MDA Standards Workshop
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17th, 18th and 19th October 1994
Hospitality Inn, Portsmouth
 
The Workshop will focus on the use of the newly-published SPECTRUM: The
UK Museum Documentation Standard and will provide a forum for feedback.
 
Sessions will address the use of SPECTRUM for specific subject areas
and its application within collections management activities. The
results of the Workshop will provide MDA and the UK Museum
Documentation Project with an agenda for the development of SPECTRUM
over the next two years.
 
The Workshop is aimed at all staff who are actively concerned with
their museum's documentation work at any level, from data level through
to strategy and policy making. It will be equally applicable to those
using automated and paper-based systems. Lunch and refreshments are
 
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Monday 17 October
 
09.00 - 15.00   Using the Art and Architecture Thesaurus for object
                documentation
 
15.00 - 17.00   An introduction to SPECTRUM
 
Evening         Reception on the Mary Rose
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Tuesday 18 October
 
1) Introduction, SPECTRUM update and aims of the workshop
 
2) Documentation policy - case study outlining why good policy documents
are essential
 
3) Practical policy development; concurrent exercises focusing on:
        a) Loans
        b) Accountability
        c) Collections management
 
4) Collections management procedures and information requirements;
concurrent sessions for:
        a) Loans
        b) Accountability
        c) Entry/acquisition
 
5 & 6) Describing collections using SPECTRUM; Cataloguing procedure, followed
by concurrent specialist group sessions on:
        a) Archaeology and ethnography
        b) Life sciences
        c) Earth sciences
        d) Social history
        e) Decorative/fine arts and photography
 
Evening: Workshop dinner on HMS Warrior
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Wednesday 19 October
 
7) Developing cataloguing subject areas - concurrent sessions in the
following areas:
 
        a) Archaeology and ethnography
        b) Life sciences
        c) Earth sciences
        d) Social history
        e) Decorative/fine arts and photography
 
8) Review of cataloguing development agenda
 
9) Operational development issues; concurrent sessions for:
        a) Registrarial activities
        b) Conservation activities
        c) Policy and management
 
10) Maintaining SPECTRUM; concurrent sessions for
        a) Large museums
        b) Small museums
 
11) Resources for SPECTRUM; concurrent sessions for
        a) Large museums
        b) Small museums
 
*NB Running concurrently with sessions 10 and 11 will be the initial
discussion about a SPECTRUM-compatibility accreditation scheme for
collections management software. This session was not advertised in the
initial press release.
 
12) Summing up, close.
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The prices for the Workshop are as follows:
 
AAT Workshop                    25 pounds
Introduction to SPECTRUM        Free
Reception at the Mary Rose      Free
 
SPECTRUM Workshop               120 pounds
Workshop dinner on HMS Warrior  25 pounds
 
Contact Frances Bycroft at the address below for a booking form to be
posted or faxed if you would like to attend. We have also negotiated
special discounts for accommodation at the Hospitality Inn.
 
 
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 Tony Gill                         e-mail: [log in to unmask]
 Technical Outreach Manager
 Museum Documentation Association
 Lincoln House, 347 Cherry Hinton Road,         Tel:    +44 223 242848
 Cambridge CB1 4DH, UK                          Fax:    +44 223 213575
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