Collections for the Future

MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION

Images courtesy of the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester and Manchester MuseumPhotographer: Joel Chester Fildes

Report of aMuseums AssociationInquiry

ContentsAcknowledgmentsand abbreviations Foreword

© Museums Association 2005Museums Association24 Calvin StLondonE1 6NW

T: 020 7426 6970E: info@museumsassociation.orgwww.museumsassociation.orgISBN: 0 902102 88 5 A Engagement

B The dynamiccollection

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Executivesummary

The power and potential of collectionsJane Glaister

Collections for the Future

C Strengtheningthe museum sector Moving forward Appendix

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Collections for the FutureReport of a Museums Association Inquiry

Chaired by Jane GlaisterReport by Helen WilkinsonMuseums Association 2005

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Many people have contributed to the developmentof the ideas presented in this report and theMuseums Association (MA) is grateful to everyonewho gave so generously of their time, enthusiasmand ideas. The Esmée Fairbairn Foundationsupported an extended period of consultation andresearch that greatly enriched the inquiry.

In particular we would like to thank:Members of the inquiry’s steering group: DavidBarrie, Chris Batt, Tristram Besterman, NigelChew, Alissandra Cummins, Stuart Davies, JaneGlaister, Mike Houlihan, Mark Jones, Nigel Pittman,Nima Poovaya-Smith, Lexie Scott, Tomislav Sola,Julian Spalding, Hedley Swain, Vanessa Trevelyan,Pierre Valentin and Lola Young.

Members of the two working groups, which werechaired by Nima Poovaya-Smith and MikeHoulihan: Sarah Blackstock, Ken Brassil, NeilCurtis, Janet Davies, David Dawson, Kathy Gee,Gill Hedley, Alison Hems, Suzanne Keene, AndyKing, Karen Knight, Di Lees, Kate Newnham, Pat Reynolds, Chris Stanley, Hedley Swain andCaroline Worthington; with special thanks toSuzanne Keene for sharing insights from herforthcoming book, Fragments of the World: Usesof Museum Collections, Butterworth, 2005.

Everyone who organised or attended one of themany consultation meetings held in summer 2004,or who contributed to a written response to theconsultation. Altogether over 500 people sharedtheir opinions and insights with the MA in this way,and their contribution has been vital to the report.

Those who attended think tank meetings inJanuary and February 2005: Tony Butler, AndrewCalver, Simon Cane, Hannah Dempsey, DaveKing, Emma Lee, David Leigh, Rob Shorland-Ball,Sandra Smith, Karen Teasdale, Matt Thompson,Brian White, Vicky Woollard and Bridget Yates.

Everyone who suggested case studies, sharedwork in progress, commented on drafts of thereport and provided invaluable critical insights. Inparticular: Judy Aitken, Jane Arthur, Helen Ashby,Zelda Baveystock, Roy Brigden, Angela Doyle, ValBott, Antonia Byatt, David Dawson, Jocelyn Dodd,Steven Falk, Jocelyn Goddard, Lori Gros, NeilJohannessen, Nichola Johnson, Rachel Kerr, Sally MacDonald, Patricia Morison, JulieNightingale, Nick Poole, Guy Purdey, CarolineReed, Cathy Ross, Richard Sandell, Claire Stringer,Christine Taylor, Steve Thompson, Graham Walley,Giles Waterfield, Will Watts, Chris Wood and SallyWrampling.

From the MA, members of council, the publicaffairs committee and the ethics committee haveprovided valuable advice and guidance. Manymembers of staff, notably Mark Taylor, MauriceDavies, Javier Pes, Jane Morris, Ratan Vaswani,Nikola Burdon, Caitlin Griffiths, Georgie Stagg andCatrina Lucas, contributed ideas and support.Helen Wilkinson managed the project andprepared the text of this report.

Abbreviations

AHRC Arts and Humanities Research Council(Formerly Arts and Humanities Research Board – AHRB)CAS Contemporary Art SocietyDCMS Department for Culture Media and SportHLF Heritage Lottery FundLGA Local Government AssociationMA Museums AssociationMLA Museums Libraries and Archives CouncilSSC Sector Skills CouncilUMG University Museums Group

Acknowledgmentsand abbreviations

As president of the Museums Association (MA), I am delighted to introduce Collections for theFuture, the report of an inquiry carried out over thepast 18 months by the MA, with input from over500 organisations and individuals.

The inquiry investigates how museum and gallerycollections can best serve the needs of museumusers in the future. It was prompted by a sensethat collections have been relatively neglected inpolicy terms in recent years, and that it was time to attempt to resolve some of the debates aboutcollections, which resurface from time to time.

It is important to stress that, in focusing oncollections, the inquiry emphatically does notrepresent a rejection of the current emphasis onthe needs of museum users. On the contrary,

the inquiry aims to ensure that everyone has theright not just to enjoy museums, but also toengage with the collections that are at their heart.

This report embraces all museums across the UK,whatever their governance, size or subject area;some of its themes will have resonance morewidely. It shows that all museums can make better use of their collections, and enrich them.The inquiry concludes that the UK’s museums arein a relatively strong position, with all benefitingfrom new thinking and many benefiting from new funding.

New thinking includes, in Scotland, the nationalaudit of collections and forthcoming significancerecognition scheme; in Northern Ireland an audit ofmuseum collections is underway, together with a

debate centred on collections outside museums;in England the consultation document recentlypublished by the Department for Culture, Mediaand Sport, Understanding the Future, addressesmany of the issues that are at the centre of thisreport. In Wales, and indeed in the English regions,the formation of cross-sectoral bodies formuseums, libraries and archives is leading toreappraisal of the needs of the sector, and newopportunities for collaboration. And Renaissance in the Regions was of course the most thoroughconsideration of issues facing English non-nationalmuseums in a generation.

In addition to Renaissance in the Regions, newfunding that is helping to realise the potential ofmuseum collections includes the unprecedentedcontribution of the Heritage Lottery Fund, theDesignation Challenge Fund in England and theStrategic Change Fund in Scotland.

We want museums across the UK to capitalise on the opportunities currently offered by newinvestment and new ideas. The time is right forsubstantial change in the way museums thinkabout their collections.

This report not only offers a challenge to museumsbut also to funders and policy makers. It also setsout an ambitious agenda for the MA. I look forwardto working with colleagues from across themuseum sector as the MA takes forward the ideasin the report in the coming years.

Charles Saumarez SmithPresidentMuseums Association

Foreword

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Museum and gallery collections transformand inspire people. Collections can beexotic, intriguing, affirming, pleasurable and challenging. They stir emotions andstimulate ideas.

Collections for the Future makesproposals that will ensure that more people have more opportunities to engagewith museum collections, and that thosecollections are as rich, diverse and inspiringas they can possibly be.

Museums have already taken significantsteps forward in realising the power of theircollections. But more could be done. Toomany museum collections are underused –not displayed, published, used for researchor even understood by the institutions thatcare for them.

Museums must reassert the place of theircollections at the heart of the public realm,and find new ways to ensure that they reallyare for everyone.

If people are entitled to access tomuseums, then they have to be entitled to engage fully with collections. A strongeremphasis on collections is not just

compatible with increasing access andlearning in museums: it is vital to it.

Collections for the Future is the conclusionof an inquiry led by the MuseumsAssociation (MA) that lasted for 18 months,with many people contributing their views.The inquiry was overseen by a steeringgroup, chaired by Jane Glaister, president of the MA from 2002 to 2004. Two workinggroups looked at particular issues in moredetail and, based on the discussions ofthese two groups, the MA published aconsultation paper in summer 2004, which was widely debated across thesector. International representation on thesteering group gave the inquiry a broaderperspective, and an appendix also looks atthe systems for supporting collections inother European countries.

The report begins with an essay on thepower and potential of collections, and the challenges facing museums and theirfunders. The main body of the reportexplores this in more detail and reflects therange of views expressed during the inquiry.It also begins to plot a course for the way ahead.

Key findingsThe report groups the inquiry’s findingsunder three headings: Engagement, The dynamic collection and Strengtheningthe museum sector.

A Engagement Museums should do more to expand theopportunities open to people to engagewith collections. More collections should bein active use and museums should improvethe way they manage collections-relatedknowledge.

While preservation is an essential part of the role of museums, it is not on its ownsufficient: museums must take steps toensure that more of their collections areused (paragraph 9)

By getting more collections out of store,museums can extend the possibility ofpeople encountering objects. It is theresponsibility of museums to open up collections in this way if they are to be properly available as part of the public realm. (17)

Many museums feel that they lackadequate information about theircollections. This is one of the most

Executivesummary

significant barriers preventing them fromachieving their potential (21)

Museums need better informationresources, including better documentation.But they also need to be realistic about theavailability of resources and to take a new,more targeted approach to documentationand knowledge management. (23)

The extent to which museums can orshould share control over the meaning of objects with others remains a highlycontentious issue. Museums need toengage more actively with this debate andwork out its implications for the way thattheir collections are presented. (30-33)

Continued investment in digitisation is vital.There will be uses of digitised collectionsthat cannot be imagined yet. (35)

ActionsThe MA will continue to encourage debateabout how wider engagement can beencouraged. The MA will encouragerelevant bodies to undertake research toassess the impact of initiatives designedto make collections more available, suchas open storage, loan schemes anddisplays on non-museum premises. (14)

The MA will work with the mda (formerly the Museum DocumentationAssociation), the Museums, Librariesand Archives Council (MLA) and othersto develop clear and realisticrecommendations about the futuredirection of documentation andknowledge management. (25)

The MA considers the hidden historiesapproach to be an important wayforward, and will look for ways tosupport and encourage it. (29)

The MA will encourage the MLA andothers to find ways of encouraging and supporting more digitisation ofcollections, and adding value to existing digital resources. (36)

B The dynamic collection Museums should actively develop theircollections, with a renewed commitment toacquisition as a key part of their role, and newstrategic and funding approaches. Disposalshould be seen as an integral part ofcollections development. Collections shouldbe more mobile, seen in more venues bothwithin the UK and internationally.

Museums are no longer developing theircollections with the vibrancy and rigourneeded to ensure that they serve the needsof current and future audiences. (40)

The inquiry uncovered a great deal ofresistance among museums to an over-centralised approach to collecting. A judicious approach is needed that leavesroom for personal vision, is discriminating andselective, and encourages museums to worktogether when appropriate, without imposinga rigid centralised approach. But above all, allmuseums must enter into the debate abouthow collections can best be developed forthe future, and reinstate active collecting as a crucial part of their activities. (47-48)

The idea of defining a comprehensive‘distributed national collection’, covering all disciplines, is unrealistic. Nevertheless, it is in the public interest that museumcollections are treated as a single resource,on which all museums should be able todraw. All users would benefit if museumsshared their collections more widely, as wellas collaborating on collectionsmanagement and collecting. (56)

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There are too few significant loans, and too few opportunities to see importanttemporary exhibitions in the UK outside the capital cities. (58)

Private collections have a public value and it is museums’ responsibility to help realisethat value in appropriate ways. (69)

There is an ethical imperative for museumsto increase the use of their collections aswell as to maximise their care. Museumshave a responsibility to consider theappropriate transfer of collections toanother institution as part of this. (71)

Museums cannot keep spending publicresources caring for objects that will neverbe enjoyed or used. Making decisionsabout disposal is part of a museum’sprofessional and ethical responsibility.Disposal is not risk free, but neither isunthinking retention. (74-80)

ActionsThe MA will work with the Art Fund andother appropriate bodies, to explore thepotential for strengthening museums’capacity to make acquisitions and fordeveloping more strategic approachesto acquisition. (44)

The MA will encourage the HeritageLottery Fund, and other funders, to fundthe long-term development of collectionsin addition to single acquisitions. (50)

The MA will continue to advocate theneed for more funding for temporaryexhibitions and investment in facilitiesthat can host major temporaryexhibitions. (62)

The MA will explore the potential for securing funding for a project toencourage loans, based on the Museum Loan Network model. (64)

The MA will work with the InternationalCouncil of Museums to encouragebodies such as the Department forCulture Media and Sport (DCMS) andthe MLA to support more UK museumsin building mutually beneficialinternational links. (68)

The MA will investigate ways ofsupporting museums in transferringcollections to more appropriateinstitutions, including the provision ofbetter information and training. (71)

The MA will seek ways to work inpartnership with the Local GovernmentAssociation, to find ways to increaseconfidence that all local authorities canbe responsible stewards of theircollections. (78)

The MA will work with MLA to find ways to streamline museums’ disposalprocedures, while improving thesafeguards offered. (79)

C Strengthening the museum sector The museum sector needs to bestrengthened. Increased collaboration andmore investment in training, developmentand succession planning will be needed. In particular, museums need to renew theirsources of expertise, both internally andexternally.

