Briefings on collections care launched following British Museum crisis

The first of three briefings was held by the Collections Trust this week in response to the suspected thefts at the British Museum and subsequent scrutiny of the sector's accountability for collections in its care.

The online meetings are aimed at senior managers and trustees seeking to review the policies and procedures in place at their own institutions.

The UK museum sector has a well-established standard for collections management, Spectrum, which is embedded into the Accreditation standard.

The one-hour briefings are intended to cover the core principles of three relevant Spectrum procedures – inventory, audit, and damage and loss – as well as signposting further training and advice available from Collections Trust to help staff and volunteers take follow-up action.

"Accountability for collections starts at the top, and we are keen to support trustees and managers who may not have collection management backgrounds but need to get up to speed on an issue unlikely to stay confined to the British Museum," said Collections Trust chief executive Kevin Gosling in an email to stakeholders.

"We will continue to review and refine our support in response to this challenge, and are always happy to talk in confidence about specific concerns."

Further briefings will be held on 22 September at 1000-1100 and 26 September at 1230-1330.

Visit the Collections Trust website to sign up.