Collections Trust

Collections Trust

The Collections Trust is an independent charitable organisation which works to improve the management and sustainability of cultural collections in the United Kingdom. The Collections Trust has offices in London and Cambridge, and its work is supported by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and Museums Galleries Scotland.

Contents

Mission

The Mission in 'Making the Connection', the Collections Trust's Strategic Plan for 2008-11 was to:

“ To campaign for the public right to access and engage with Collections by promoting Best Practice, encouraging Innovation and representing the interests of the Sector.[1] ”

The new Mission in 'OpenCulture: Unlocking the Potential of Collections', the Strategic Plan for 2011-14 is:

“ To support museums and galleries in unlocking the potential of Collections by:
  • Providing know-how
  • Supporting excellence in Collections
  • Challenging existing practices
  • Pioneering new ideas
  • Bringing experts together
 ”

Standards

The Collections Trust is a publisher of professional standards, including the SPECTRUM standard for Collections Information Management.[2] The Trust has also collaborated with the British Standards Institution to sponsor a joint Code of Practice for Cultural Collections Management.[3]

Publications

The Collections Trust publishes a series of books under the title A Practical Guide to..., addressing various areas of Cultural Collections Management.

International

The Collections Trust works internationally, both independently and in partnership with the International Council of Museums. International activities include the development of localised versions of the SPECTRUM standard in the Netherlands and Flanders. The Collections Trust is also responsible for delivering the UK's contribution to Europeana in partnership with the MLA.

History

The organisation was established as the Museum Documentation Association (MDA) in February 1977. The early team at the MDA were led by Martin Porter and included researchers Andrew Roberts (who later became head of the MDA) and Richard Light. Early achievements of the MDA included the production of the Social History and Industrial Classification Scheme (SHIC) in 1983 (in partnership with the SHIC Working Party),[4] the MDA Data Standard in 1991, and the SPECTRUM standard in 1994.

The MDA's Directors have included Wendy Sudbury (appointed in 1989) and Louise Smith (appointed in 1997). The MDA was formally re-launched under a new identity as the Collections Trust by Chief Executive Nick Poole (appointed in 2004). The Collections Trust launched the Collections Link website in May 2006.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Collections Trust: 'Making the Connection' Strategic Plan 2009-11
  2. ^ Collections Trust: SPECTRUM 3.1
  3. ^ Collections Trust: 'BSI PAS 197:2009 A Code of Practice for Cultural Collections Management'
  4. ^ Holm, S: Social History and Industrial Classification Scheme

External links

Stub icon This article about an organisation in the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.