There are not enough staff in museums witha focus on developing collections’ potentialand many museums do not have access tothe expertise they need. (83)

Museums need excellent communicators aswell as access to excellent scholarship. (84)

It is not desirable – let alone practical – for amuseum to have all the expertise it requiresin house. Individual museums can worktogether to share expertise across thesector. It will be equally if not more importantto build closer links with external sources ofknowledge and expertise. (88)

Links between museums and highereducation are far less well developed thanthey might be. (91)

There are no structured pathways through a museum career and there is a lack ofsuccession planning. There are too fewtraining posts which offer the chance for junior staff to work alongside moreexperienced staff to build their expertise. (100)

Many museum staff are trapped in roles thatdo not draw on their skills and potential.Much talent is wasted and energetic andcommitted people leave the sector. Lowpay remains a serious issue. (100)

Museums will need to work together to makean entitlement to collections a reality foreveryone. It makes sense for them to pooltheir resources by working across institutional

boundaries, to begin to address the shortfallof expertise and to find ways of makingbetter use of under-exploited collections.They would then also be well placed to drawin external expertise. (103-104)

Brokers are often needed to buildrelationships and encourage joint working.With one individual able to act as a catalyst,it becomes possible to bring in externalfunding and achieve results far in excess of what the partners might achieveindividually. (106)

ActionsThe MA will seek ways to promote andtake forward the debate and researchinto expertise. (86)

The MA will work with the Arts andHumanities Research Council, theUniversity Museums Group and otherrelevant bodies to explore how linksbetween museums and the highereducation sector might bestrengthened. (92)

The MA will explore the possibility ofraising funding for a pilot programme ofproviding additional curatorial supportfor underused collections. (95)

The MA will work with its recognisedmuseum studies course to review theway that the courses prepare people formuseum careers. The MA will alsoconsider whether a review of the AMA is needed. (98)

The MA will work with the sector skillscouncil and with MLA, DCMS and otherrelevant bodies on issues associatedwith workforce development as a matterof priority. (102)

The MA will look for ways to encouragecontinued investment in subject-basednetworks, as well as exploring otherpossible models of collaboration. (106)

Moving forwardIt is important to stress that most of theideas explored in this report are not entirelynovel or especially radical. Indeed some ofthem have been debated many times overmany years. The report seeks to helpmuseums move from discussion to action.The MA hopes that the report will begin tomake a real difference to museums’practice and to the approaches taken byfunders and policy makers.

Some findings and action points havespecific relevance to particular parts of thesector. But the report is for the whole of the UK museum sector. Many of the ideasrequire further development or testing, andthe MA hopes to secure funding to run anumber of pilot projects.

The MA has already begun discussions withcolleagues in organisations across thesector, and with policy makers and funders,about how the report can be taken forward.Close liaison with the governmentdepartments and the agencies responsiblefor museums across the UK will be essentialto ensure that the report’s thinking isreflected in future policy development.

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The ability of works of art, historical objectsand natural science specimens to inspire usis evidenced all over the world. Museum andgallery collections can be exotic, intriguing,affirming, pleasurable and challenging – theycan stir emotions, inspire connections andstimulate ideas.

I am sure that we can all bring to mind anobject or a collection that transformed us insome way. In my case it was a collection ofRoman cloak pins which were displayed inthe archaeology museum in Hull, where Igrew up. For an anguished adolescentHull’s museums and galleries provided afree, safe and relatively hassle-freeenvironment for a few hours’ languishing. In an effort to delay being thrown out of themuseum I studied the labels which told methat the pins had probably been worn, andeven made, by women; some had beenburied in the graves of women found in EastYorkshire. I began to wonder about thesewomen and their lives – what theirambitions and hopes had been, whetherthey had been realised – and this made meconsider my own life and what I couldcontribute and what I would leave behind. I determined that I would, at least,

contribute something as useful andbeautiful as their cloak pins!

The power of collections should never beunderestimated, but it does need to be farbetter understood. And understandingcomes from knowledge, intelligent decisionmaking and confidence. Museum andgallery collections give people pleasure andcan evoke wonder and awe. They enablepeople to explore the world, and make otherpeople, other experiences and other placesreal and tangible. They provide evidence andoffer opportunities for research and learning.They can give status to ideas, people orcommunities, serve as memorials andvalidate groups’ or individuals’ experiences.They have a considerable economic impact,stimulating contemporary science, creativityand industry. They give people a powerfulsense of place, identity and belonging,anchored in a fuller understanding of thepast. The purpose of the MuseumsAssociation’s inquiry has been to investigatewhat support museums need in order toharness the power of collections fully.

Museums have already taken significantsteps forward. In doing so, they benefit fromthe vision and commitment of many staff and

volunteers, often working in a difficult climate,who want to ensure that museums and theircollections are for everyone to enjoy.

In recent years, many museums havedeveloped a greater understanding of theneeds of their visitors. They are morewelcoming and offer increasingly imaginativeforms of display and other experiences,which draw out previously neglectedaspects of collections. Museums have alsobegun to adopt more open approaches towhat they collect, taking steps to ensure that their collections reflect many differentcultures and experiences. And they arestarting to harness new technologies andthe huge potential they have to reach newaudiences, and change the way collectionscan be used.

But more could be done. Too manymuseum collections are underused – notdisplayed, published, used for research oreven understood by the institutions that carefor them. Many museum staff find the notionthat collections can be underusedproblematic. It conflicts with their sense thatmuseums have a duty to preserve materialfor future generations. But if an object sits ina store for ten years, without anyone looking

The power and potential of collectionsJane Glaister

at it, and if it is not published or madeavailable on the internet, can that museumbe realising its responsibilities towards theobject and towards the public? If we, as aprofession, are merely acting as caretakersand not as collection activists then we arenot fulfilling our obligations.

I believe that we must be more honest aboutthis issue. Collections are potentiallymuseums’ most precious asset – but whatbusiness would allow up to 80 per cent of its assets to go unused, while continuing toconsume significant resources? The cost ofmaintaining unused, stored collections mustbe taken into account and weighed againstthe benefits those ‘assets’ could realise forthe museum and its users. It is easy tobecome frustrated with politicians andfunders who may have a simplistic approachto stored collections, and who may makeunreasonable demands to ‘display it or getrid of it’. But this attitude stems from a realproblem – too much unused stuff, drainingresources. And unless museums startactively addressing this problem, they aregoing to have unwelcome solutions imposedon them – they must seize the initiative.

The problem is not simply one ofundisplayed collections – it is also aboutunder-researched and poorly understoodcollections. In response to the consultationthat informed this report, many museumssaid that they could not begin to make betteruse of their collections until they had a betterunderstanding of what they had. Knowledgemanagement has been too low a priority andcollections without knowledge are of verylimited use. Collection activists must use theirknowledge and apply intelligent decisionmaking to sustain energetic and imaginativecollecting. The problems associated withexisting collections constrain new collecting,and must be addressed.

The challenge for museums is to realisemore of the fantastic potential of theircollections: • by giving more people more opportunities

to engage with collections • by releasing information and generating

knowledge • by using the internet, and increasing virtual

access to collections.

Some believe that the underuse of collectionsstems simply from a shortage of resources.Museums do need more resources, and

more could be achieved with a generousinjection of funding. But we have to face up tothe reality that resources for culture will alwaysbe limited. In this climate, museums have aresponsibility to use their collections asintelligently as they can. If they cannot realisethe potential of an asset, they have aresponsibility to find someone else who can.

I believe that museums also have to face upto disposal – intelligent stewardship does notmean clinging on to everything unthinkingly.And rather than looking to funders to rescuethem with more money, museums need tomake an intelligent appraisal of their ownassets and resources and do more withwhat they have. They need to work togethermore effectively to make the most of scarceresources – both financial and in terms ofhuman capital.

If museums seize the initiative themselvesthey are more likely to win the increasedsupport they so much deserve.

Jane GlaisterChairwoman, collections inquiry steering group President, Museums Association, 2002-2004

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1 Museums are public institutions, with publiccollections. The past 25 years have seen dramaticshifts in attitudes towards the public sector in theUK, with much debate about the nature of publicservice. In this context, museums have sometimesseemed on the defensive. The time has come formuseums to reassert the place of their collectionsat the heart of the public realm, and to find newways to ensure that those collections really are for everyone. 2 The concept of the ‘public realm’ has beengaining prominence. It is a key idea, for example, inrecent work by Demos and in this year’s discussiondocument on the future of museums from theDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS),Understanding the Future. The public realmencompasses all the resources and institutionsthat a society holds in common and that benefit allmembers of society, whether run by governmentor by charities and other organisations. 3 Museums exemplify many of the characteristics of the public realm. They have always been drivenby a mission to make the best of science, history,art and culture available for everyone. They are notall run by government, but all are defined by theirmission to serve the public good. Museums andtheir collections are part of the collective wealth ofsociety and ownership of them is part of what itmeans to be a member of that society. For thesereasons, museums are well placed to capitalise on a re-emerging awareness of the importance ofthe institutions and experiences that bindcommunities together.

4 The Museums Association’s (MA’s) inquiry set out to reinvigorate the debate about museumcollections, and to put them higher up the policyagenda. It aims to demonstrate that a strongeremphasis on collections is not just compatible withincreasing access and learning in museums: it isvital to it. Collections are at the heart of museums.If people are entitled to access to museums, thenthey have to be entitled to engage fully withmuseum collections. 5 The concept of cultural entitlement is anotherrelevant strand of recent thinking. It encapsulates abelief that everyone has a right to a certain level ofcultural provision. In the UK, we are familiar with theconcept of entitlement to other public services –education and health, for example. Thinking aboutculture in these terms is more challenging. But it iscentral to the thinking behind this report thatmuseum collections are something that everyone isentitled to enjoy, in whatever ways suit them best.6 This report starts from the premise that museumsare in a position of strength, but that they could domore to ensure that more of their collections areactively used; that they are energetically developedand seen in more contexts; and that the sectorbuilds its strength and makes the best use ofexisting resources. Current policy developmentsgive museums an opportunity to reassert the valueof their collections and to give them new roles. This report aims to help them seize that opportunity.7 Commitments by the MA for further work arehighlighted in bold throughout the text.

