Location and Movement Control
(SPECTRUM Procedure: Location and movement control)
Introduction
The current and previous locations of all objects in a collection should be logged. This will enable
objects to be found easily and losses to be detected promptly.
Location and movement control is a Primary SPECTRUM Procedure, required for Museum Accreditation.
The SPECTRUM Minimum Standard for the procedure requires it to:








Provide a record of the location where an object is normally displayed or stored;
Provide a record of the location of an object when it is not at its normal location;
Enable access to location information by, at the very least, object number and by location name;
Provide an up-to-date record of the relocation of an object within the physical or
administrative boundaries of the organisation;
Provide an up-to-date record of any movement of an object across the physical or
administrative boundaries of the organisation;
Provide a record of the person responsible for moving an object;
Provide a record or a statement of the persons responsible for authorising object movement;
Provide a history of an object's previous locations, while in the organisation's care.
What policy decisions are needed?
(see Location and movement control - Policy requirements)
Only persons assigned the appropriate authority should be permitted to amend a location or
movement record. Location records should be made secure in order to prevent unauthorised
persons gaining access.
The organisation should define its physical or administrative boundaries in relation to the
movement of objects.
The organisation must have a location and movement control policy. It is good practice to include:







A requirement to maintain an up-to-date location for all objects it has responsibility for;
The identification of the persons with authority to access location and movement records;
The identification of persons with authority to edit location records. (For security reasons
these persons may need to be named.);
The identification of persons with authority to request and approve object movements;
The identification of persons with authority to move objects and under what circumstances;
A statement of the physical security required by locations;
The conditions for the storage and display of objects.
The organisation should determine the length of time an object may remain in a location without
the location record being updated. For example, during the installation of an exhibition, an object
may be moved within the exhibition area several times in one day. In the case of providing objects
for researchers, the museum may wish to record each time an object is brought to the research
room. The minimum requirement should be that an object is not left unattended outside normal
working hours without updating the location.
The policy should require that all recorded movements be maintained to provide an 'audit trail' as
part of the object's history.
The policy may also require that location records are checked and verified at specified intervals.
1
When is it done and who does it?
(see Location and movement control - Step 8)
If movement control is to have any chance of success, a record must be made at the time an
object is moved. The catalogue should then be updated as soon as possible. The institution should
determine the length of time an object may remain in a location without the location record being
updated. For example, during the installation of an exhibition, an object may be moved within the
exhibition area several times in one day.
Obtain and record appropriate authorisation for all moves according to whether they are internal or
external. In smaller organisations, where a limited number of persons have the authority to approve
moves, a list of the persons so authorised may suffice. Any such list should be kept up-to-date and
should ideally contain no more than two or three names. No objects should be moved without the
knowledge of one of the authorised persons. Record a reference to the list.
What form should location and movement records take?
(see Location and movement control - Step 6)
Depending on the organisation's recording systems, record the location of each object as part of the
entry record, the catalogue record, a separate location record or together with other object information
on a single system. However, normally only record an object's location in one place as the use of a
single record ensures consistency and accuracy. It may be necessary to refer from the normal
location record to an additional location record for an object if it is moving for a very short period of
time. An example of this is the use of a 'daybook' while an exhibition or display is being mounted.
In the case of large discrete groups of objects located together, record the location for the group.
Where an object is separated from its 'home' group, it should have its own location record.
Where part of an archaeological or other archive is permanently deposited in a location outside the
organisation's custody, that location should be recorded as part of the location record for the
archive within the organisation.
Identifying and describing locations
(see Location and movement control - Steps 3-5)
Assign a unique name or number to each display and storage location. This must be of sufficient and
appropriate detail to locate any object precisely and may be expressed as a hierarchy (eg building/
room/case etc.) or using a classification system if items are stored in strict classified order (in some
cases both approaches may be combined - eg small objects store - domestic - cookery). A greater
amount of location detail may be required for smaller objects eg fossils on a tray, letters in a box.
Many natural science collections organise material as part of a classified system. New material is
therefore added into the system at the relevant point in the classification. This literally has a knock on
effect often meaning that large numbers of items are displaced to new drawers or trays to maintain
the order. In an actively developing collection many hundreds or thousands of items are therefore
relocated to different drawers or even cabinets. The maintenance of precise location information in
the sense of drawer numbers etc. in these circumstances presents enormous problems.
Scientific curators would maintain that the classification provides exact location control in the sense
that any item has an exact place within it and is easily found. Since over half of all geology
collections are arranged according to a classification and data are available for biological
collections illustrating a similar situation, a pragmatic solution is essential.
Create and maintain a detailed record of all location descriptions used and how they should be
recorded. It is useful to have annotated store and gallery plans.
2
Record where necessary information about each location, including the following:




