the future of museum documentation

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Documentation at the heart of the museum of the future Nick Poole CEO, Collections Trust

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Presentation to the 2014 CIDOC Documentation school in Sao Paulo, Brazil

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Page 1: The Future of Museum Documentation

Documentation at the heart of the museum of the future

Nick PooleCEO, Collections Trust

Page 2: The Future of Museum Documentation

Contents

• Introduction• What is a collection anyway...?• How our organisations are changing• What is Documentation?• Trust and Trustability• Strategic Collections Management• SPECTRUM, COPE and the CRM• The future of Documentation

Page 3: The Future of Museum Documentation

Collections Trust

• Working with 25,000 museums in 18 countries worldwide

– Connecting people with collections– Supporting professional development– Building digital capacity– Demonstrating the value of Collections Management

• Our mission is to help ensure that our shared cultural heritage is enjoyed by current generations and passed on to future generations in better condition and greater abundance than we received it – the mission of the cultural commons.

• www.collectionstrust.org.uk

Page 4: The Future of Museum Documentation

Introducing myself

• CEO of Collections Trust

• Former Chair of ICOM UK & Trustee of the Museums Association

• Working in museum documentation for 15 years

• Advising UK & European Governments on cultural policy

• Currently responsible for GBP15m in digital/documentation programmes in European museums

Page 5: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is a Collection?

Physical Collections

Physical Collections

Page 6: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is a Collection?

Administrative Information

Administrative Information

Physical Collections

Physical Collections

Page 7: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is a Collection?

Administrative Information

Administrative Information

Collections-based

Knowledge

Collections-based

Knowledge

Physical Collections

Physical Collections

Page 8: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is a Collection?

Administrative Information

Administrative Information

Collections-based

Knowledge

Collections-based

Knowledge

Physical Collections

Physical Collections

NarrativesNarratives

Page 9: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is a Collection?

Administrative Information

Administrative Information

Digital AssetsDigital Assets

Collections-based

Knowledge

Collections-based

Knowledge

Physical Collections

Physical Collections

NarrativesNarratives

Page 10: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is a Collection?

Administrative Information

Administrative Information

Digital AssetsDigital Assets

Collections-based

Knowledge

Collections-based

Knowledge

Physical Collections

Physical Collections

NarrativesNarratives

Physical surrogates (3D print)

Physical surrogates (3D print)

Page 11: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is a Collection?

Administrative Information

Administrative Information

Digital AssetsDigital Assets

Collections-based

Knowledge

Collections-based

Knowledge

Physical Collections

Physical Collections

NarrativesNarratives

Physical surrogates (3D print)

Physical surrogates (3D print)

The nature of the material

which society trusts us to

collect, manage and care for

has changed beyond all

recognition...

The nature of the material

which society trusts us to

collect, manage and care for

has changed beyond all

recognition...

Page 12: The Future of Museum Documentation

The changing role of museums

The role of museums has always been a balance between physical protection and facilitating public access

Page 13: The Future of Museum Documentation

The changing role of museums

The role of museums has always been a balance between physical protection and facilitating access

We’re replacing access with activism, relevance, engagement & participation

Page 14: The Future of Museum Documentation

The changing role of museums

The role of museums has always been a balance between physical protection and facilitating access

We’re replacing access with activism, relevance, engagement & participation

Delivering a relevant, exciting museum service depends on supporting an increased range of different types of collecting and an increased range of different types of use

Page 15: The Future of Museum Documentation

The changing role of museums

The role of museums has always been a balance between physical protection and facilitating access

We’re replacing access with activism, relevance, engagement & participation

Delivering a relevant, exciting museum service depends on supporting an increased range of different types of collecting and an increased range of different types of use

To become relevant, the museum has to become responsive, which starts with collections & documentation.

Page 16: The Future of Museum Documentation

The ‘traditional’ museum...

Most cultural organisations operate in ‘vertical’ silos

Education Management Collections Retail IT

Page 17: The Future of Museum Documentation

The ‘traditional’ museum...

Most cultural organisations operate in ‘vertical’ silos

Education Management Collections Retail IT

Page 18: The Future of Museum Documentation

User-centred design for museums

Page 19: The Future of Museum Documentation
Page 20: The Future of Museum Documentation

It’s about finding the fastest, simplest & most reproducible way of giving people meaningful, emotional experiences

Not about partitioning peoples’ lives, but about letting them express the kind of connection they want to make.

Not about creating knowledge for one particular group, but creating knowledge that can be repurposed for and extended by many different groups dynamically.