Collections for the Future

8 This section explores how museums can makecultural entitlement to collections a reality, byoffering more opportunities for people to engagewith those collections and the ideas andknowledge associated with them.* One of the aimsof the inquiry has been to see a greater proportionof the UK’s museum collections actively used andenjoyed by the public: a necessity if museumcollections are to realise their potential as part of the public realm. 9 In response to the inquiry, some museum staffargued that it was a mistake to assume thatcollections should necessarily be in active use.Museums do indeed have a duty to preservematerial for the future, and some people see thepotential for future use as sufficient justification for museums to hold items in their collection.However, the inquiry has concluded that, whilepreservation is an essential part of the role ofmuseums, it is not on its own sufficient: museumsmust take steps to ensure that more of theircollection is used. 10 What does it mean for a collection to be in activeuse? Throughout the inquiry, our assumption hasbeen that for a collection to be in use, people musthave appropriate opportunities to engage with theobjects or specimens it contains, or with ideas andknowledge generated from them, either directly, or indirectly. This might be through display, onlineaccess to objects or associated knowledge,publications, scholarship, loans to other museumsor to non-museum venues, open storage or studytours and handling sessions. There are manypossibilities. But a collection cannot be said to bein use if it simply sits in store for years at a time. Of course, some collections are intended primarilyas a resource for specialist researchers; but evenresearch collections have to be promoted, if theyare to reach a wide range of specialists. 11 It is becoming increasingly difficult to justifyspending public money caring for public resourceswhose potential is never seen to be realised.Museums must be seen to put much greateremphasis on putting their collections into a varietyof appropriate uses if they are to continue to arguefor public support.

12 The size of many museum collections nowmeans that most of the things they contain cannever be displayed. Museum staff are oftenexasperated by demands from funders andpoliticians that more of their collections should be put on display. They rightly argue that manycollections are not suitable for – or intended for – display. They might add that most museumswould quickly become impractically large andhorribly indigestible for visitors, if they were toattempt to display their entire collections. 13 It is clear that displays are no longer the mostrelevant way of presenting all museum collections,or adequate to encompass the sheer volume ofmaterial that museums hold. And yet, permanentor temporary displays are still the primary form ofengagement with collections in most museums.Some museums do offer other ways for people toenjoy collections and there have been increasingefforts to extend these opportunities to ensure thata greater proportion are made available. Thissection explores alternatives to display, includingopen storage and loans to schools and othervenues, designed to put collections into thecommunity. It builds in part on ideas developed bythe Campaign for Learning through Museums andGalleries, for whom increasing use of museumcollections has been a key theme. (Loans to othermuseum venues and touring exhibitions areexplored as part of the discussion of the dynamiccollection in the next section.) 14 More research is needed to assess theimpact of initiatives designed to makecollections more available, such as openstorage, loan schemes and displays on

non-museum premises. The MA willencourage relevant bodies to undertake suchresearch with the aim of making definitivejudgements about the most effective way toinvest resources in future. The MA will continueto encourage debate about how widerengagement can be encouraged. This sectionoffers some preliminary observations.

Opening up museum stores15 Open storage, it seems fair to conclude, is not on its own a solution to the problem of underusedcollections. Visitors certainly relish the chance thatopen storage offers to see behind the scenes, and to get a sense of the scale and nature ofmuseums’ collections, beyond their displays. But the numbers of visitors using open stores aretypically small, in comparison with attendances to

1Open storage

Open storage can mean very different things. Forexample, Glasgow Museums Resource Centre isan open store by virtue of the interpretationoffered, rather than the building itself. It is a stand-alone building in an outer suburb ofGlasgow, funded by Glasgow City Council, andinitially developed as part of the refurbishment ofKelvingrove Museum, where storage spaces arebeing redeveloped as public spaces. The buildingcontains few features that are specific to publicaccess: in general it is simply designed as a high-quality functional store. Public access is byguided tours and considerable investment hasbeen made in learning and interpretation support,

with a team dedicated to providing the tours tothe public and booked groups.

The Warehouse at the National Railway Museum in York offers a contrasting example.Opened in 1998, it leads straight off a gallery atthe main site and visitors can walk around at will.Visually, it is more like a dense display than astore. There are two guided tours a day, butwritten interpretation is based on printouts of the collections database, rather than anythingdeveloped specifically for visitors.

www.glasgowmuseums.comwww.nrm.org.uk

A EngagementEngaging withthings

* This report uses the term ‘engagement’ in preference to‘access’, implying the opportunity to enjoy collections, understandthem and be inspired by them. Museum collections serve manydifferent purposes and the public’s right to engagement need notalways involve physical access to actual objects.

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museums themselves. For certain collections,open storage can differ little from a dense display,but other objects and specimens requireinterpretation, if they are to be meaningful. In suchcases, the experiences that visitors have of objectsin open storage is largely determined by the natureof the interpretation offered, rather than by anythingintrinsic to the store itself. The Heritage LotteryFund (HLF) has recently started to evaluate openstorage projects that it has funded, and this shouldhighlight the strengths and weaknesses of thedifferent models.*

New environments and new experiences16 Reading’s work with school loans, described in case study 2, is now well known and othermuseum services across the country supportsimilar projects. Many museums also regularlysend their collections to nursing homes,community groups, prisons and colleges. Stafffrom Portsmouth Museums and Records Servicerecently took items from the natural historycollection to community playgrounds to encourageyoung people who were unlikely to visit museumsto take an interest in the wildlife of their area.Oxfordshire Museums have used HLF funding tosupport a Culture Bus, which takes collections topeople living some distance from its museum sitesand to those who would be unlikely to visit.17 An increasing number of museums offer loans of display material to non-museum venues and itwould be possible to cite dozens of similarprojects. However, some museums are hesitantabout promoting this approach. If objects are notaccompanied by someone who can interpretthem, the value of the experiences they offer may

appear less obvious. Displays of museum objectsin train stations or in offices can easily becomemere wallpaper. Museums do need to be realisticabout the way that objects might be appreciated in external displays – moments of life-changingrevelation are probably fairly thin on the ground.But this is not a reason not to do it. Even within amuseum, visitors may ignore the interpretationoffered, however carefully planned. The point isthat, by getting more collections out of storage,museums can extend the possibility of peopleencountering objects. It is museums’ responsibilityto open up collections as part of the public realm.18 The range of possible ways for people toencounter objects can also be extended withinmuseums, for example through formal andinformal learning activities. Many museums aredeveloping more integrated approaches tolearning, embedding it in all aspects of theirpractice. The Museums Libraries and ArchivesCouncil (MLA) has done much to further thisdevelopment, particularly through InspiringLearning for All. Sadly, in some museums learningis still seen as something of an add-on, theprovince of the education department. Theconsequence can be that museums do not realisethe full potential of their collections for learning.There are still museums where educators do nothave access to the collections, to use them in theirwork. Educators are still finding it necessary todevelop separate collections, often acquiringmaterial that duplicates unused objects in the maincollection. It will be to everyone’s benefit if learningand collections are seen as inextricably linkedwithin museums.

19 It follows from this that the practice of developingseparate collections for education or handling isnot helpful. This does not mean that all objects in collections need to be cared for to the samestandards, with a one-size-fits-all approach.Indeed a number of museums have begun todifferentiate their collection into different categories,which indicate what purpose each group ofobjects or specimens serves. Norfolk Museumsand Archaeological Service, for example, recentlyundertook such a review. One advantage of this is that it allows resources to be targeted moreappropriately and allows museums to develop amore nuanced approach to risk management. If collections are to be used more in a whole rangeof ways, they will inevitably be exposed to greaterrisk of damage or deterioration. Museums alreadymake judgements about the degree of risk towhich different categories of material can beexposed, depending on what makes themsignificant. For example, in acquiring the FlyingScotsman, the National Railway Museum madethe decision that it was appropriate for it tocontinue to work as a locomotive because whatwas significant about it was not anything intrinsic to its physical structure, which had in any casebeen subject to constant repair and change, but its status as an icon of steam history. While theexercise of assessing and categorising an entirecollection may not be appropriate for all museums,many could do more to identify kinds of materialthat are less likely to incur excessive damagethrough handling and loans to non-museumvenues, as a way of promoting those uses. Thisapproach will also help museums to keep thecosts associated with loans and learning activitiessuch as handling at an acceptable level.

2Collections out of the museum

Many museums offer loans to schools. ReadingMuseum is one of the longest establishedservices, in operation for over 90 years. Itcurrently offers over 1,500 themed boxes fromancient history to biology. A recent grant from theHLF of almost £1m will enable Reading to extendand improve the service over the next four years,in partnership with 18 museums, art galleries,heritage centres and archives in Berkshire andBuckinghamshire.

Evaluation of the Reading service in 2000-2002,funded by the Department for Education andSkills, showed that teachers had found it easy to

integrate loans into their lessons, and reportedthat they provided a powerful catalyst for theirteaching. Each loan was used by an average of140 students in 11 lessons over a two to threeweek loan period and the lessons covered almostevery area of the national curriculum.

www.readingmuseum.org.uk*The boom in open storage has partly been driven by the factthat it is increasingly difficult to secure investment in ‘straight’collections management. In principle, we agree with funderssuch as the HLF that funding for collections managementprojects should be clearly linked to public outcomes. However,there are some categories of material with particular storageneeds – either because of their environmental requirements orbecause of their scale. Archaeological archives are a case inpoint. These problems might best be addressed by moremuseums coming together to share storage facilities, whichmight not necessarily be linked to public access.

20 A number of respondents to the consultationnoted that archives are rarely criticised for havinglarge stored collections, because funders and thepublic understand that archives serve a researchfunction. The extent to which museum collectionsfulfil an archive-like research function is much lesswidely understood by those outside the sector.Museums need to make a stronger case for theircollections as powerhouses of knowledge andideas. To achieve this they need to invest more inresearch and do more to make the knowledgeassociated with collections available.

Knowledge management21 As the inquiry has progressed, one thing toemerge consistently from discussions is that manymuseums feel that they lack adequate informationabout their collections. This is one of the mostsignificant barriers preventing museums fromachieving their potential.22 The most basic need is for museums to be clearabout what their collections contain. And yet, thetask of completing a catalogue of every object inthe UK’s museums seems potentially endless. It is particularly salutary to note, as one slightlyexasperated respondent to the consultation did,that the need for a complete catalogue of UKmuseum collections was considered a priority atthe time the MA was founded in the 1880s. 23 Museums need better information resources,including better documentation. But they alsoneed to be realistic about their capacity and theavailability of resources and to take a new, moretargeted approach to documentation. Currentapproaches grew out of a drive to ensure

museums were publicly accountable for the publicassets they held. A new approach needs to bedriven by users’ needs and interests. It may be thatcapturing some of the richer stories and moredetailed knowledge about key objects is a morepressing need than completing the documentationof entire collections at object level. As theexperience of the Natural History Museumsuggests, the use of collections-level descriptionsmay be a useful tool; see case study 3.24Given that such changes would representsomething of a departure from the current practicefor many museums, there is a need for a propernational debate about the strategic purpose ofdocumentation to determine the way ahead.Documentation is, unfortunately, widely seen byfunders as something that consumes resourceswithout offering significant benefits. A recent reportby the South East Museum, Library & ArchiveCouncil on documentation backlogs noted‘governing bodies do not appreciate thatinvestment in good documentation is essential to meet effectively the needs of the access andlearning agenda’.* To change this perception, andto make a stronger case for funding, museumsneed to develop new approaches and to beclearer about the benefits that good knowledgemanagement offers. 25 The MA will work with the mda (formerly theMuseum Documentation Association), theMLA and others to develop clear and realisticrecommendations about the future direction ofdocumentation and knowledge management.

