Museum Development North West, in partnership with Collections Trust, is launching a new programme of workshops for 2021-22.
The Covid-19 pandemic has put many museums in a financially precarious situation. In extreme cases, if not now possibly in the future, they may be looking at insolvency, merger with another museum, splitting up the collection or putting it in a separate trust.
The actions required to manage the collections in order for these to happen responsibly are the same as how any museum collection should be managed to make it accountable and useable in any circumstances – but these scenarios add an extra pressure or urgency to make sure your collections documentation is adequate.
Using the framework of Spectrum 5.0 and its procedures, and referencing the Museums Association’s guidance ‘Museums Facing Closure: Legal and Ethical Issues’ this series of workshops will focus on the planning and work required for museums to get their collections documentation in order.
Led by Sarah Brown, Outreach Manager at Collections Trust, these online workshops are open to staff, boards and volunteers from museums in the North West which are Accredited or formally working towards Accreditation.
They are not just for museums facing these significant changes, but are also a good refresher for museums wanting to tighten up their documentation, and a reminder of why this work is necessary.
Within the booking process you can indicate if your museum is or could be facing one of these scenarios, and you will be prioritised for a place.
Spectrum 5.0
15th April 2pm-3.30pm
Zoom
This session will offer an introduction to the Spectrum standard, and will also put into context the Spectrum procedures covered in the other workshops in this programme. We will discuss how a Spectrum 5.0 procedure works and how it might be applied within your own organisation. It will give an overview of the primary procedures, focusing on details flagged in your registrations – so please do let us know your questions, issues and priorities. There will be opportunities to ask questions during the session, as well as sharing ideas with other attendees.
Important because – Accredited museums considering the future of their collections should still continue to work in accordance with the Code of Ethics. Actions and decisions made that are set within Spectrum, the recognised collections management framework, will help in managing the collections with transparency and competency through a challenging period.
Click here to book a place.
Ownership of collections
18th May 2pm-3.30pm
Zoom
In this session we will focus on the Spectrum procedures and processes involved in assessing and documenting new acquisitions. This includes due diligence, provenance, decision-making and capturing written evidence of transfer of title.
Important because – you have to know, and have the paperwork to show, that objects are owned outright by the governing body, are subject to a separate trust or on loan if they are to be moved on elsewhere, whether through a change of ownership, return of objects to original owners, or long term loan to another organisation.
Click here to book a place.
Documentation histories
22nd June 10.30am-12pm
Zoom
This session will explore the benefits of recording the history of your documentation systems. For example, have you captured key information about historic cataloguing systems, old numbering systems and policies?
We will explore this topic using elements from the collections biography toolkit developed by Museum Development Yorkshire as a framework:
“A collection biography is useful as a simple aid to increase understanding of a collection and to give access to all who use it or are involved in its management. It can also be used to inform key stakeholders whose understanding of the collection and the issues which relate to it might be minimal. At its most basic it can be used to create a simple statement which provides an overview of the collections and how they came about …” MDY collection biography toolkit.
Important because – if a collection is to be transferred elsewhere, a detailed history of how the collection was formed and developed, with evidence of its significance, provides valuable context for decision making. Insolvency practitioners follow a Code of Conduct which requires them to acquire knowledge about the industry they are working in and, in the case of museums, to know about the collections for which they have taken over control.
Click here to book a place.
Dealing with objects with uncertain ownership or conditions attached
20th July, 10am-12pm
Zoom
In a joint session with Collections Trust and Janet Ulph, Professor of Commercial Law at the University of Leicester, we will look at the legal and ethical issues of dealing with objects you may not own (e.g. historic loans, uncollected objects, objects with no paper trail etc.) and objects with conditions attached. Delegates will have the opportunity to discuss these issues using real-life (anonymised) scenarios.
Important because – at the point at which collections are to be moved on in some way, the process will be made more complex and lengthy if there are objects for which ownership has not been proved, or where there are conditions to comply with which have not been identified sufficiently in advance to deal with. The process will also become more expensive if an insolvency practitioner has to allow time for claimants to come forward where ownership of objects is uncertain.
Click here to book a place.
Audit
14th September 10.30am-12pm
Zoom
Do you have the collections and information you think you have? This session will explore the Spectrum 5.0 Audit procedure – systematically checking the accuracy and completeness of the information you have about your collections.
At the most basic level, the procedure confirms that your records match the physical reality: you have all the objects you should have, correctly numbered and located where they are supposed to be. We will explore the difference between Inventory and Audit, discuss the benefits of undertaking regular audits and how you might approach this.
Important because – collections documentation handed over to a third party must match with the collections. The museum may have someone dealing with the process who doesn’t normally work with the collections, and it is the responsibility of the governing body to provide information to insolvency practitioners so they can deal with collections as best they can.
Click here to book a place.
Loans
19th October 10.30am-12pm
Zoom
This session will explore the Spectrum 5.0 procedures for borrowing and lending objects: Loans in and Loans out. We will review the policy considerations, requirements, and guidance for both procedures, discussing how this is approached by attendees.
Important because – ideally loans (both in and out) need to be identified before a collection is moved on. Loans in should be returned as soon as possible, with information and arrangements for loans out also concluded before an insolvency practitioner becomes involved. Loans are a potentially tricky and time-consuming issue that will add to the practitioner’s fees which have to be covered.
Click here to book a place.