Page 21: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is Documentation?

Documentation is the process by which we record a set of assertions about a given thing in our collections...

Page 22: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is Documentation?

Page 23: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is Documentation?

What is it?What is it?

Where is it?Where is it?

What is it made of?What is it made of?

Who owns it?Who owns it?

Why do we have it?

Why do we have it?

What is it connected to?

What is it connected to?

Who collected it?

Who collected it? Where was it

found?Where was it

found?

How big is it?How big is it?

How much is it worth?

How much is it worth?

Page 24: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is Documentation?

What is it?What is it?

Where is it?Where is it?

What is it made of?What is it made of?

Who owns it?Who owns it?

Why do we have it?

Why do we have it?

What is it connected to?

What is it connected to?

Who collected it?

Who collected it? Where was it

found?Where was it

found?

How big is it?How big is it?

How much is it worth?

How much is it worth?

Why should I care?

Why should I care?

What does it mean?

What does it mean?

What story does it tell?What story does it tell?

What is its context?

What is its context?

How do I relate to it?How do I

relate to it?What makes

it unique?What makes

it unique?

What does it help me

understand?

What does it help me

understand?Is it ethical/

political/ moral?

Is it ethical/ political/ moral?

Page 25: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is Documentation?

Page 26: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is Documentation?

Page 27: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is Documentation?

Page 28: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is Documentation?

Page 29: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is Documentation?

Our visitors must be free to wander the pathswe create, create their own, or tell us why a path is broken and should lead somewhere else...

Page 30: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is Documentation?

The aim of documentation is not the creation of fixed points, but to facilitate the museum in reflecting the changing nature of knowledge & understanding about our collections.

Page 31: The Future of Museum Documentation

What is Documentation?

In a connected world, knowledge flows freely between contexts and communities, becoming greater & more valuable as it travels.

Page 32: The Future of Museum Documentation

In the real world, museums remain among the most trusted civic institutions, more than banks, politicians, broadcasters, teachers and the church.

In a world of hyper-connected information, trust is a currency

Museums are rich in trust because of professionalism and accountability – which are expressed through Documentation, Conservation & Collections Management

Page 33: The Future of Museum Documentation

Strategic Collections Management

• Not about practice for its own sake, but about designing an organisation that works well & works together

• Making decisions about documentation and collections based on the needs of the audience and the organisation

• Ensuring effective management based on the right balance of skills, resources, systems and processes...