26 As well as capturing and communicatinginformation related to collections, museums mustensure that their stock of knowledge is regularlyreplenished. Research is widely seen as a luxury by museums, but it is an essential part of their role,whether carried out internally or externally. Theintellectual climate in which museums operate isconstantly developing and they must ensure thattheir collections are always open to reappraisal. 27 Enhancing the research culture in museumsrequires a hybrid solution. Museums need topromote their collections to potential researchers,and arguably this is a role that has been less welldeveloped in museums than in libraries andarchives. Museums could do more to establishstronger links with the higher education sector (thisis discussed in detail in the report’s final section).Museums should also be recognised as placeswhere many different kinds of users can carry outresearch at different levels. Many museums coulddo more to extend research opportunities to thepublic in a range of ways, from disseminating moreinformation about the potential of their collectionsto providing space for visitors to work.28 But museums themselves also need to generateknowledge if they are to retain their authority andplay their full part in the intellectual life of thecountry. New research has as much potential asnew collecting to expand the possibilities ofmuseum collections. For example, some recentinitiatives have sought to uncover ‘hidden histories’in collections and case studies 4 and 5 describetwo of these.

3Collections level descriptions: the Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum collections are avast and internationally recognised resource. Themuseum has taken a pragmatic approach todocumentation, in order to provide access to thefull range of specimens, library collections andarchive holdings, as well as educational,electronic and exhibition resources. In developinga new web resource, Collections Navigator, themuseum has documented its holdings as groupsof items rather than item by item. Individualdescriptions might encompass material of asimilar kind, or material related to a specificcollector such as Sloane, Banks or Darwin. By

documenting the collections at this level, usersget a single point of access and links across thefull breadth of the collections. These high-levelrecords also help the museum to prioritise item-level cataloguing.

www.nhm.ac.uk/navigator/

Engaging withideas andknowledge

*Documentation Backlogs: South-East Cross Domain Study,Robert Taylor for SEMLAC, October 2004, p5

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29 The MA considers the hidden historiesapproach to be an important way forward, andwill look for ways to support and encourage it. 30 New intellectual approaches like these invigoratecollections, and museums have a responsibility tobe open to all alternative perspectives. And yet ithas become clear from the inquiry that the extentto which museums can or should share controlover the meaning of objects remains a highlycontentious issue, although the debate around the question is still oddly under-developed.31 On one hand, it is an established intellectualorthodoxy that audiences always play an activerole in making meaning; meaning is notdetermined by the author or producer.Furthermore, today’s museum users are not usedto passively accepting advice and information fromexperts; they expect to have their opinions andexperiences valued and taken seriously. They mayalso expect that services will be tailored to theirindividual needs and interests. Accordingly, somerespondents to the consultation advocated aradical abdication of power by museums in thisarea. If collections are public, they argue, so shouldbe their interpretation; museums need to standback and stop being overly protective of theirintellectual territory.32 Other respondents were keen to stress thatmuseums are valued and trusted as authoritativesources of information, and that they should not riskcompromising this by taking overtly post-modernapproaches or ducking out of offering informationand opinion altogether. Visitors may in factincreasingly value the kind of authoritativeinformation that museums can provide, preciselybecause we live in a world where there is such aproliferation of information. Museums also need tobe clear that they are not ideologically neutralspaces; visitors may value clear advocacy of pointsof view – a danger of ‘balanced’ interpretation isthat museums shy away from criticism, challengeand provocation, which should be part of their role. 33 Museums need to engage actively with thisdebate and work out its implications for the waythat their collections are presented. They shouldfind ways to be authoritative without beingauthoritarian. Perhaps one way to do this is to be more open about the role of museumprofessionals as mediators. It is still the case thatthe vast majority of their work is hidden behind thescenes, in spite of the fact that when museumsopen their own processes up to visitors, the results

can be very rewarding. Conservators have offereda lead here, with many trying to find ways to letvisitors see and understand their work. Museumscould do more to open up the work of curatorsand researchers, so that visitors see where theinformation and opinions that museums presentare coming from.34 Museums can also utilise new technologies thatmake it easier to offer more than one perspectiveon an object or collection. Electronic storage ofinformation and images will help to make thesemulti-layered approaches possible, and indeedhas the potential to transform all experiences ofmuseum collections. Many museums have alreadybegun to explore the potential of interpretationusing handheld electronic devices. As thetechnology becomes cheaper and moreaccessible, all museums should be able to offervisitors a variety of pathways through ideas andinformation about their collections.35 Beyond the museum, the internet offers remoteaccess to many collections and, crucially, to awealth of information about them. However, theinquiry shows that some museum staff aresceptical about the benefits of investing indigitisation, believing that online access tocollections offers a relatively poor-qualityexperience for a relatively high cost. But this is tounderestimate its future potential. Digitisation is not an end in itself so much as a means to an end.It does not offer quick-wins but rather represents a long-term investment. Moreover, the potential ofdigitisation is not limited to collections themselves.In a digital environment, the ideas and researcharound collections are just as valuable a resource.

Museums must continue to digitise theircollections and the information that accompaniesthem, as building blocks. There will be uses ofdigitised collections that cannot be imagined yet.Museums of the future will use the digital resourcescreated today for their own ends, just as museumstoday use the buildings and collections establishedin the past for their own purposes. Continuedinvestment in digitisation is vital, and should not beheld back by scepticism about the quality of someof the products that currently use digitisedcollections. 36 The MA will encourage the MLA and others tofind ways of encouraging and supporting moredigitisation of collections, and adding value toexisting digital resources. 37 Engagement with collections will meansomething different in museums of the future.Museums must face up to this and ensure thattheir collections are fully part of the public realm,and a part of everyone’s cultural entitlement.

4Hidden histories: Buried in the Footnotes

In September 2004, the research centre formuseums and galleries at Leicester Universitypublished Buried in the Footnotes, the findings of a one-year research project looking at therepresentation of disabled people in museum and gallery collections. Funded by the Arts andHumanities Research Board’s innovationsawards, the project investigated the extent of evidence within UK museum and gallerycollections that relates to the lives of disabledpeople, both today and in the past. The projectthen looked at how this material is displayed,interpreted, and made accessible to the public.

The research uncovered a rich seam of objectsrelating to people who were disabled, but whosestories had never been told from that perspective.The research is now being taken forward througha project, entitled Rethinking DisabilityRepresentation in Museums and Galleries, that aims to develop museums’ capacity tounderstand what disability has meant to society in the past and could mean in the future.

http://www.le.ac.uk/museumstudies

5Hidden histories: Birmingham

Birmingham is one of a number of museumservices to have taken the view that its approach to cultural diversity must begin with its collections.The service undertook a mapping project toassess whether or not it had the collectionsneeded to reflect minority histories. Initially, curatorssearched the history collections for materialrelevant to black and South Asian histories. Asecond phase assessed the fine and applied artcollections, looking for material for the same twoethnic groups. The third phase has looked acrossthe collections for material of relevance to East andSouth East Asian ethnic groups.

Birmingham intends to roll out the project to lookfor material representing disability, gender andsexual orientation. The first phases havehighlighted gaps in the collections, informed a newcollecting policy and future exhibition planning.They have provided the basis for learning projectsand stimulated thought and discussion amongcurators about their knowledge of their collections.Staff have recognised that others outside themuseum may hold knowledge that they should be accessing in order to enhance their own andthe museum’s knowledge base.

www.bmag.org.uk

38 The public realm is not static and unchanging. It is modified by each generation according to itsown priorities and aspirations; nevertheless, thereis an underlying continuity. This is a helpful way ofthinking about museum collections. They areestablished for the long term and each generationhas a responsibility of stewardship for the next. At the same time, it is imperative that they are used and developed in response to the needs of today’s society. 39 Collections inevitably change over time. Theyalso need to be physically mobile to fulfil their publicrole. This section explores the ideal of the dynamiccollection. It looks at how museums can ensurethat their collections are constantly developed andreviewed and seen in different contexts.*

40 One of the starting points for the inquiry was a belief that collecting is in decline in many UKmuseums, and had come to be seen as a luxuryby some. Museums are no longer developing theircollections with the vibrancy and rigour needed to ensure that they serve the needs of current andfuture audiences. While extensive quantitativeresearch would be needed to establish anaccurate picture of collecting patterns across theUK, the inquiry has confirmed that museums areindeed faced with serious challenges in collecting. 41 The difficulties for museums caused by high artprices have been well documented. The Art Fund’s2003 conference underlined the point thatcollecting at the top end of the price scale is almostexclusively reactive, driven by the need to saveworks that come on to the market and are sold

to overseas purchasers. The Goodison Review,commissioned by the Treasury and published in2004, made helpful recommendations in this area.Some of these have already been implemented,but there remains scope for the government totake forward others, including suggestions forchanges to the tax regime. 42 But while the public debate has largely focusedon art acquisitions, other areas may face evengreater difficulties. In natural history, for example,there are few sources of funding available at all.And the availability of funding is not always themain problem. Museums lack the time to makeapplications for funds; as discussed in case study6, at least one fund to support acquisitions wasrecently significantly undersubscribed. Inadequatestorage space may also be an issue: the problemof archaeological archives is particularly pressing.Other disciplines, such as the biosciences andtechnology are faced with the challenge ofcollecting in entirely new areas.43 Of course, many UK museums are activelyworking to improve their collecting, and the rangeof material collected is already vastly broader andmore imaginative than in the past. This brings itsown challenges, with the pool of potentialacquisitions seemingly limitless. 44 The MA will work with the Art Fund, and otherappropriate bodies, to explore the potential forstrengthening museums’ capacity to makeacquisitions and for developing more strategicapproaches to acquisition.

B The dynamiccollection

Growing thecollection

6Acquisitions: Headley Trust funding for treasure

Lack of funding might seem to be the key reasonwhy museums do not purchase items for theircollections more regularly. But other factors maybe equally significant. The Headley Trust, one ofthe Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, has setaside funds to enable regional museums to buyartefacts classified as treasure under the TreasureAct 1996. The scheme runs alongside theMLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund which gives up to 50 per cent of the purchase price. A smallelement of local funding is required, with theremaining balance considered by the HeadleyTrust. (The MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund must

have already offered a grant before an approachis made to the Headley Trust.) In its first year, thefund was undersubscribed, suggesting that alack of time and skills may be as great a problemas a lack of resources. Notwithstanding the poorresponse, the trustees renewed the scheme for asecond year, and applications increased.

www.headleytreasures.org.uk

*In promoting an ideal of dynamic collections, it is of coursenecessary to acknowledge that there are a few collections withlegally binding restrictions on acquisition, disposal or lending. But these are the exception, not the norm.

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7CAS special collection scheme

From 1998 to 2004, the Contemporary ArtSociety (CAS) ran a scheme to enable 15 Englishmuseums to develop challenging collections ofcontemporary art and craft. With £2.5m from theArts Council lottery, the support of the CraftsCouncil and partnership funding from museums,the special collection scheme took a long-termapproach to the development of collections. TheCAS recognised that many museums lacked notonly the resources but also the skills necessary tobuy contemporary art, so skills’ development wasa key part of the programme. The CAS acted asgeneral advisers to the museums involved andorganised visits to studios, exhibitions, collections

and events. Museum education and interpretationstaff were also involved in making purchases,participating in research visits alongside curators.

