motivated workforce and helps give a positive image/brand to organisations
• Adds value; reflecting it will help staff to consciously apply learning to their
role and the organisation’s development
• A good tool to help employees focus their achievements throughout the year

58. The CPD cycle

59. Creating a CPD Plan
• Template CPD Plan developed as part of the Collections Management
Traineeships
• 6 sections:
– Part 1: Reflecting on your current situation & role
– Part 2: Sharing your long-term aspirations
– Part 3: Setting the goals for your traineeship
– Part 4: Defining the competencies you want to develop
– Part 5: Developing your (draft) CPD Plan
– Part 6: Reflecting again & sending yourself a message!

60. Reflect
• Often very difficult to make space for this!
• A process of reflection about your current work:
– Describe your current role/activities
– Identify what you enjoy/value now
– Identify what isn’t working so well
– Identify your constraints (commitments, expectations)
• Intended to help you understand the things about your current role that
you would like to change

61. Look ahead
• Thinking about where you would like to go in your work:
– Describe your ideal future role
– Consider the qualities/features of that role
– Consider how it is different from where you are today
• Intended to help you focus on the place you want to get to

62. Set goals
• Think about the skills you will need in order to secure your ideal future
role:
– Write down 5 clear (SMART) goals for the next 12-18 months which
will help you get to your future role
– Map your goals to specific competencies (ie. “I want to develop my
subject expertise about my collections”)
• Intended to focus on the practical competencies you will develop under
your CPD

63. Plan
• Create a detailed plan of action

64. Do and reflect
• Work with your line manager to implement your CPD plan
• Review and reflect on your progress periodically
• Maintain a CPD log
• Review the log, identify the skills and competencies you have developed
& update your CPD plan

65. CPD Activities
Work-based Professional
•Secondments (internal & external)
•Special projects
•Shadowing
•Contributing to planning
•Liaising with other organisations
•Joining a professional body or organisation
•Involvement with a regional network
Informal Formal
•Professional or vocational courses
•Attending short courses, conferences, seminars
and workshops
•Lecturing
•Writing or reviewing conference papers
•Running or contributing to seminars,
workshops or conferences
•Reading and reviewing journals, books,
newspapers
•Using other learning material eg DVDs and
podcasts
•Using the internet
•Networking via social media
•Study visits

66. Becoming an advocate for
Collections Management

67. Why advocate?
• Increased pressure on budgets
• Need to offset short-termism with long-term planning
• Moving Collections from ‘liability’ to ‘asset’
• Demonstrating how Collections Management enables the museum to be
more flexible, resilient, open and participatory
• The professional skills required to balance access and preservation while
maximising outcomes and impacts for museum visitors

68. Key advocacy skills
• The ‘elevator pitch’
• Showing off when required
• The offer and the ask
• Developing evidence
• Building influence

69. Elevator pitch
• When someone asks you “what is collections management and why
should I pay for it?”, are you ready with your answer?
• If you find yourself in a lift with a Trustee, can you tell them what you can
offer and what support you need to deliver it?

70. Showing off
• People respond to beautiful, unique things, interesting narratives and
unusual experiences
• Can you put the collections to work in helping to show off to
Councillors/funders/elected members?
• One of the best pieces of post-Election lobbying advice – “write to your
local MP and invite them to come and see some art”
• Go for Awards! (hint: Collections Trust’s Collections Management Awards
now open for nominations…)
• Working with management to position the collections (and their
professional management) as part of the museum’s advocacy message

71. The offer & the ask
• People don’t often respond well to the direct request for funding or
support
– Tell them a story about how amazing, unique and valuable your
collections are and how they have helped engage the community (the
offer), then;
– Let them know what you need and what they can do to help you

72. Developing evidence
• As a community, we sometimes find it very difficult to give simple
answers to simple questions about our collections
• Developing qualitative and quantitative evidence helps ‘sell’ collections
management as an added-value activity for museums
– Qualitative evidence includes testimonials, stories and case studies of
how the collection has enabled the museum to reach its goals;
– Quantitative evidence helps people to understand, evaluate and plan
to improve collections management work

73. Performance Indicators
http://www.collectionstrust.org.uk/collections-skills/collections-management-performance-indicators

74. Implementing KPI
• Implementing Key Performance Indicators for your Collections
Management helps:
– Inform your future planning and prioritisation
– Articulate improvement and achievements
– Communicate about the value & impact of Collections services

75. Building influence
• We need to raise our heads above the parapet and develop relationships
with the people who can help us achieve our aims
• An increasing number of museums are developing advocacy materials,
leaflets and exhibitions about collections development and care
• Holding behind-the-scenes tours for Directors, Trustees, local VIPs and
the media helps raise the profile of the work

76. Keep in touch
• We would love you to become an active part of our network!
– Collections Management LinkedIn community (8,700 members)
– Share via hashtag #ctskills
– www.twitter.com/collectiontrust
– www.facebook.com/collectionstrust
– www.slideshare.net/collectionstrust