10 Current Trends in Collections Care

Copyright Collections Trust 2011. Published under a CC license

Collections for the Future:10 Key Trends in UK Museums

Nick Poole, CEO, Collections Trust

Introducing me

• CEO of Collections Trust

• Chair of International Council of Museums UK

• Chair of Europeana Network

• Background in banking and corporate finance

• Working in museums since 1998

• Can’t speak Swedish (sorry!)

Introducing Collections Trust

• Support museums, archives, libraries and galleries in unlocking the potential of their collections, by:

– Providing know-how– Developing and promoting excellence– Challenging existing practices– Pioneering new ideas– Bringing experts together

Our work

• 5 Programmes:

– OpenCulture– Collections Link– Culture Grid– Excellence in Collections (Standards)– International

• www.collectionstrust.org.uk for more information

10 Current Trends

• ‘Holistic’ management• Risk management• Object-centric management• Workflows• Using Stored Collections• Using data & visualisation• Understanding impact of use• Understanding Light• Understanding Cost• Basic Collections Care

1: ‘Holistic’ Management

• Understanding how all of the elements of the museum, library or archive work together

• Understanding the impact of decisions in one area (such as collections care) on other areas (such as access or education)

• Allowing for change and variation over time, while preserving an environment that is generally beneficial to the preservation of the objects

• Less about absolute standards, much more about decisions, balance, cost/benefits and risk

Conceptual model of an organisationConceptual model of an organisation

Conceptual model of museum functionsConceptual model of museum functions

Putting it togetherPutting it together

UsersUsers PoliticsPolitics FundingFunding CultureCulture

Organisation’s Mission StatementOrganisation’s Mission Statement

Collections Management PolicyCollections Management Policy

CareCare UseUse LearnLearn DevelopDevelop

PeoplePeople ProcessesProcesses SystemsSystems InfoInfo

Evaluation & improvementEvaluation & improvement

Rich, meaningful experiences for usersRich, meaningful experiences for users

The ‘place’ of Conservation

• Very important to view Conservation as an integrated part of the whole organisation, not as a separate function

• Understanding the place of conservation in the value chain of delivering experiences for users

• Avoiding thinking of the institution in terms of ‘front of house’ and ‘back of house’

• Understanding the economic value of conservation

2: Risk Management

• Everything involves a degree of Risk

• Different interpretations of Risk:

– Object-centric risks– Disaster management– Institutional/financial risks– Systemic risks– Legal risks

• The role of the Museum, Library or Archive manager is not to remove risk, but to make decisions based on a balanced assessment of risks and likely outcomes.

3. Object-centric Management

OBJECT

Intended lifespan

Intended use

Material properties

Object factors

LightHumidity

Pollution

Ventilation

Environmental factors

Energy use

4. Workflows

• Thinking about the processes inside the museum, library or archive

• Analysing what the institution does and reducing complexity to deliver efficiency

• Understanding how different processes (such as acquisition) interact with others (such as condition checking)

• Based on the SPECTRUM 4.0 Standard

• V&A used workflows to analyse their Acquisitions process & reduced the workload by approximately 30 hours per object

5. Using Stored Collections

• Making more active use of Collections in store

• Understanding the barriers and opportunities

• ‘Collections for People’ research programme

• Data & analysis now online: www.ucl.ac.uk/storedcollections

• 20% of UK museums report more than 400 visitors to stores per year

• 54% report significantly increased demand for access to stores

• Size doesn’t matter, but attitude does

6. Using Data & Visualisation

• ‘Smart’ buildings are generating significant quantities of data

• Data can be visualised to develop strategies, for example for pest control and environmental management

• UK National Archives ‘Building Environment Simulation Project’

• Natural History Museum ‘Integrated Pest Management Visualisation Tool’

• Visualising participation, travel and environmental impact

Building Simulation Project• 22-month project assessing impact of:

– Changes in external environmental conditions– Changes in building structure– Changes in operation of HVAC– Changes in quantity of content– Changes relating to occupancy and use

• Annual energy load = 33kWh/m2/year, of which 70% is cooling, 30% heating

• HVAC systems can be powered down in April, May & December and at weekends while maintaining a reasonable comfort level

• A net 43% saving in energy load can be achieved

127 data points across the National Archives stores providing near-realtime data about the interaction of internal and external environmental changes and collections impacts such as mould growth.

7. Understanding use

• One of the most significant sources of variation in heat, humidity and environmental hazards (eg. vibration) for Collections is people

• Maintaining a normalised internal environment isn’t simply a question of setting upper and lower limits for temperature and humidity

• It’s about managing the building proactively in a way that is sympathetic to the way it is used

8. Understanding Light

• One of the most significant factors in energy load and temperature

• Very emotive issue (particularly for fine-art collections!)

• Many museums are considering moving from traditional light sources to LED lighting

• Understanding not only the environmental impact, but the impact on the ‘quality’ of light

9. Understanding Cost

• Heating and energy bills have increased dramatically (in some cases by up to 35% since 2006)

• Very little overall investment available for Conservation & Collections Management

10. Basic Collections Care

• Preservation & collections care are the responsibility of the whole organisation

• Curators, managers and other specialists need to be educated about the role of Conservation and collections care and their impact on it

OpenCulture 2012

• Annual Great Collections Management Exhibition and Conference

• 26th & 27th June 2012 in London

• UK & international Collections Management community

• Speakers covering new developments in Collections

• Opportunities for networking & collaboration

• www.collectionslink.org.uk/openculture2012

Contact

Nick PooleCollections Trust

nick@collectionstrust.org.uk

@NickPoole1

http://www.collectionstrust.org.uk

This presentation is online at http://www.slideshare.net/nickpoole

10 Current Trends in Collections Care

stored collections

opportunities collections

active use of collections

impact of use

environmental impact

uk museums report

impact of decisions

different processes

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