The museums shared ideas and informationabout their existing collections and newpurchases, so that they could avoid duplicationand coordinate their approach. Each museumcontributed 25 per cent partnership fundingtowards a total annual purchasing budget of£30,000 per museum. In addition museums setaside funds for research and travel to developtheir knowledge and expertise on contemporaryart practice within the UK and abroad.

The current round of funding in England has now come to an end and the scheme is beingevaluated. A parallel scheme involving six Scottishmuseums will run until 2006 with Scottish ArtsCouncil lottery funding.

www.contempart.org.uk

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8Acquisitions: Omai

Joint purchases of fine art are usually primarilymotivated by financial considerations, as it can beeasier for a group of museums to raise sufficientfunding to secure high-value objects. But theycan have important secondary benefits. In 2003,the National Portrait Gallery (NPG), the CaptainCook Memorial Museum in Whitby, and theNational Museums and Galleries of Wales(NMGW) jointly acquired William Parry’s groupportrait of Sir Joseph Banks, Dr Daniel Solanderand Omai, following a successful fundraisingcampaign.

The joint purchase means that the painting canbe understood as a great historical portrait in thecontext of the NPG’s collections, that it can beseen alongside other works by Parry at theNMGW, and that it can be seen in Whitby in thecontext of the history of Cook’s voyages. Afterbrief spells in Cardiff and London, the painting will be on display at the Captain Cook MemorialMuseum for several years.

www.cookmuseumwhitby.co.uk

45 It is clear that some museums are inhibited intheir collecting because of a skills shortage. Theylack curators with adequate knowledge of theirsubject area, and the know-how to purchase in themarket place. The question of subject knowledgeis discussed in detail in the next section. In terms of the practical skills required to collect, theContemporary Art Society’s (CAS’s) specialcollection scheme has successfully sought toaddress this issue for the contemporary arts (seecase study 7) and there is clearly potential for thisapproach to be extended to other areas.46 The recent examples of joint acquisitions to sharecosts suggest one possible response to thedifficulties museums face in collecting high-valueobjects (see case study 8). Extending collaborativeacquisitions, not necessarily through jointpurchase, but through a closely coordinatedapproach to collecting is another option. Indeed a number of groups of museums already haveagreements about collecting priorities and somesubject networks are working towards agreeingjoint collecting strategies. It is clear that museumswill need to collaborate more extensively in future in a whole range of areas, and this is discussed indetail at the end of the report. This will certainlyinclude collaborative approaches to collecting. In some fields, this might extend beyond thesector, with museums acting as the focus forcollecting strategies that could include otherorganisations such as preservation societies. 47 However, the inquiry uncovered a great deal of resistance to an over-centralised approach tocollecting. There is a strong sense that collectinghas to remain responsive to local needs. Moreover,it is undoubtedly the case that what gives the UK’smuseum collections much of their richness anddepth is precisely the fact that they have not beencentrally planned, but are, in large part, the result of visionary and often idiosyncratic collecting byhighly motivated individuals. Nevertheless, wemust acknowledge that collections are also marredby excessive and unconstrained collecting fromthe past, and that there are serious omissions. 48 This is clearly a conundrum. The inquiry’sconclusion is that a judicious approach is neededthat leaves room for personal vision, isdiscriminating and selective, and encouragesmuseums to work together when appropriate,without imposing a rigid centralised approach. Butabove all, all museums must enter into the debateabout how collections can best be developed for

the future, and reinstate active collecting as acrucial part of their activities.49 To achieve this, museums will need support torebuild their capacity for collecting. The CASscheme emphasises the long-term developmentof collections, rather than funding for one-offpurchases. Other funders should be encouragedto take this approach. 50 The MA will encourage the HLF, and otherfunders, to fund the long-term development ofcollections in addition to single acquisitions.51 A number of museums have adopted project-driven approaches to collecting, focusingon one particular area for a defined length of time,perhaps connected to an exhibition or event. This allows them to develop strength and depth inlimited areas. For example, the scope of theWomen’s Library’s museum collection is potentiallyvast. To give the collection focus it links it closely to exhibition themes for limited periods. Thisapproach may not suit others, but one advantageis that it explicitly rejects any notion that collectionsshould aim for comprehensiveness. Museumcollections – either singly or collectively - can neverreflect all aspects of society, the natural world andculture. Museums should be realistic about this, aswell as aiming to ensure that they paint a rich anddiverse picture with their collections. The practiceof community involvement in decision-makingabout collecting is well established in some fieldsand there is room to extend it, particularly inensuring that collections adequately reflect thecomplexity and cultural diversity of contemporarysociety. For example, Tyne and Wear Museums

(TWM) have used Renaissance in the Regionsfunding to create a new post of keeper ofcontemporary collecting. Working with otherpartners in the hub, she will build on the workcarried out by the TWM as part of its MakingHistory project, during which staff worked with 220 local people to create a collection of over1,000 items of significance to their lives. 52 The previous section highlighted the increasingimportance of the information and knowledge thatanimates collections. With this in mind, museumsmust ensure that they place as high a priority oncollecting associated information as on collectingobjects. The inquiry explored the question ofwhether new approaches were needed to ensurethat this happened, but the consensus was thatthis should be a part of established good practice.Museums simply need to ensure that this is giventhe priority it deserves.

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53 As part of the public realm, museum collectionsare a national resource. In exploring what thismight mean, the inquiry revisited the idea of thedistributed national collection. This term has hadcurrency for some 20 years, but there has neverbeen consensus about what it means, let aloneagreement as to how it might be made a reality. At its simplest, it can be understood as meaningthat objects of national importance are distributedin museums across the country. The Designationscheme in England underlined this view, byrecognising collections of particular significance,and a similar scheme is being developed inScotland. However, the idea of the distributednational collection can also be interpreted to meana giant bureaucracy that would centrally manageall UK museum collections. Somewhere between

those two extremes is the idea of defining whatobjects or specimens constitute the mostsignificant parts of collections held by all UKmuseums (and perhaps by others) in a given area. 54 The question of how museums should approachthe distributed national collection has been thesubject of a long-standing debate, but one thathas yet to be resolved. The inquiry aimed todevelop consensus in this area. It explored, forexample, whether there was any enthusiasm forestablishing a national framework of referencecollections in particular areas, or structures thatwould allow more decisions about collecting to betaken centrally rather than by individual museums.It also examined the approaches to a nationalcollection taken in a number of other Europeancountries, which have more formal mechanismsfor collaboration or greater centralised control.These are summarised in the appendix.55 As case studies 9 and 10 demonstrate, someparts of the UK museum sector have begun totake steps to define the national collection in theirsubject area, even without formal structures inplace. Other similar initiatives cover ships, boats,railway and mining heritage and aircraft; and someof these extend to cover objects in privateownership, as well as those held in museums.Taxonomic practice in natural science of courseoffers a ready-made designation of significance. 56 However, such exercises are clearly notappropriate for all disciplines. Most of the subjectareas where this approach has been taken havecollections consisting of relatively few large or high-value objects. They also relate to areas where

significance can be helpfully defined at a nationallevel, rather than at a local or regional level. Theidea of defining a comprehensive distributednational collection, covering all disciplines, is clearlyunrealistic. Moreover, it has become clear throughthe inquiry process that there is no appetite forgreater centralisation among the profession, orapparent demand for it from the public. People arealso nervous about the potential to create costlyand distracting bureaucracy. For all these reasons,the phrase ‘the distributed national collection’ mayno longer be helpful. Nevertheless, it is in the publicinterest that museum collections are treated as asingle resource, on which all museums should beable to draw. All users would benefit if museumsshared their collections more widely andcollaborated on collections management andcollecting. 57 Collaboration is discussed in detail in the report’sfinal section. Greater mobility of collections is a vitalfirst step and it is appropriate to consider this issuehere, in the context of the dynamic collection.

A distributednationalcollection?

9Distributed national collection: the RuralMuseums Network

One of the motivations for setting up the RuralMuseums Network was a sense that ruralmuseum collections did not reflect the full diversityof current and past rural life. The networkcommissioned an initial report into the nationalcollection of agricultural heritage, which wasfollowed by more detailed work on tractors and combine harvesters. The detailed surveysidentified which museums held which objects,and graded each object for social andtechnological significance. They aimed toestablish which objects constituted the keyelements of the national collection, and to identify

important examples that were not yet representedin museum collections, and so would be prioritiesfor future collecting. The survey used a process ofpeer review to identify important objects, drawingon the expertise of external experts, as well ascurators. The final judgements of significancewere often markedly different to the curators’ own assessments, some objects proving moreimportant than initially thought and some less so.In particular, one machine in poor condition andstored outside was identified as being ofconsiderable historic importance as the earliestsurviving combine to have entered the UK.

The surveys also revealed significant gaps inmuseums’ overall collecting. No UK museumshold any large farming machinery from the past 30years, underlining the urgency of developing newapproaches to recording agricultural heritage.

www.ruralmuseumsnetwork.org.uk

58 Collections are traditionally seen out of their‘home’ museum through short or long-term loansand touring exhibitions. There are clearly too fewsignificant loans, and too few opportunities to seeimportant temporary exhibitions in the UK outsidethe capital cities. 59 In response to proposals to increase the mobilityof collections, some local museums expressed the view that they were funded by local people, for local people, and that there was resistance frompoliticians and the public to collections being lentmore widely. It is easy to understand how this view arises, but it is misguided and should becountered. Museums should make it clear that ifthe treasures of a town’s museum are seen andappreciated widely, this is good for the town’sstatus and reputation. It can also result in reciprocal

loans from other museums. Beyond thesebenefits, museums have an ethical responsibility to serve a wider public: it is part of what it means to be a public museum. As case study 11demonstrates, the UK’s national museums havestrengthened their commitment to collectionsmobility in recent years, increasing theopportunities people have to see importantcollections outside the capital cities, through theirregional partnerships. Nevertheless, more remainsto be done. 60 While it is clear that there are few opportunities to see major touring exhibitions outside London,Edinburgh and Cardiff, there is currently no reliabledata about how many museums and galleries areinvolved in touring exhibitions, and what the scale of their activity is. The Touring Exhibitions Group � 21

10Distributed national collection: oil paintings

Two initiatives have set out to establish a completecatalogue of oil paintings in UK public collectionsand raise the profile of regional collectionsnationally and internationally. Although the projectswere initially developed separately, they are nowaligned and are working towards the preparationof a joint database. The National Inventory ofEuropean Painting 1200-1900 is an initiative fromthe National Gallery, in collaboration with GlasgowUniversity, Birkbeck College, the University ofLondon and museums throughout the country.The project is intended to address two issues: the decline in collection research in UK museums,and the lack of publicly accessible

information about collections, especially in regionalmuseums. The Public Catalogue Foundation was prompted by similar concerns about the lack of information. It aims to publish illustrated county-by-county catalogues of oil paintings inpublic ownership, and the national inventoryresearch programme will act as its research arm.

The national inventory research project is fundedby grants from the Getty Grant Program, the Artsand Humanities Research Board and the KressFoundation. The research programme will runfrom 2004 to 2007, with a team of researchersbased in regional museums.

www.pcf.org.uk

www.nationalgallery.org.uk/collection/inventory.htm

11Collections mobility: national/regionalpartnerships

National museums throughout the UK havestrengthened and formalised their links withregional museums in recent years, and this hashelped to give people more opportunities to seethe national museums’ collections outside thecapital cities. In Wales, for example, the CyfoethCymru Gyfan - Sharing Treasures scheme wasestablished in May 2002, funded by the WelshAssembly Government. It now links the NationalMuseums and Galleries of Wales (NMGW) to tenregional museums and galleries, giving themopportunities to draw on its collections. Forexample, in 2003, an exhibition in Anglesey

displayed Viking finds from the island from theNMGW collection, many of which were beingseen there for the first time.

