Information requirements - changes in Spectrum 5.0
This extract from the appendix volume of Spectrum 5.0 lists the changes to the information requirements in this latest version compared to Spectrum 4.0.
If you have been using Spectrum 4.0 or earlier versions, you will notice some changes in the new Spectrum 5.0. For a start, the suggested procedures are presented both as workflow diagrams (in the style of Spectrum 4.0) and also in the text form used in earlier editions.
Two procedures have been taken out:
Two procedures have been added:
The net result of these changes is that there are still 21 procedures. However, the number of primary procedures has increased from eight to nine. The old primary procedure Retrospective documentation has been renamed Documentation planning, and some of its content has moved to a new primary procedure, Inventory.
The names of some other procedures have also changed:
The procedures have been re-ordered so that the nine primary procedures come first. These are the procedures that UK museums must have in place to meet the requirements of the Accreditation scheme.
Initial consultation on Spectrum 5.0 revealed widespread confusion about which parts of Spectrum were mandatory, and which advisory. The format of the procedures has been changed to make it clearer that ‘the Spectrum standard’ is what you should aim to meet (particularly for the primary procedures if you are an Accredited museum in the UK). The ‘suggested procedure’ and ‘guidance notes’ are just that: suggestions and guidance only.
The ‘minimum requirements’ of each procedure have been reviewed, and illustrated with an example of why they are important. If we could not think of compelling reasons why existing requirements were important, they were dropped. In some cases, glaring omissions were put right by adding new requirements or amending existing ones.
Although some technical terms are unavoidable, you will hopefully notice that Spectrum 5.0 is written in a clearer style than previous editions.
You can download previous versions of Spectrum via the links below.
This extract from the appendix volume of Spectrum 5.0 lists the changes to the information requirements in this latest version compared to Spectrum 4.0.
Spectrum version 3.2 was released in 2009 as an update to Spectrum v.3.0. Click the link on the right-hand side to access Spectrum 3.2 as a PDF. The document includes the standard and the units of information. This version has now been archived and so many of the links within the text will no longer work.
The Spectrum standard has been revised and republished several times since the first publication in 1994. This version is Spectrum 4.0, published in March 2011.