SPECTRUM? It’s in our veins...

Why, how – and what happened next

Alice GrantSPECTRUM-N Launch

March 2008

Why was SPECTRUM developed?65535 0 0 65535 0 0 0 0 0

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[edoc]<:#288,9360><:f,2CG Times (W1),>AG - Introduction

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<:#288,9360><:f,2CG Times (W1),>What is SPECTRUM - Procedures & information requirements

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<:#288,9360><:f,2CG Times (W1),>Why was it needed?

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<:#288,9360><:f,2CG Times (W1),>How did it come to be - Brief history

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<:#288,9360><:f,2CG Times (W1),>Consensus & community responsibility

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Why was SPECTRUM developed?

• To address real needs and to solve real problems• To save time spent re-inventing the wheel• To help museums prepare for the digital age• To document best practice• To establish a system-neutral way of working• To help museums work together and share

knowledge• Problems shared, problems solved

How was SPECTRUM developed?• Collectively

– SPECTRUM needed to build on what people knew– SPECTRUM’s developers would become its users– Over 70 people involved from over 50 museums

• Pragmatically– Focus on a usable deliverable in a short timescale– Reflect real-life issues in real museums

• Inclusively– Practical approach, with the Minimum Standards an achievable goal

for all– Allow different museums work in different ways - needed to avoid

giving anyone an excuse not to use it!• Realistically

– Perfection was never going to be achieved– SPECTRUM would be a process, added to and refined over time

Field testing

• 25 museums• Across the UK in England, Northern Ireland,

Scotland and Wales• National museums, volunteer museums,

independent museums, local museums...• Archaeology, Art, Geology, Local history,

Natural history, Science...

Field testing across the UK

Field testing...in Orkney...in December...

The outcome

• A consensus• A shared understanding• A means of sharing experience and expertise• A product which works for all types of museum• A product which exists in the real world – not just in theory• A professional benchmark and identity for collections

management and documentation• Integrated into systems and standards

– Embedded into recording systems– Systems accreditation– Museum accreditation

Need a new collections system?

• We know it’s going to support SPECTRUM.• No need to write out every last requirement• You can be confident that data will be supported• Users will be familiar with what’s on screen• Suppliers can concentrate on your museum’s specific

needs• The LASSI project

– 1994-1996– Procured a system for large UK museums– SPECTRUM an essential foundation– the basis for functional and data requirements

Need to know your museum’s working well?

• SPECTRUM provides a checklist of the policies which should be in place

• The Minimum Standards provide a benchmark for our collections operations

• We can demonstrate our efficiency to funders and governing bodies

• Staff have a clear understanding of what is expected in key areas of work

Need a procedures manual?

• SPECTRUM sets out the scope and provides the detail required

• We can pick the procedures we need to document and implement

• No need to write it all out from the beginning• Copy, paste and add our own local information• Save time when rolling out new systems or

starting large projects

...and the list goes on...

• Hiring staff? – Check they’re familiar with SPECTRUM– SPECTRUM is now taught in universities

• Training staff?– Use SPECTRUM as a template for what staff need to know

• Got a documentation backlog?– Use SPECTRUM to tackle the project effectively

• Applying for funding?– Use SPECTRUM to demonstrate need and your ability to do the job well

• Persuading your director you need more staff?– Use SPECTRUM to explain why it’s important!

A home for new initiatives

• SPECTRUM Online and updates allow for expansion

• Revisiting Collections– ‘Non-traditional’ museum information– Information gathered from people outside the

museum– Personal responses, new cultural perspectives

SPECTRUM – in my veins…

• …an integral part of over 100 of my projects alone• St. Paul’s Cathedral

– Inventory and audit procedures used for the Cathedral’s collections– SPECTRUM’s Minimum standards used as a baseline for the procedures– Time and money saved as a result– Staff effort focused on most important information– Emphasised need to link documentation with objects, reassuring governing

body.• Western Isles

– Collections management strategy across Outer Hebridean islands– Minimum standards able to apply to small ‘Comainn Eachdraidh’ or local

history societies with varying expertise and experience– Supported museum in coordination role.

…and at the heart of everything I do

• Manchester Art Gallery & New Art Gallery, Walsall– Documentation and access reviews– Provided a benchmark for comparison– Identifying issues for the Galleries to address– Able to advise on prioritising work and directing funding

• Imperial War Museum, London– Specifying and purchasing a new system

• Using SPECTRUM as the basis for requirements• ‘Must comply with SPECTRUM’ saves a lot of writing!

– Data preparation• 150+ databases • SPECTRUM provides a common point of reference for combining databases and

identifying ‘new’ data requirements for media collections• Knowledge that new system is SPECTRUM-compliant ensures future

interoperability– Collections management

• SPECTRUM enables change management - procedures agreed by peers• Able to use procedures as basis for new documentation instructions for staff

And that’s why...

ISPECTRUM!

And that’s why...