The Tate Partnership Scheme, funded by the HLF,has run for five years and has aimed to bring theTate collection to a wider audience, through 26exhibitions at five regional partner venues. 540works have been loaned out and a total of 650,000people have gained access to the collection,without travelling to London. The British Museumhas launched a programme of touring iconic singleobjects as part of its Partnerships UK Scheme.

In 2005, linked to the Africa 05 programme, themuseum is touring the Throne of Weapons, madeby a Mozambican artist from decommissionedAK47 rifles. Public events around the display ineach venue aim to make the object a catalyst fordebate. It should be stressed that not all of thisactivity is new: the National Portrait Gallery, forexample, has three long-standing partnerships,which mean that its collections can be seen inregional venues.

http://www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/

Collectionsmobility: UK

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13Collections mobility: the Museum Loan Network

The Museum Loan Network in the USA exists to promote long-term loans between museums,with the aim of getting stored collections ondisplay. It is supported by two charitablefoundations and, with a budget of $5.5m over tenyears, it has brought about the long-term loan of4,500 objects and the cataloguing of 200,000.The network supports loans throughimplementation grants, and also gives two kindsof development funding: travel grants tomuseums interested in borrowing, and researchgrants to museums that might be willing to lend.The research grants offer an incentive for potential

lenders, particularly larger museums, to getinvolved, enabling museums to survey andcatalogue undocumented parts of theircollection.

The network acts as a broker, persuadingmuseums to take part and fostering relationshipsbetween institutions, and this has been key to itssuccess. Before it was established there wasfunding available for loans between US museumsthrough the National Endowment for the Arts, but few museums took advantage of it.

loanet.mit.edu

12Touring exhibitions: the regional museums initiative

The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is currentlyencouraging the development of more touring fine art exhibitions in regional museums, throughits regional museums initiative. The projects itsupports draw on research into underusedcollections, and involve partnerships between a number of museums.

For example, Gallery Oldham has led a project with the Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston,Bolton Museum & Art Gallery and TouchstonesRochdale to create a major new collections-basedcollaborative exhibition, Creative Tension:

British Art 1900-1950. The exhibition, which willtour to all four partner museums and a Londonvenue in 2005 and 2006, brings together over 130 paintings, sculptures and ceramics from thecollections of all four galleries, along with loansfrom other galleries in north west England. Themunicipal galleries in the major textile-producingcentres of the north west are well known for theiroutstanding collections of Victorian art, built onextensive bequests left by wealthy industrialists.But less well known is the fact that Lancashire’sgalleries, with the benefit of endowment funds,vied with each other to build significant collections

of work by living artists during the first half of the20th century. The exhibition will raise the profile ofthese relatively little known collections.

www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk

www.galleryoldham.org.uk

(TEG) has received funding from the EsméeFairbairn Foundation to enable it to research thecurrent state of touring activity in the UK, in bothquantitative and qualitative terms. The research willalso identify what might be done to improve andextend both the quality and number of touringexhibitions. Alongside this research, the EsméeFairbairn Foundation’s regional museums initiative isbeginning to have an impact in terms of increasingthe scale and quality of temporary exhibitions.Although it is currently limited to fine and decorativeart, it has the potential to provide a model that couldbe more widely adopted. Its particular strength isthat, as well as funding innovative and high-qualityexhibitions, it also encourages collaborationbetween museums and fosters original researchinto collections; see case study 12. 61 With these initiatives, the prospects for touringexhibitions in regional museums look brighter thanfor some years. It would not be timely for theinquiry to make detailed recommendations relatingto touring exhibitions until the outcome of theTEG’s work is known. However, it is clear that thereis an ongoing need for investment in buildings andinfrastructure, if more regional museums are to bein a position to accept major touring exhibitions. 62 The MA will continue to advocate the needfor more funding for temporary exhibitions andinvestment in facilities that can host majortemporary exhibitions.

63 Loans of single items or of small groups ofobjects give museums the opportunity to shednew light on their collections, or to meet publicdemand in areas where their own collections areweak. A thriving culture of such loans is anindicator of a vibrant museum sector. But manymajor institutions are effectively at capacity in termsof loans, with their registrars, conservators andtechnicians fully committed. It is clear thatmuseums cannot simply step up their activity onthe current model. What is needed is acombination of extending the culture of lendingand borrowing to institutions that currently lendand borrow little, supporting longer-term loans,which might give greater impact for the sameeffort; and finding new, less labour-intensiveapproaches. The Museum Loan Network in theUSA offers one possible model, with its emphasison long-term loans, and on involving museumsthat might not otherwise have the opportunity toborrow (case study 13). The British Museum’sprogramme of touring single objects is high profileand linked to a programme of events.Consequently, it achieves much greater impactthan some traditional loans, which might involvemore objects – and demand significantly moreadministrative and technical support – but gounnoticed. 64 The MA will explore the potential for securingfunding for a project to encourage loans,based on the Museum Loan Network model.

65 If relatively few non-national museums areengaged in active and ambitious programmes of loans and temporary exhibitions within the UK,even fewer are in a position to lend or borrowinternationally. The need for increased budgets andinvestment in museum buildings will be particularlypressing if more non-national museums are to havethe opportunity to share collections with othermuseums internationally. There may also be a needfor other forms of support, such as that offered bythe FRAME project which encourages collections’exchange between French and American non-national art museums; see case study 14.66 The European Union (EU) is currently exploringhow to promote collections mobility across Europe.The DCMS will be taking the lead on this issue aspart of the UK’s presidency of the EU during thesecond half of 2005. The MA has been workingwith the DCMS and others to explore how greaterEurope-wide mobility of collections might beencouraged in practice. A new, common approachto conditions of loan is one likely pragmaticoutcome. It is likely that collections mobility will be a key element of the EU’s new funding programmefor culture, starting in 2007, but regional museumsmay need support if they are to apply for funding. 67 It was suggested during the inquiry that UKmuseums currently do too little to realise thepotential benefits of links with museums in the restof the world, particularly in those countries linked tothe UK by past colonial ties. Too often discussionof these relationships focuses on contestedrepatriation claims. These are critically important,but can overshadow the many examples ofconstructive, collaborative working.

14Collections mobility: the French Regional & American Museums Exchange (FRAME)

In the UK, relatively few regional museums lendor borrow on a significant scale internationally. A partnership between regional French andAmerican art museums aims to promote regularloans and touring exhibitions and share skills.FRAME is funded by charitable foundations andalso has government funding in France. FRAMEhas organised two or three major touringexhibitions every year since 2001 and now has24 member museums, all committed to long-term collaboration.

www.on-frame.com

Collectionsmobility:international

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The project by the Asia-Europe Museum Networkoutlined in case study 15 demonstrates howinternational links can benefit both sides. Some UK museums already have long-standing linkswith museums and other organisations in thecountries that provided some of their collections,but more can be done. 68 The MA will work with the InternationalCouncil of Museums to encourage bodiessuch as the DCMS and the MLA to supportmore UK museums in building mutuallybeneficial international links. 69 The inquiry explored the role that museums might play in working with collections andcollectors outside the public domain. Manyrespondents were cautious about devoting

resources to supporting private collections, giventhat museums’ resources are limited and that thepotential needs of public collections are so great.What is clear, however, is that collections in privateownership have a public value and that it is theresponsibility of museums to help realise thatpublic value in appropriate ways. Museums ofcourse regularly display material lent from privatecollections, although this is more common in somesubject areas than others, and could be extended.There may also be scope to provide support forthe long-term preservation of private collections,provided that it draws them closer to the publicrealm. The heritage cubes initiative by Beamishand Tyne and Wear provides an example of howmuseums can offer protection to collections innon-museum ownership (case study 16). Others,including groups of museums, libraries and archivesin County Durham and in Stroud, have sought torecord and provide access to records and objects in private ownership, through digitisation.

15Collections mobility: the Asia-EuropeMuseum Network

The Asia-Europe Museum Network promotescooperation between European and Asianmuseums and has over 70 members. One currentproject is increasing collections mobility and thesharing of knowledge between museums in Europeand the Philippines. Some European museums holdvery significant Philippine material that has neverbeen seen by Philippine audiences, and much of itlacks proper documentation. Unearthing PhilippinePast European Museums is a four-year programme(2003-2006), which will improve the information thatEuropean museums have about their Philippinecollections, while also giving source communities in

the Philippines the opportunity to see the collectionsat first hand. Philippine objects from several Europeanmuseums, including the British Museum, will beloaned to the Philippines. Following an exhibition inthe Philippine National Museum, groups of objectswill then tour to their places of origin, where sourcecommunities will be invited to contribute informationabout them. The project will also draw on theexpertise of scholars in the Philippines and theobjects will be returned to Europe accompanied bymuch richer information resources.

www.asemus.org

16Working with private owners and otherorganisations: heritage cubes

Under the first round of Designation ChallengeFunding, Beamish and Tyne and Wear museumsbuilt a joint store for their large object collectionsknown as the regional museums store. Thepartnership was so successful that they are nowbuilding a new store for medium-size objects toadd to the regional resource centre at Beamish.The project also includes an innovative proposalfor the storage of collections owned bycommunity and local heritage groups. Known as heritage cubes, these spaces will offer securestorage for significant collections and will help toensure that they survive to benefit future

generations, but without ownership passing fromthe community into the museum. A collectionsstudy room will also be available for use by these groups.

www.beamish.org.uk

Working withprivate ownersand otherorganisations

70 The transfer of objects between museums, orfrom museums to other public institutions, is anaccepted part of good collections management.The inquiry considered whether transfer should be given a higher priority, with more collectionsbeing transferred to museums and other publicinstitutions with greater capacity to offeropportunities to engage with, care for and research them. It is clear that there is considerableresistance to any suggestion that collectionsshould be concentrated in centres of excellence.Many respondents were anxious that this might

leave smaller and less well-resourced museumsdepleted, damaging their status with theircommunities and undermining the support ofdonors. A more positive approach might focus onbringing additional curatorial support to underusedcollections, rather than trying to take the collectionsnearer to where the support is. The question ofhow to strengthen expertise and knowledge isdiscussed in detail in the final section.71 Nevertheless, there is an ethical imperative formuseums to increase the use of their collections as well as to maximise the care they are able tooffer them. They have a responsibility to considerthe appropriate transfer of collections to anotherinstitution as part of this. In taking forward theinquiry, the MA will investigate ways ofsupporting museums in transferringcollections to more appropriate institutions,including the provision of better informationand training. For example, it may be beneficial for the MA to provide an online listing of collectionsavailable for transfer, instead of the rather brieflistings currently provided in Museums Journal.And better information about the holdings ofmuseums, through online listing and collaborativeapproaches, may make it possible for museums to adopt a more proactive approach, requestingthings they would positively like, rather thanpassively reacting to proposed disposals.

