The Our Collections Matter (OCM) Self-assessment Tool helps you make the connection between your work with heritage collections and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It covers areas that are outward facing (e.g. organization of exhibitions to engage local communities on specific issues) and inward facing (e.g. adoption of certain sustainable practices by your staff).

It can help you to:

1. Evaluate your existing work to better understand how it is contributing, or could contribute, towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
2. Develop new activities, or enhance existing activities, to make a bigger contribution to sustainable development - both in terms of enhancing positive contributions and reducing or eliminating any negative impacts.

Heritage collections can contribute to sustainable development in a significant way. Many collections-based organizations are interested in better supporting sustainable development but are not sure where to start or what tools to use. The OCM Self-assessment Tool is intended to help you and your collection make positive contributions to humanity by promoting equality, peace, meaningful livelihoods, human rights and social justice, and protecting and restoring the natural environment.

Collections exist in many forms in museums, libraries, and archives, as well as in community-owned heritage collections, religious collections, online-only collections, seed banks and biobanks. All serve valuable functions in society. They help people access and understand their cultural heritage and are important resources for education, lifelong learning, and research. Collections and collections-based organizations also support tourism and the creative economy. On the other hand, collections-based organizations can have negative impacts, for example through the resources they use, the waste they generate, and their contributions to climate change.

Using collections to support sustainable development strengthens their benefits for society. It involves working to ensure that more people - notably minorities - share those benefits, and reducing or eliminating the negative impacts of collections and collections-based institutions.

In order to contribute meaningfully to sustainable development action, there are five key principles:

Available: collections must be relevant, managed, curated and available for use.

Accessible: collections and collections-based institutions must be accessible to the widest range of users, and for a wide range of purposes.

Empowering: collections must be ready for use and able to contribute meaningfully to the needs of people, communities and specialist users including scientists and other researchers.

Meaningful: collections must be maintained and developed to reflect the needs of particular groups and minorities.

Adaptable: collections and collections-based institutions must be ready to face the challenges and seize the opportunities of the future, in the context of rapid social and environmental change.

What is the OCM Self-assessment Tool?

The OCM Self-assessment Tool is a questionnaire based on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ICCROM’s Our Collections Matter program. Each question corresponds to a specific SDG target, and is scored using a simple scoring system. This tool will show you how your work supports the SDGs and where there is untapped potential.

For more information on Our Collections Matter, visit here: Our Collections Matter | ICCROM

Why take the self-assessment?

The results of the self-assessment will help you to:

1. Understand how your current activities are helping to achieve the SDGs.
2. Identify gaps where you could contribute to the SDGs more effectively.
3. Create an action plan to develop or improve activities to achieve the SDGs more effectively.
4. Communicate your work and progress in terms of the SDGs.

Who is the OCM Self-assessment Tool for?

The self-assessment tool is meant for anyone working within collections-based organizations. The assessment can be completed by an individual or a team at any level within the organization. It is recommended that the person (or a person in the team) completing the assessment is familiar with the organization’s policies and functions.

What do we mean by “collections-based activities”?

Throughout the self-assessment you will see this phrase. “Collections-based activities” can be defined as all activities involving the use, development, and/or care of heritage collections. They include, but are not limited to, education, awareness, cultural participation, research, tourism, creative industries, conservation, and partnerships that involve collections.

How to take the self-assessment?

The OCM Self-assessment can be completed online or by printing the PDF. The assessment is currently available in English and French. More languages will be added in the future for wider accessibility.

1. Gather your team: you will want representatives from different levels and departments in your organization, and you may choose to involve external stakeholders or community representatives.
2. Gather your materials: you will want to refer to your organization’s policies, guidelines, procedures, and plans.
3. Select how you would like to evaluate your organization: by taking the full assessment across all SDGs (recommended) or a focused assessment addressing specific areas of sustainable development. If taking the focused assessment, select the collections-based actions or the SDGs you are interested in.
4. Answer the questions: if the statement applies to your organization, answer “yes”. If it does not apply to your organization, select “no / not yet”. If you do not know the answer, select “I don’t know”.
5. Some questions ask about a range of activities. If your organization does work related to at least one of the activities, select “yes”.
6. Some questions may seem similar in different sections because they refer to the same SDG. Please respond to all questions under each section.
7. The full self-assessment is 277 questions long and will take a minimum of 30 minutes to complete. Once completed, you may print your report or save it as a PDF.

How you use this self-assessment is up to you, but remember, assessing performance is an ongoing task which takes time and effort. Sustainable development is never finished; there will always be opportunities to improve your contribution. By fully understanding how your work connects with the SDGs, you will be able to effectively assess, improve, and communicate how your organization is contributing to sustainable development.