MDA (Museum Documentation Association) announces the publication of a revised version of SPECTRUM, the UK and international industry standard for collections documentation and information management.
The new version (SPECTRUM 3.1) has been updated to reflect current best practice in the heritage sector and recent changes in legislation, representing a significant revision to the third edition, published in 2005. The revision has been published using XML technology, enabling it to be made available in a variety of formats. New key features include the integration of relevant parts of MLA London and MDA's joint initiative, Revisiting Collections. This is a new approach to collections information which helps museums to create services and exhibitions for diverse audiences. The revision also includes material to support the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's Cultural Property Unit guidelines due diligence in combating illicit trade. MDA Director Nick Poole commented; "SPECTRUM has to keep pace with the growing needs of museum professionals, particularly as they are required to manage increasingly sophisticated services. As an open standard produced in partnership with the community, SPECTRUM is ideally positioned not only to meet these challenges but also to lay the foundations for future development. This latest edition incorporates new ideas such as the need to capture knowledge and information from diverse museum audiences as part of our systems. Future developments will see SPECTRUM fulfilling its role as a mechanism for exchanging information between museums, both within the UK and throughout Europe." SPECTRUM is available FREE for non-commercial use, and is being used by thousands of individuals and heritage organisations worldwide. Commercial use of SPECTRUM is only available to MDA Partners, see: http://www.mda.org.uk/memp.htm The standard, which has been developed to represent consensus by museum practitioners, is designed to underpin the requirements of the Museum, Library and Archive Council's (MLA) Accreditation Scheme. HOW TO OBTAIN SPECTRUM 3.1 - Licensees of previous version of SPECTRUM DO NOT have to apply for a new license. Where you supplied an e-mail address MDA has sent you an e-mail detailing how to download the updated standard. If you have not had an e-mail please contact Gordon McKenna (gordon at mda.org.uk). For new licencees, the revised version of the standard is available to download from: http://www.mda.org.uk/spectrum.htm (after you fill in the license form) ******************************************************* Gordon McKenna e-mail: gordon at mda.org.uk MDA The Spectrum Building, The Michael Young Centre, Purbeck Road Cambridge CB2 2PD, UK Tel: +44 1223 415760 Fax: +44 1223 415960 Setting the standard for managing collections information *************** http://www.mda.org.uk/ ****************