72 Disposal should be a part of a responsiblecollections management strategy. Most museumscarry out occasional disposals and a few havetaken a more concerted approach. The NationalMaritime Museum is currently engaged in a reviewof its collections, which is expected to lead to thedisposal of about 4,500 objects. NewarkMuseums Service, a small local authority service,has also adopted a proactive approach todisposal, which involves consultation with a panelof community representatives. The inquiry hasconcluded that more museums should take active

Transfer

Disposal frommuseumcollections

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approaches to disposal. These suggestions buildon the work recently carried out by the NationalMuseum Directors’ Conference and published inits report, Too Much Stuff? (2002).73 Some objects will find an appropriate home inother museum collections; but some will be needto be disposed of outside the sector. This reportdiscusses transfer and disposal outside the sectorseparately, since the issues concerned aresignificantly different. Transfer between museums,where an object or collection remains within thepublic realm is relatively uncontroversial. It shouldalways be a museum’s first choice whenundertaking disposal. However, it is important tobe clear that there are collections that are unusedin their present institution and that would not find ahome in another museum, were they to be offeredfor transfer. Some would be of interest to collectorsand enthusiasts, and the option of transfer tovoluntary sector bodies is sometimes an attractiveone, particularly for industrial and transportmuseums. However, in any large-scale collectionreview, it is likely that some objects will be disposedof that are not of interest even to collectors andenthusiasts. The experience of the BT ConnectedEarth project offers a valuable lesson (case study17). After all other avenues had been exhausted,and after the most thorough disposal process, a significant number of objects were simply thrownaway. This is, for most museums, an unpalatablesolution.74 Disposal is costly and time consuming if it is to becarried out appropriately. Some respondents haveargued that it is a distraction and an entirelynegative use of time and energy, and so it should

simply be avoided. But that is to ignore theproblem. Responsible museums cannot keepspending public resources caring for objects thatwill never be enjoyed or used. Nor can theycontinue to expand their collections indefinitely.Resources are limited, and if museums are to beable to continue to collect, while remainingsustainable, they must consider disposal. 75 Museums tend to be discouraged fromdisposing of objects by mistakes from the past.However, while disposing of an object alwaysconstitutes some kind of lost opportunity for futuregenerations, so does its retention. The burden ofcaring for unwanted and unusable collections willtie our successors’ hands, just as much as the lossof something they might have valued. 76 There are ways of minimising mistakes. Disposal should be prioritised towards the kinds of objects and specimens that will never be useful,usually because they are unprovenanced anduncontextualised, or simply in irreversible physicaldecline. Objects represented in large quantitiesmust be another category for consideration. Many respondents were keen to stress that someapparent duplication can easily be justified (twoidentical objects are not necessarily duplicates – insocial history, they may have different stories thatmake them unique; in biosciences, a specimen’sDNA gives it a unique value). However, there muststill be reasonable limits to how many objects areneeded: a museum can easily justify holding two,or even ten, flat irons if they have interesting storiesattached to them or will be used for loans orhandling, but it will surely not find use for 100. Thequestion of duplication in biosciences is perhaps

more complex and may need collaborativeapproaches. 77 The inquiry found that there are obstacles thatprevent museums from disposing of more objects,even when it is ethical and appropriate to do so.The first and perhaps most significant is adisproportionate anxiety among some museumprofessionals. Many respondents believed that, by showing a willingness to dispose of any items,they would open the floodgates to a rush ofinappropriate disposals. They were concerned that if disposal were understood to be even apossibility, they would be required byunsympathetic governing bodies to sell parts of the collection for purely financial reasons. But therehave been no recent cases of this happening; andthe last case caused such widespread indignationthat it should be clear that this is not a risk-freecourse of action for a governing body. Theperception of this problem is most acute in localauthorities. 78 The MA will seek ways to work in partnershipwith the Local Government Association, to findways to increase confidence so that all localauthorities can be responsible stewards oftheir collections. 79 Some practical changes to disposal procedureswould encourage more museums to dispose ofobjects appropriately. The MA will work with theMLA to find ways to streamline museums’disposal procedures, while improving thesafeguards offered. For example, it may behelpful to establish a sign-off procedure forplanned disposals, so that museums could be

17Disposal: Connected Earth

When BT was privatised in 1984, its assetsincluded over 40,000 historic artefacts. Adedicated BT Museum closed in 1997, with BTfeeling that a standalone museum was no longerthe best way of providing public access to thecollections. Instead, the company created amuseum on the internet, and has distributed thebest of its physical collections to a network of newgalleries within established UK museums. TheConnected Earth museum went live in 2002 andpartner galleries have opened displays since,each concentrating on a particular aspect of thehistory and science of telecommunications.

The BT collections included telephones,switchboards, telegraphs, and associatedequipment; large items such as telephone kiosks,and even a historic vehicle collection. It also heldhuge numbers of components and spares as wellas tens of thousands of items of ephemera.

Much was dispersed to the partner museums,depending on the themes of the displays planned.BT then followed a thorough and ethically-appropriate programme of disposal,offering the remainder of the material to registeredmuseums, and then to collectors and enthusiasts.But even after this lengthy process,

a considerable amount of material remained forwhich no home could be found and was simplythrown away.

www.connected-earth.com

certain that everything was being carried outappropriately. While disposal by transfer to anothermuseum must remain the ideal, there will beoccasions when this is not practical. It may beappropriate to establish an approach that offersgreater safeguards when other methods are used. 80 Above all, museums need to be clear thatmaking decisions about disposal is part of theirprofessional and ethical responsibility. If museumstaff are comfortable with the idea that they needto exercise professional judgement when makingacquisitions, they should extend the sameapproach to disposal.

81 If museums are to realise the potential of their collections then the sector needs to bestrengthened in certain areas. This section looks at the question of specialist expertise andknowledge, as well as at more general issuesabout training and collaboration.

82 Without people with the skills and knowledge to bring their collections to life, museums are justrepositories. However, museums face ever greaterchallenges in ensuring they have people with theright skills and knowledge to develop collections-related knowledge.83 It has become clear that there are too fewmuseum staff with a focus on developingcollections’ potential, and that many museums do not have access to the expertise they need todevelop their collections. Renaissance in theRegions has begun to have an impact in England,with some regional museum hubs appointing newcollections staff at a senior level, but the need acrossthe sector remains great. This is not simply a plea formore curators, collection management specialistsand conservators, though these are needed.

C Strengtheningthe museum sector

Expertise andknowledge

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84 To say that museums need access to moreknowledge about their collections should not be to indulge in false nostalgia. It is tempting to harkback to a notional golden age perhaps 30 or 50years ago when museums were well staffed byscholar-curators who knew their collections andtheir subject areas authoritatively and intimately. In reality, it is far from clear that there was ever this kind of comprehensive coverage, with everycollection benefiting from the care of a specialist.And it is even less clear that the service providedmet the needs of a wide audience. Museums needexcellent communicators as well as access toexcellent scholarship, especially in the face ofincreased demands from visitors who have higherexpectations and are often better informed andmore demanding. The way that museumscommunicate has improved, and, in manyrespects, they are meeting the needs of theirvisitors better than ever before. They recognise that they cannot speak about their collections in a language that only specialists can understand.Museums and their users have benefitedenormously from changes that have seeneducators, and other interpretation staff, play a key part in planning exhibitions and displays.85 Museums have also had to adapt because thesubjects they now deal with are bigger and morecomplex than they used to be. The social history of a medium-sized town today might include thestories of people who have come to Britain fromevery continent and whose patterns of work andlife experiences are unimaginably complex andvaried. Science and industry collections have toencompass biotechnology, as well as the

development of steam power. Museum collectionscontain objects and specimens in more media,and the histories and experiences that werepreviously hidden demand a presence. Thesechanges have made museums infinitely richer, but have also meant that they need access tomore specialist knowledge. 86 For the longer term, more research into theextent of relevant expertise in museums and otherinstitutions across the UK is needed. Some isalready being undertaken at a regional level inEngland by regional museum hubs and regionalagencies, and by the relevant agencies in thedevolved administrations and this needs to bebrought together. Proper debate about what kindsof expertise museums need is also required: inparticular, how much expertise should be in-houseand how much can be brought in from outside?The MA will seek ways to promote and takeforward the debate and research intoexpertise.87 Some immediate conclusions can be drawn.Museums need to reassert the development ofknowledge and research as a key role. Educators,curators, conservators and those working inaudience development and strategic marketing all have a part to play in encouraging thedevelopment of knowledge about the collectionand disseminating it widely.88 Museums also need to recognise that it is notdesirable, let alone practical, for them to have all theexpertise they require in house. Museums can worktogether to share expertise across the sector andthis is discussed in more detail below. But it will be

equally if not more important for museums to buildcloser links with external sources of knowledge andexpertise. For example, Birmingham Museums andArt Gallery has an advisory panel for its science andindustry collections, established as a response to a lack of in-house expertise. The panel includesacademics, curators from the National Museum of Science and Industry, and a representative fromthe Science & Industry Collections Group, thesubject-specialist organisation in this area. Similarly, the natural science department at NorthLincolnshire Museum, recognising that its staffrepresent only a tiny proportion of the expertiseavailable locally, has established a working group to allow them to develop links with both amateursand professionals. 89 Volunteers and enthusiasts also represent a valuable source of knowledge, and somemuseums have worked hard to harness this. Many natural science departments work withvolunteers recording wildlife sightings, as part oflocal biodiversity action plans. Volunteers withrelevant skills from their working lives are vital inmany transport and industrial museums. Theremay be scope to develop this further, with moremuseums actively recruiting volunteers for theirspecialist knowledge. 90 A number of museums have developedexemplary partnerships with higher educationinstitutions, and of course university museumsexist at the point of interface between museumsand higher education. The Victoria and AlbertMuseum has a range of long-establishedpartnerships with universities, some of which offermuseum staff the opportunity to teach, as well as

draw on specialist academic expertise to informexhibitions and publications. The opportunity toform links with higher education institutions is notrestricted to large museums: the WilberforceHouse Museum in Hull has only two members ofstaff, but is working closely with the University ofHull on the Wilberforce Institute for the Study ofSlavery and Emancipation research centre andarchive. Other museums have recognised thepotential for universities to make use of theircollections: Portsmouth City Museums andRecords Service’s entire geology collection is on long-term loan to the school of earth andenvironmental sciences at the University ofPortsmouth where it is actively used as a teachingresource. In return, university staff provide expertadvice on, and access to, the collection and dealwith public enquiries.91 In general, links between museums and highereducation are far less well developed than theymight be. There are reasons for this: the approachtaken to particular subjects by museums and byuniversities may differ significantly. Researchcarried out in museums and presented in the form of exhibitions and catalogues may have been undervalued by universities’ performancemanagement regime, thereby discouraging themfrom investing resources in museum projects.Nevertheless, the higher education sector hassuch significant resources at its disposal that itmust be worth pursuing possibilities. Highereducation can also be a significant source offunding for museum projects, as a number of thecase studies demonstrate. The inquiry concludesthat it is not just university museums that have a

role to play in making the intellectual resources ofhigher education more widely available. Universitymuseums have an established role as the ‘shopwindows’ of their institutions, but this is a role thatcould also be extended to other museums.92 The MA will work with the Arts andHumanities Research Council, the UniversityMuseums Group and other relevant bodies toexplore how links between museums andhigher education might be strengthened. 93 It is clear that museums could do more to ensurethat they draw on external sources of knowledgeand make it publicly available. Respondents weredivided as to the extent to which museums alsoneed in-house expertise. Some argued that peoplewho work in museums simply need basic subjectknowledge, with access to specialist expertise.And indeed some museums do function wellwithout in-house specialist knowledge of theircollections, and bring objects to life for visitors.However, there is a danger that they are trading on the work undertaken by previous generations of curators, and that both their collections andinterpretation will eventually become stale. Withoutgood knowledge of their collections, museums willfind it hard to collect actively and seriously, let aloneto take appropriate decisions about disposal. They could also miss out on opportunities forcollaboration with external bodies since, withoutany internal expertise, it may be difficult to spotopportunities and to forge appropriate links.Museums’ in-house expertise could perhaps best be seen as a catalyst, vital to set off widerreactions.