Page 34: The Future of Museum Documentation

UsersUsers PoliticsPolitics FundingFunding CultureCulture

Page 35: The Future of Museum Documentation

Organisation’s Mission StatementOrganisation’s Mission Statement

UsersUsers PoliticsPolitics FundingFunding CultureCulture

Page 36: The Future of Museum Documentation

Organisation’s Mission StatementOrganisation’s Mission Statement

Collections Management PolicyCollections Management Policy

UsersUsers PoliticsPolitics FundingFunding CultureCulture

Page 37: The Future of Museum Documentation

Organisation’s Mission StatementOrganisation’s Mission Statement

Collections Management PolicyCollections Management Policy

CareCare UseUse LearnLearn DevelopDevelop

UsersUsers PoliticsPolitics FundingFunding CultureCulture

Page 38: The Future of Museum Documentation

Organisation’s Mission StatementOrganisation’s Mission Statement

Collections Management PolicyCollections Management Policy

CareCare UseUse LearnLearn DevelopDevelop

UsersUsers PoliticsPolitics FundingFunding CultureCulture

PeoplePeople ProcessesProcesses SystemsSystems InfoInfo

Page 39: The Future of Museum Documentation

Organisation’s Mission StatementOrganisation’s Mission Statement

Collections Management PolicyCollections Management Policy

CareCare UseUse LearnLearn DevelopDevelop

UsersUsers PoliticsPolitics FundingFunding CultureCulture

PeoplePeople ProcessesProcesses SystemsSystems InfoInfo

Evaluation & improvementEvaluation & improvement

Page 40: The Future of Museum Documentation

Organisation’s Mission StatementOrganisation’s Mission Statement

Collections Management PolicyCollections Management Policy

CareCare UseUse LearnLearn DevelopDevelop

UsersUsers PoliticsPolitics FundingFunding CultureCulture

PeoplePeople ProcessesProcesses SystemsSystems InfoInfo

Evaluation & improvementEvaluation & improvement

Rich, meaningful experiences for usersRich, meaningful experiences for users

Page 41: The Future of Museum Documentation

Organisation’s Mission StatementOrganisation’s Mission Statement

Collections Management PolicyCollections Management Policy

CareCare UseUse LearnLearn DevelopDevelop

UsersUsers PoliticsPolitics FundingFunding CultureCulture

PeoplePeople ProcessesProcesses SystemsSystems InfoInfo

Evaluation & improvementEvaluation & improvement

Rich, meaningful experiences for usersRich, meaningful experiences for users

A continuous cycle of

improvement,

learning, review,

planning and

development

A continuous cycle of

improvement,

learning, review,

planning and

development

Page 42: The Future of Museum Documentation

Organisation’s Mission StatementOrganisation’s Mission Statement

Collections Management PolicyCollections Management Policy

CareCare UseUse LearnLearn DevelopDevelop

UsersUsers PoliticsPolitics FundingFunding CultureCulture

PeoplePeople ProcessesProcesses SystemsSystems InfoInfo

Evaluation & improvementEvaluation & improvement

Rich, meaningful experiences for usersRich, meaningful experiences for users

Page 43: The Future of Museum Documentation

The core elements of SPECTRUM

• SPECTRUM helps museums review their work with their collections, celebrate good practice and identify opportunities to improve!

• SPECTRUM Standard including translations/ localisations, SPECTRUM Digital Asset Management, the SPECTRUM Schema and the Archive of previous versions of SPECTRUM

• SPECTRUM Labs, including new ideas and potential applications of the SPECTRUM Standard

• SPECTRUM Resources which support the application of the standard

• SPECTRUM Community which includes anyone who uses the standard nationally or internationally

Page 44: The Future of Museum Documentation

STANDARD

WORLDWIDE COMMUNITY (7,600)

COMPLIANCE(23,000)

GUIDANCEPDF/XML/PRINT+ SCHEMA

NEW IDEAS

Page 45: The Future of Museum Documentation

Create Once, Publish Everywhere (COPE)

• If the standards, systems, processes and structures of museum documentation are to meet the current and future needs of our audiences, we need approaches that are adaptable and scalable

• Designing scalable information systems in museums means ‘no single-use information’ – information that can be discovered, re-used and adapted to different needs, channels or experiences

• Instead of designing information around one specific use (collections management, documentation, mobile apps, websites, catalogues), we design information so that it can flow dynamically across different uses.

Page 46: The Future of Museum Documentation

COPE in practice

(From a presentation by Paul Rowe, CEO, Vernon Systems)

Page 47: The Future of Museum Documentation

COPE in practice

(From a presentation by Paul Rowe, CEO, Vernon Systems)

Page 48: The Future of Museum Documentation

COPE in practice

(From a presentation by Paul Rowe, CEO, Vernon Systems)

Page 49: The Future of Museum Documentation

Sharing simple information

(From a presentation by Paul Rowe, CEO, Vernon Systems)

Title

Description

Media

Web address

Sewing bag and contents

Sewing bag and contents; a mottled blue, felt bag with two short, plaited felt handles. Each side of the bag is decorated with applied felt flowers in pink and yellow. The bag is dated 1938. The bag contains many scraps of fabric; a plastic shoe horn; a matchbox; a baby's shoe and socks;

http://nzgirlhistory.net/object/32498/

Page 50: The Future of Museum Documentation

Sharing on social sites

(From a presentation by Paul Rowe, CEO, Vernon Systems)

Page 51: The Future of Museum Documentation

COPE & the CIDOC CRM

CIDOC CRM

LIDO, ESE, ?

Abstraction layer

Collections management layer

Data interchange layer

CIDOC CRM opens up the potential to share rich narrative context using the COPE approach, rather than just simple object information

Page 52: The Future of Museum Documentation

The future of Documentation?

Page 53: The Future of Museum Documentation

There is a golden thread that connects the card-index cataloguing of the 1970’s with the world of linked open data & the delivery of dynamic, relevant, modern and accountable museum experiences (online and onsite)

Documentation is about much more than cataloguing objects, it is what allows those objects to tell and re-tell their stories

In a connected world, it is the professionalism and accountability of our documentation & collections care which give us our trusted status

Page 54: The Future of Museum Documentation

Practical Guides

• A Practical Guide to Collections Management

• A Practical Guide to Documentation

• Both available from Collections Trust as books and e-books

• www.collectionstrust.org.uk/shop

Page 55: The Future of Museum Documentation

Obrigado!

www.collectionstrust.org.uk@NickPoole1

These slides online at http://www.slideshare.net/collectionstrust