Address (if separate from a main site);
Environmental conditions;
Security details;
Access details.
Moving Objects
(see Location and movement control - Steps 8-12)
Obtain and record appropriate authorisation for all moves according to whether they are internal or
external. In smaller organisations, where a limited number of persons have the authority to approve
moves, a list of the persons so authorised may suffice. Any such list should be kept up-to-date and
should ideally contain no more than two or three names. No objects should be moved without the
knowledge of one of the authorised persons. Record a reference to the list.
Check the condition of the object before moving to confirm that it is fit to be moved.
Prepare the object for movement according to the requirements of the type of object. Confirm that
a suitable location is available to which the object can be moved.
Where an object needs to be dismantled for moving, this process should be documented in
sufficient detail to explain what was done, together with the reasons behind the decisions taken. It
is particularly important to record the methodology of assembly and disassembly, which may itself
provide useful research information and to include explanations of any alternative numbering
systems utilised as part of this process.
In the case of large or awkward objects, Health & Safety regulations require written evidence of the
formal assessment of the move.
Where the movement of objects involves transport use the Transport procedure.
Updating locations
(see Location and movement control - Step 13)
Record the following information as soon as an object has been moved, the:







Old location;
New location;
Date of move;
Person moving the object;
Signature of person accepting custody of the object;
Reason for move;
Additional information about the move as required.
The above information may be recorded on a separate movement recording form. If so, the
information should be transferred as soon as possible to the master location record.
How do I record object moves?
There will usually be two stages in documenting object moves:
1. Logging the move
The person responsible for the move must initiate movement control by logging the details
for subsequent transfer to the catalogue.
2. Updating the catalogue
For permanent moves the catalogue record must be updated. This may be less critical for
temporary moves.
Any location and movement control procedure should also include making sure that objects
temporarily moved are returned to their permanent storage locations.
3
A SPECTRUM adviser says:
'When undertaking inventories of collections I would often come across slips of paper left in boxes
recording that objects had been removed and the date. The catalogue record had not been
updated and the slips of paper were not helpful in enabling me to find objects. Sometimes items
had been removed several years previously and no new location was given.'
Movements can be logged on reporting slips. Pads of blank slips should be kept in all stores
readily to hand whenever anything has to be moved away from its normal location. Details of the
move must be noted immediately. The slips should then be used to update the catalogue record.
For very temporary moves Details of a move may be noted on a details could be noted on a small
card instead of changing a location record. This 'proxy card' is left in the permanent storage or
display location in lieu of an object whilst it is away. This is quicker than the full procedure, though
finding things away from their permanent location will be less convenient. When an item is
temporarily taken off display a card should always be left to reassure other staff that the item has
been moved legitimately. Blank proxy cards must be kept very secure. It is not appropriate to use
this method for permanent changes in location.
Collections Trust Object Movement Tickets
Object Movement Tickets are available from the Collections Trust. The procedure for using them to
record the temporary movement of objects is as follows:


The top copy (white) is left in place of the items
File the middle copy (yellow) in a temporary locations file in object number order and/or
update the catalogue record
 The bottom copy (card) is tied to the object
 When the object is returned to its permanent location all parts of the ticket should thrown
away
A Collections Trust Adviser says:
'We use the object movement tickets record temporary moves only. The Fine Art curator has
particularly taken to them. She finds them invaluable as there are constant movements of objects
in that collection. For example objects are moved within the store itself, between galleries (we
seem to have constant building works on the gallery roofs) and to the various conservation labs.
The conservators in particular find the information on the ticket attached to the object useful to kick
off their documentation process in their labs. We find that it proves useful to have one copy with
the object at all times so that its instantly clear to staff why an object has appeared in their office or
store.'
The procedure for recording the permanent movement of objects is as follows:


Record the move as permanent on the object movement ticket
The top copy (white) is used to update the object's catalogue record. The white copy can
then be filed in the object's history file to provide a backup to the catalogue record.
Alternatively it can be transferred to a binder arranged in a new location sequence.
 The middle (yellow) and bottom (card) copies can be thrown away
Sources of help and advice
This fact sheet is adapted from: SPECTRUM: The UK Museum Documentation Standard.
Cambridge: MDA, 2005.
See also:
Harrison, Margaret & McKenna, Gordon. Documentation: a practical guide. Cambridge:
Collections Trust, 2008.
4
SPECTRUM
SPECTRUM is a standard created by and for the museum profession to promote good practice in
museum documentation. It covers all those areas of museum activity that produce information, and
is the result of contributions from documentation practitioners in museums throughout the UK. It is
available free, for non-commercial use, at: http://www.collectionstrust.org.uk/spectrum
SPECTRUM defines 21 Procedures, which describe the process of documenting and managing
objects in a museum.
Section 4 of the Accreditation Standard uses SPECTRUM as the basis for its documentation
requirement. The 'minimum records' referred to can be achieved by following the 8 SPECTRUM
Primary Procedures:








Object entry
Loans in
Acquisition
Location and movement control
Cataloguing
Object exit
Loans out
Retrospective documentation
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License. To view a copy of
this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/
5