Introduction

Museums and other cultural institutions that aim to achieve high professional standards in the management and documentation of their collections, for example, by complying with the relevant procedures defined in SPECTRUM, need to be able to rely on well-structured, efficient IT systems that support streamlined work procedures, facilitate well-structured data input and allow fast, accurate searching.

Increasingly, collections data has been used for web applications and shared with other institutions and it has been important to ensure systems interoperability and to be able to export and receive data, notably through compliance with standards such as Z39.50, OAI and XML.

MUSIMS has developed as a system to support the best professional practice in major national institutions in the UK and, through its modular structure, to provide the adaptability necessary to keep up with the possibilities presented by leading-edge information technology.

Full Description

Essentially, our collections management system supports the completion of a series of procedures required by the professional practice of museum staff in the acquisition, care and disposal of objects in the collection. This professional practice is codified in standards such as SPECTRUM.

The basic version of the system facilitates compliance with the 8 primary categories of SPECTRUM, while the standard version supports compliance with all the procedures (for details see below).

In addition, other procedures support collection level description and digitisation.

Both versions of the system are structured in such a way that staff can efficiently enter a variety of data and subsequently gain easy access to the information stored.

The following features of MUSIMS should be mentioned:

• Fields can easily be added or amended.
• Vocabulary control allows implementation either of publicly available thesauri or of institution-specific systems or indeed both.
• A Unicode implementation facilitates multi-lingual data entry and retrieval, including non-latin characters.
• The powerful searching capability and vocabulary features produce rapid and accurate results. Both Boolean and free-text searching facilities are provided.
• Professional practice is further supported by work-flow features and authority controls.
• Books, documents and image collections are easily catered for by the books, archive and image library modules that facilitate compliance with MARC, ISAD(G) and IPTC standards.

The various features outlined allow the creation of an important repository of information and images (including moving images) that in many institutions are increasingly being used for web or kiosk presentations and other forms of electronic publication.

Furthermore, institutions increasingly want to export their data, for instance, in order to facilitate co-operation with other museums and cultural institutions.

Interaction with other systems is facilitated through XML, Z39.50 or OAI gateways.

The database can also support (as an optional extra) paper-based procedures, allowing partially completed forms to be printed in the institution’s own format.

The primary SPECTRUM procedures are as follows :

• Object entry
• Loans in
• Acquisition
• Location and movement control
• Cataloguing
• Object exit
• Loans out
• Retrospective documentation

Elements of Deaccession and disposal are required for accreditation.

These procedures are supported in the Basic version of MuseumIndex+.

In addition, the following procedures are supported in the Standard version of MuseumIndex+:

• Pre-entry
• Inventory control
• Transport
• Object condition checking and technical assessment
• Conservation and collections care
• Risk management
• Insurance and indemnity management
• Valuation control
• Audit
• Rights management
• Use of collections
• Loss and damage
• Deaccession & disposal

Associated with each of these procedures are specific units of information.

Package Contents + Price

The package includes perpetual licences, a 90 day warranty, documentation and training.

Support, maintenance and ESCROW arrangements can be agreed.

MUSIMs also provides, not only for a valuable management resource for the institution concerned , but also the ability to share the data stored through Z39.50 and OAI gateways and export in XML.

Add-ons

• forms - allowing paper documents to be printed with the relevant information
• archives module
• library module
• image management module
• digital asset management module
• web gateway
• narratives module

Optional products

• ArchiveIndex+
• LibrariesIndex+
• ImageIndex+
• AssetIndex+