IRUG is an independent not-for-profit corporation that promotes the use of infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopy for the study of the world’s cultural heritage. The international group facilitates the development and distribution of reliable reference spectra and spectral standards for the art conservation and historic preservation communities, which are available in publication and online (www.irug.org). Since its inception in 1993, the IRUG spectral database now includes over 2000 contributed and peer-reviewed spectra representing artist and related materials from over 117 institutions around the world. Despite its steady growth, IRUG remains underrepresented in Asia, Oceania, and Africa. We are now actively encouraging participation from these regions, including contributions of spectra of more geographically and culturally diverse materials, e.g. Asian colorants. A major IRUG initiative this year is the redesign of the IRUG website in collaboration with the Rohm and Haas. The new website will feature expanded resources especially in the area of Raman spectroscopy, which in recent years has gained popularity in the conservation field. It will be designed to provide broad content management features devoted to the collection and publishing of spectra data and spectra-related resources.