Collections Management
the future
CV
CEO, Collections Trust
Chair, ICOM UK
Chair, European Council of Content Providers
Councillor, Museums Association
Councillor, CILIP
Trustee, Digital Learning Network
Special Advisor to DCMS
Special Advisor to European Commission
What is Collections Trust?
Collections Trust is an independent organisation built 
around Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and 
inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation 
of freedom, justice and peace in the world, 

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people, 


Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law, 



(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in 
the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the 
arts and to share in scientific advancement and 
its benefits.

Museums are a human right. Our duty as museum professionals is to 
empower people in exercising this right. The purpose of Collections Management 
is to ensure that they can enjoy this right now and for many, many generations to come.

Collections Trust aspires to be the world leader in professional Collections Management
Our aim is to work with museums, archives and libraries to maximise opportunities 
for and the quality of public engagement with Collections.

BSI - Standards in a Time of Recession
Reducing costs and improving efficiency
Supporting Business Continuity
Promoting Customer retention
Supporting staff development
Providing a basis for diversification and innovation
Keeping control of inventory
Increasing market presence
Improving the Business
Reducing unnecessary risk
Creating and maintaining competitive advantage
BSI Standard 197: A Code of Practice for Collections Management

Sponsored by the Collections Trust

A collective definition for museums, archives and libraries

Every museum should have a strategic mission

Every decision about Collections should contribute to that mission

The continuum between use, care, knowledge and development

Understanding the principle of workflow - that every museum is made up of a
series of business processes, and the quality and integrity of that museum's
offer depends on how well those processes are managed
Things are tough right now, and going to be tougher, but there has never been
a better time to be coming in to museums. We are seeing a once-in-a-lifetime, 
fundamental shift in the way culture is provided to people, a fundamental change
in the economics and delivery of cultural services. 

It is up to you to create the future of museums.


On the 8th August 1900, David Hilbert stood in front of the International 
Congress of Mathematicians and presented them with the 10 problems which
he felt would define the next century. 

In presenting them, he said....


Who among us would not be happy to lift the veil behind which is hidden the future; to gaze at the coming developments of our science and at the secrets of its development in the centuries to come? What will be the ends toward which the spirit of future generations of mathematicians will tend? What methods, what new facts will the new century reveal in the vast and rich field of mathematical thought?
What are museums for?
How do we avoid the 'single story'?
Is a museum a business or a public good?
Is there a Right to Culture?
How do we balance authority and openness?
Should museums own stuff?
How can we get rid of more stuff?
What is the Internet for?
What role should the State play in museums?
How will we collect the future?