Collections TrustSPECTRUM is the collections management standard that defines how museums should document and manage their collections throughout their lifecycle. Developed and maintained by the Collections Trust in the UK, it is the required standard for UK Museum Accreditation and is used internationally by museums seeking a structured, procedural approach to collections management.
Background
SPECTRUM was originally published in 1994 by the Museum Documentation Association (now the Collections Trust). The current version is 5.1, available as an interactive web version. SPECTRUM 5.0 is available in additional translations. The standard has evolved over three decades to reflect changes in museum practice, including digital collections, rights management, and collections review processes.
Purpose and Scope
SPECTRUM takes a procedural approach to collections management, defining what museums should do at each stage of an object's lifecycle and what information they should record. It is not software-specific and can be used with paper-based systems, though many commercial Spectrum Partners have developed collection management systems supporting some or all of the SPECTRUM procedures.
Procedures
SPECTRUM defines 21 procedures, of which 9 are primary (required for UK Museum Accreditation):
Primary Procedures:
- Object entry
- Acquisition and accessioning
- Location and movement control
- Inventory
- Cataloguing
- Object exit
- Loans in (borrowing objects)
- Loans out (lending objects)
- Documentation planning
Additional Procedures:
- Use of collections
- Condition checking and technical assessment
- Collections care and conservation
- Valuation
- Insurance and indemnity
- Emergency planning for collections
- Damage and loss
- Deaccessioning and disposal
- Rights management
- Reproduction
- Collections review
- Audit
- Transport
Each procedure specifies associated information requirements detailing what data should be recorded, organized into object information groups, procedural information groups, and record management information groups.
International Adoption
SPECTRUM is used internationally with partner organizations providing localized versions. Version 5.1 is available in English (EN), Welsh (CY), German (DE), and Swedish (SV). Version 5.0 is available in Arabic (AR), Spanish (ES), French (FR), Dutch (NL), Norwegian (NO), and Polish (PL). Spectrum Partners around the world have adapted the standard for their national contexts.
Governance and Maintenance
Maintained by the Collections Trust. SPECTRUM is free to download and use non-commercially under the Collections Trust licensing conditions. Hard copies are available from the Collections Trust online shop. Commercial Spectrum Partners develop compliant collection management systems, some of which have been validated as Spectrum Compliant.
Notable Implementations
SPECTRUM is the required standard for the UK Museum Accreditation scheme. Museums seeking or maintaining accreditation must demonstrate compliance with the nine primary procedures. The standard is also adopted by museums in numerous countries through the Spectrum Partners network.
Related Standards
- CIDOC-CRM (cidoc-crm): SPECTRUM maps to CIDOC-CRM; a mapping document is available on the Collections Trust site