A presentation (edited) delivered at OpenCulture 2012 detailing the benefits of the Collections Trust SPECTRUM Partners Scheme and SPECTRUM Compliance for the collections community and for software vendors and details of how you can find out more about both.
2. Collections Trust working in Partnership
Collections Trust is committed to delivering real
benefit to its partner organisations, and to
working in partnership to drive best practice in
Collections Management.
3. SPECTRUM Partner Scheme
The SPECTRUM Partners Scheme gives collections
management software vendors a licence for the commercial
use of SPECTRUM with their products.
Only SPECTRUM Partners are allowed to say they are
SPECTRUM Compliant after a formal verification process.
4.
5. Why is the SPECTRUM Partners
Scheme beneficial to users?
• SPECTRUM Partners can incorporate access to SPECTRUM 4.0 within their
systems either as a link or a help file so you can refer to SPECTRUM
procedures and units of information
• Our work with the SPECTRUM Partners enables the development of
SPECTRUM
• Only SPECTRUM Partners are allowed to say they are SPECTRUM
Compliant, after a formal verification process - you can check this with us
if you are uncertain of a company’s status or claims
• We gather information about all Partner systems and ask the questions
we know will be important now and in the future to you to save you time
6. SPECTRUM Partner Software Survey
•On Collections Link
•Will be updated this autumn
with the new SPECTRUM
Partner systems added
•Your checklist for who is a
Partner
•Saves you the effort of
comparing the market
•Provides details of users so
you can ask advice
7. Benefits to Partners
• Commercial licence to use SPECTRUM
• Opportunity for their systems to be validated for SPECTRUM Compliance
• Adds value to their company, increasing trust in the sector
• Connection to sector professionals
• Demonstrates their commitment to national standards
• Access to sector intelligence
• Part of the SPECTRUM Community
• Featured in the Software Survey
• Opportunity to collaborate on innovative European Projects
9. What is SPECTRUM Compliance?
• The process by which a SPECTRUM Partner’s system is tested
to check if it is able to represent the SPECTRUM units of
information so that it can support the user through all 21
procedures of SPECTRUM.
• Compliance testing is completed online with follow up
discussions, recommendations and possibly changes to a
system before verification is achieved.
10. Why is SPECTRUM Compliance
beneficial to users?
• SPECTRUM Compliant software enables you to capture all of the
requirements of SPECTRUM within your Collections Management System
• If you need a system that supports all of the SPECTRUM Procedures, and
represents the SPECTRUM units of information, you know Compliant
Partner systems can provide this
• Compliant Partners should be able to explain to you how they can
represent all of the units of information in the Primary Procedures (and
more)
11. What does SPECTRUM Compliance
mean to the Partners?
• A lot of work!
• Over 400 SPECTRUM units of information to be considered
• Particular emphasis on the 8 Primary Procedures
• All 21 Procedures must be supported
• Access to SPECTRUM 4.0 must be provided through help text or a link
• May involve altering their system
• Compliance top-ups
12. Things to consider...
• You may not need a Compliant system
• All SPECTRUM Partners are committed to working with the standard
• Always discuss with your supplier what they offer as standard and
consider your needs now and in the future
• Use the SPECTRUM Community and Software Survey for research and to
ask questions
13. Find out more
• Join the SPECTRUM Community on Collections Link
• Use the resources
• Talk to the SPECTRUM Partners
• Talk to Collections Trust
Thank you
Laura Whitton, laura@collectionstrust.org.uk
Notes de l'éditeur
We have been working in Partnership with a number of organisations and companies for many years but the SPECTRUM Partner Scheme is the Partnership that really helps drive best practice in Collections Management throughout the sector and enables development of SPECTRUM year on year.
The Partner Scheme gives software suppliers a commercial licence to use SPECTRUM in their systems and be working with us to develop the standard. It also gives Partners the opportunity to be verified for SPECTRUM Compliance if they would like to take that step. There are some companies that like to claim SPECTRUM Compliance in their marketing, but if we haven’t told you that they are Compliant, then they have not undertaken the verification process and you cannot be guaranteed their system will support your work.
Current SPECTRUM Partners. 15 in total with 19 software systems between them.
Why is the SPECTRUM Partners Scheme beneficial to you? You have probably heard of the Scheme but may not know, beyond the names of who is involved, what significance it holds for you. As they have a licence to use SPECTRUM in their systems, Partners can design their systems around SPECTRUM making it easier and clearer for you to know where to capture information about your collections. They can also link to SPECTRUM or use the text and flowcharts of SPECTRUM as help files in their system. Through the Partner Scheme, we are able to work on the development of SPECTRUM so it is an evolving standard and remains relevant to the work you are doing in your collections. SPECTRUM Compliance guarantees you a level of certainly about the system’s capabilities. Partners work with us to provide information over the course of the Partnership year that we can make available to you in order to assist your decision making.
Quite a long survey Partners must fill in about each of their systems asking questions on cost, users, training support, interoperability, technical specifications, compliance with standards and who to contact for assistance. We cover many areas that you might not think are of significance to you now but could be in a few years and as most organisations end up keeping the same system for a number of years, you need to know what future priorities could be and take decisions that will help you long-term. All Partners asked the same questions, we give you the information and the means to follow up with them
Benefits of the Scheme to Partners
Survey on Collections Link at end of 2011 What systems do people use? Are they thinking of changing anytime soon? If so, what is their first priority when choosing a new system? Interesting to us as it demonstrated the high level of sector engagement with SPECTRUM Interesting to our Partners as it shows people’s current priorities and where they may need to consider development of their systems
Units of information cover lots of collection types and their requirements so that these systems are Compliant for a diverse range of collections New for 2012 – we will be asking already Compliant Partners to ensure they are still Compliant with the most recent version of SPECTRUM – SPECTRUM 4.0, testing any changes that have been made to the standard against their systems so that you know the results are still reliable.
A collection might not need a Compliant system – all SPECTRUM Partners engage with the standard, understand it and aim to support it but there could be a very good reason why they are not a Compliant system and that could be to your benefit. If they have a lighter version of a system, perhaps online, very easy to use, limited fields to what they know most small organisations need, and they can offer this for free, or significantly cheaper than a fully Compliant system, but you get the guarantee that they are still licenced to use SPECTRUM and involved in all of its developments through the SPECTRUM Partners Scheme, then why do you need more? Only you and your collections can determine what exactly you need – always discuss this with software suppliers before making any decisions.