Renaissance London
Information and Records Management Project
2007-2012
From 2007, the Information
and Records Management Project helped to raise awareness of, and increase
capacity for, information and records management in
Initially the project worked
with the four London Hub museums (Museum of London, Geffrye Museum, Horniman
Museum, London Transport Museum) to survey current record-keeping and
information management practices, and develop and support museum-specific
action plans to establish and maintain good practice.
The project then applied the
lessons learned by offering training in different aspects of information and
records management to museum staff across the region; from 2009 individual
consultancies were delivered to 19
Case study of the project 2007-2011
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/CaseStudy200711.pdf
The case study outlines the
lessons learned, how the methodology was developed, and the implications of the
project’s legacy. It also details the project’s background, its delivery within
the Hub and the wider
Symposium: Managing Museum Information in the
21st Century, Museum
of London
In the age of flourishing
digital media how does a museum decide which projects to develop and what
social media to engage with? What happens to the information after a digital
resource is past its active life? How should we manage our information and does
it ultimately matter? The symposium programme comprised a review of the project
and its outcomes, practical tips and tools for managing information in museums,
and a strategic overview of the information-specific challenges facing the
museum sector. Over 70 participants attended the event to discuss the context
of museum information in the 21st century. Three of the presentations given can
be viewed below:
Museum of London
Claire Sussums, Head of
Information Resources
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/Sussums20120229.pdf
Museum of London :
Overview of the London
Sarah R Demb, Records
Manager
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/Demb20120229.pdf
The National Archives: Managing information
without a parachute
Tim Callister, Information
Management Consultant
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/Callister20120229.pdf
Collections Trust CEO: New contexts for museum
information (blog with links to his presentation and a white paper of the same
name)
Nick Poole, CEO
Guidance resources
To reach as many museums as
possible, the project has produced a range of guidance resources that are
freely available online. Drawing on specialist knowledge and the experience
gained through consultancy work with regional museums, the resources provide
sector-specific guidance on information and records management. All the
products have been peer-reviewed, and are designed to be scalable to any
museum.
Toolkits are designed for staff developing information or
records management programmes in their museum, comprising practical
step-by-step guidance, sample documents to adapt locally, and training
resources:
1.
Records
Management Toolkit
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/toolkits/RecordsManagement.pdf
2.
Information
Policy Toolkit
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/toolkits/InformationPolicy.pdf
E-learning tools are designed to be included in inductions or
refresher training; they take around 15 minutes each to complete and are aimed
at all museum staff. The tools can be accessed on-line below, or downloaded,
installed and customised.
1.
Records
Management e-learning tool
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/resources/RMe-tool/
2.
Downloadable Records
Management e-learning tool
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/downloads/RMe-tool.zip
3.
Installation and
customisation guide
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/downloads/RMe-toolGuide.pdf
4.
Data Protection
Act e-learning tool
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/resources/DPAe-tool/
5.
Downloadable
Data Protection Act e-learning tool
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/downloads/DPAe-tool.zip
6.
Installation and
customisation guide
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/downloads/DPAe-toolGuide.pdf
7.
Information
Management e-learning tool
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/resources/IMe-tool/
8.
Downloadable
Information Management e-learning tool
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/downloads/IMe-tool.zip
9.
Installation and
customisation guide
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/downloads/IMe-toolGuide.pdf
Fact sheets for distribution or display in museum offices cover
key points on a range of topics:
1.
Records
Management in Museums - What is it? Why should museum staff care?
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/factsheets/staff.pdf
2.
Records
Management in Museums - What is it? Why should museum managers care?
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/factsheets/managers.pdf
3.
Records
Management in Museums - What should you keep?
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/factsheets/ephemera.pdf
4.
Records
Management in Museums - Managing your email
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/factsheets/email.pdf
5.
Records Management
in Museums - Version control
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/factsheets/versioncontrol.pdf
6.
Records
Management in Museums - Naming your files and folders
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/factsheets/naming.pdf
7.
Information
Management in Museums - How knowledge, information and records fit together
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/factsheets/knowledge.pdf
8.
Information
Management in Museums - What is an Information Audit?
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/factsheets/audit.pdf
9.
Information
Management in Museums - What is an Information Policy?
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/factsheets/policy.pdf
Quick Reference Guides Museum
Six Quick Guides, a series aimed at helping museums identify and
address the kinds of information management issues likely to arise from the
kind of change now being experienced across the sector. They will help you
tackle the impact of the external economic environment from the perspective of
change management, identifying the risks, priorities and opportunities
presented to your museum. Drafts of the six guides are now available online for
feedback, and we expect to hold a consultation event in Autumn 2012.
1.
Understanding
Change
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/downloads/1UnderstandingChange.pdf
2.
Surviving
Separation
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/downloads/2SurvivingSeparation.pdf
3.
Museum Mergers
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/downloads/3MuseumMergers.pdf
4.
Assessing Risk
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/downloads/4AssessingRisk.pdf
5.
Maximising
Opportunities
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/downloads/5MaximisingOpportunities.pdf
6.
Real-life
Implementation
http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/downloads/6RealLifeImplementation.pdf
Listserv - established by the project as a forum to connect
with others interested in museum information and records management.
Join at: www.jiscmail.ac.uk/museuminfo-records
Contact:
Sarah R Demb, Records Manager,
sdemb@museumoflondon.org.uk