National foreword

This British Standard is the UK implementation of EN 17820:2023. It supersedes PAS 197:2009 which is withdrawn.

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee B/560/2.

A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its committee manager.

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication has been prepared in good faith, however no representation, warranty, assurance or undertaking (express or implied) is or will be made, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by BSI in relation to the adequacy, accuracy, completeness or reasonableness of this publication. All and any such responsibility and liability is expressly disclaimed to the full extent permitted by the law.

This publication is provided as is, and is to be used at the recipient’s own risk.

The recipient is advised to consider seeking professional guidance with respect to its use of this publication.

This publication is not intended to constitute a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 30 June 2023.

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 7 May 2023.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and United Kingdom.

European foreword

This document (EN 17820:2023) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 346 “Conservation of Cultural Heritage”, the secretariat of which is held by UNI.

This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by December 2023, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by December 2023.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.

According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.

Introduction

All organisations that hold moveable cultural heritage collections, such as archives, libraries, museums and galleries, have a responsibility to manage these collections in a planned and systematic manner so that they continue to be preserved and accessible. This document sets out a framework for managing collections, beginning with an organization’s purpose in holding them, followed by the policies it seeks to meet and the core procedures that need to be established. It promotes ongoing evaluation and review of these policies and procedures.

Many cultural heritage institutions have developed their own approaches to managing their collections. Some countries regulate this in law for government institutions and other public organisations, setting uniform quality levels and often referring to widely recognized codes of practice (for example the Code of Ethics for Museums of the International Council of Museums). This document aims to complement these regulations and codes by providing a framework and operational specifications for good practice. The document is formed of an introductory normative Principles section followed by normative annexes which contain the principal core policies and procedures that all cultural heritage institutions with collections apply as a minimum, in addition to any local and national policies required of them.

1 Scope

This document specifies a framework and standards for managing cultural heritage collections. It is intended for use by collecting organisations such as archives, libraries, museums and galleries. It is applicable to all types of moveable cultural heritage, whether in physical or digital formats. It promotes core essential policies and procedures that all such organisations seek to apply as a minimum and encourages a cycle of continuous review and improvement.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 Principles for managing collections

4.1 Overview and responsibilities

4.2 Mission statement

4.3 Policies and procedures

4.4 Planning and review

Bibliography

BS EN 17820:2023

Conservation of Cultural Heritage. Specifications for the management of moveable cultural heritage collections

Current

Published:

30 Jun 2023