94 There is a clear need for investment in trainingand development to enhance subject expertise,and this is discussed below. Recent projects alsodemonstrate the benefits of bringing specialistcuratorial expertise in to underused collections,including the Petrie Museum’s work, funded by theDesignation Challenge Fund; see case study 18.95 As part of its action plan for taking forward thisreport, the MA will explore the possibility ofraising funding for a pilot programme ofproviding additional curatorial support forunderused collections.

18The Petrie project

The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology atUniversity College London recently led a projectto reactivate underused collections in regionalmuseums, through the injection of specialistexpertise. Material excavated by Flinders Petrie is widely distributed in museums across the UK.The Petrie worked with four of these museums:Bexhill Museum, Buckinghamshire CountyMuseum, Ipswich Museum and BrightonMuseum and Art Gallery.

The Designation Challenge Fund enabled aspecialist Egyptologist to spend 20 months withthe four museums, researching, cataloguing, and

photographing ancient Egyptian items. When theproject began, most of these items were in storeand poorly documented, with no plans to putthem on display: the museums had never hadaccess to specialist support.

The original aim of the project was to researchand document the collections. However, oncethe museums knew the potential of the materialthey held, they were able to plan temporaryexhibitions and redisplays of their galleries, basedon the material. Potentially popular collectionshad remained underused because the museumsdid not have access to the expertise andknowledge to make them meaningful to visitors.

www.petrie.ucl.ac.uk

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96 A comprehensive overview of training anddevelopment issues was beyond the scope of the inquiry. However, it considered some specifictraining and development issues related to theskills needed to care for collections and to bringthem to life. 97 The increased prevalence of museum studiesqualifications and the Associateship of theMuseums Association (AMA) programme, with its commitment to continuing professionaldevelopment, have helped to raise generalstandards in the sector. However, while museumstudies courses have fostered greaterprofessionalism, the inquiry has revealed someconcern about how well they prepare graduatesfor museum careers, especially in that they offerlittle scope for developing subject-relatedexpertise. Some respondents suggested that the now almost universal requirement to have amuseum studies qualification before securing afirst job in many areas of museum work limits thepool of potential applicants in a damaging way.Excluding people with relevant skills gained inarchives, libraries or higher education is oneexample. The new-style AMA is designed to beaccessible to people working in or for museumsin any capacity, and it has done much to raisestandards and instil a sense of professionalism.But some responses suggested that its genericapproach might have had some unhelpfulconsequences, in that it has reduced theemphasis placed on the development ofcollections-related expertise. While the MA remainscommitted to a professional qualification that isopen to everyone who works in museums, it may

be appropriate to explore the issue of the AMA’srelation to subject specialisms in more detail. 98 The MA will work with its recognised museumstudies courses to review the way that thecourses prepare people for museum careers.The MA will also consider whether a review ofthe AMA is needed. 99 Conservators have separate training anddevelopment programmes and the inquiry alsopointed to some concerns about these. Inparticular, conservation courses offer increasinglylittle hands-on experience, and conservators haveto develop this post-entry, although there arerelatively few posts which offer properly structuredtraining opportunities. This is something that thenew Institute of Conservation is likely to seek toaddress, and the MA would be keen to work withthe institute in whatever ways might beappropriate.100 The lack of training and development posts iscommon to almost all museum roles. Specialistskills and expertise have traditionally been learnedon the job, but there are now few posts which offerthe chance for junior staff to work alongside moreexperienced staff, building their skills in a structuredway. There is a clear lack of succession planning,and no structured pathways through a museumcareer. The problems associated with recruitingpeople to leadership roles have been wellrehearsed and a number of initiatives are nowbeginning to address this problem. But problemsare not limited to senior roles. Almost every stageof career progression presents its own problems.There is considerable anecdotal evidence to

suggest that many staff are trapped in roles that do not draw on their skills and potential. Talent iswasted and energetic and committed people leavethe sector. Low pay remains a serious issue andmay discourage suitable applicants from pursuinga museum career. The MA’s Diversify scheme hasbrought new talent into museums and is increasingthe cultural diversity of the profession, but muchremains to be done. There is also a dearth ofsmaller-scale training opportunities in some areas:for example, a number of respondentscommented on the lack of affordable object-basedshort training courses offering hands-onexperience. 101 These problems are now widely recognised andit is welcome that they are given prominence in theDCMS consultation document, Understanding theFuture. The establishment of the new Sector SkillsCouncil (SSC) for the cultural and creativeindustries offers an exceptional opportunity andthe MLA is well placed to take a strong lead onworkforce issues. 102 The MA will work with the SSC and with theMLA, the DCMS and other relevant bodies onissues associated with workforce developmentas a matter of priority.

Development and training

103 Museums will need to work together to make an entitlement to museum collections a reality foreveryone. Museums already cooperate in manyareas. There would be considerable benefits ifexisting relationships were formalised andextended. The inquiry has investigated thefeasibility of establishing a series of networks, that would enable museums to cooperate moreclosely. This was a key theme of the consultationpaper, published during an earlier stage of theinquiry. There was a similar proposal forcollaboration on a subject-by-subject basis inthe Renaissance in the Regions report, whichenvisaged that subject-based networks couldcomplement the joint working of the regionalmuseum hubs. As this report is published, theMLA is providing some funding for subject-basednetworks, and the MA hopes that this will beextended and supplemented, depending on theoutcomes from this pilot round. 104 The thinking behind the two proposals wassimilar. In order to make effective use of theircollections, museums need people who can bringthem to life: people who have expert knowledgeand who can also communicate that knowledgewith verve and enthusiasm. There is anecdotalevidence of potentially very rich collections in UKmuseums, which have never been properlycurated and so never made properly available toanyone. It makes sense for museums to pool theirresources by working across institutionalboundaries, to begin to address the shortfall ofexpertise and to find ways of making better use ofunder-exploited collections. Groups of museumsworking together would also be well placed to

draw in external expertise, from higher education,industry and enthusiasts’ groups. Withoutprejudging the outcomes of the pilot round of theMLA funding for specialist networks, it is alreadyclear that there is considerable potential for jointworking on collecting and disposal, sharingknowledge, as well as on public-facing projectssuch as exhibitions and publications. 105 It is important to emphasise that there is aconsiderable number of existing subject-basedgroups in the museum sector, promotingcollaboration in a whole range of areas. Most haveindividual members and are primarily concernedwith professional development and promotinggood practice in their area. A number of groups,mostly established more recently, have institutionalmembers and aim to develop collaborationbetween museums, leading to more immediatepublic outcomes such as exhibitions. During theinquiry, as part of a programme of research fundedby the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the MA set outto establish an overview of existing subject-relatedcollaboration and to identify the strengths andweaknesses of the existing groups and this surveyis available in full on the MA website. The aim ofany additional funding must be to strengthen andcomplement the work of these existing groups.106 In taking forward this report, the MA will lookfor ways to encourage continued investment insubject-based networks, as well as exploringother possible models of collaboration.Specialist networks may work most successfully infairly small specialist areas: for example, it is hard tosee how the rural history model might be applied toarchaeology. It will also be important to encourage

museums not to retreat to traditional museologicaldivisions, but to take cross-cutting, interdisciplinaryapproaches to collections. Cooperation betweenmuseums in the regional museum hubs inEngland, as well as the projects funded by theRegional Development Challenge Fund inScotland offer some valuable examples of howjoint working can be fostered and encouraged.One lesson to emerge from the inquiry has beenthe value of brokers, whose role it is to buildrelationships and encourage joint working. Withoutthis kind of dedicated staff time and energy, manypotential partnerships never get off the ground.With one individual able to act as a catalyst, itbecomes possible to bring in external funding andachieve results far in excess of what the partnersmight achieve individually. Investing in such brokersmay offer a way of encouraging partnerships forareas where the subject network-based approachmight not be appropriate. 107 Further work is needed to determine theappropriate nature of collaborative approaches.However, what is clear is that greater collaborationis both a practical necessity and a philosophicalimperative if museums are to realise the potential oftheir collections as a key part of the public realm.

Collaboration

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108 This report shows that there are many ways to increase people’s engagement with museumcollections and to make collections, andknowledge and ideas about them, as rich, diverseand inspiring as possible.109 The MA hopes that the report marks the start ofa sustained process of change. If this is to happenit will need support from government, policymakers and funders, as well as action by individualmuseums and galleries.110 The MA will encourage discussion andimplementation of the report’s ideas and argue forchanges in policy, funding and practice. Many ofthe report’s suggestions are based on existingpractice in the museum sector and can be put intopractice now.

111 Other ideas in the report need furtherdevelopment. The MA hopes to continue workingwith policy makers and the widest range ofmuseums to work these ideas up in more detail. It also hopes to secure funding to run a number of pilot projects to explore some of the report’sproposals.

Individual museums112 Many of the report’s findings and action pointsare in the form of suggestions for changes tomuseum practice and individual museums willhave to decide how to respond to thesesuggestions. 113 To encourage an active debate about theproposals, the MA will produce guidance (perhapsin the form of a toolkit for discussion meetings) tohelp museums think through the implications ofthis report for their own work.

Government, policy makers and funders114 Starting immediately, the MA will work with awide range of organisations to discuss the how the findings of the inquiry might influence their work and, where appropriate, jointly planimplementation strategies. The specific actionpoints summarised below commit the MA toworking with a number of organisations, notablythe Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, theDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport, the ArtFund and the Heritage Lottery Fund. There are alsospecific proposals for the MA to work with the Artsand Humanities Research Council, the UniversityMuseums Group, the International Council ofMuseums, the Local Government Association, the new sector skills council and the mda.

Moving forward

115 To ensure that collections-related work isproperly valued, and properly resourced, it will be essential that it is reflected by museums’performance management regimes. The MA will work with the appropriate bodies, includinggovernment departments and the AuditCommission, to take this forward.116 The MA also hopes to work constructively withother organisations that share an interest in takingforward ideas in this report, including: nationalmuseum councils and government departments,regional agencies, specialist groups, the NationalMuseum Directors’ Conference, the Association of Independent Museums, the Group for LargerLocal Authority Museums, organisationsrepresenting other parts of the sector, the artscouncils, the Big Lottery Fund and charitable trustsactive in museums.

EngagementMore research is needed to assess the impact ofinitiatives designed to make collections moreavailable, such as open storage, loan schemesand displays on non-museum premises. The MAwill encourage relevant bodies to undertake suchresearch with the aim of making definitivejudgements about the most effective way to investresources in future. The MA will continue toencourage debate about how wider engagementcan be encouraged. (14)

The MA will work with the mda (formerly theMuseum Documentation Association), the MLAand others to develop clear and realisticrecommendations about the future direction ofdocumentation and knowledge management. (25)

The MA considers the hidden histories approachto be an important way forward, and will look forways to support and encourage it. (29)

The MA will encourage the MLA and others to find ways of encouraging and supporting moredigitisation of collections, and adding value toexisting digital resources. (36)

The dynamic collectionThe MA will work with the Art Fund, and otherappropriate bodies, to explore the potential forstrengthening museums’ capacity to makeacquisitions and for developing more strategicapproaches to acquisition. (44)

The MA will encourage the HLF, and other funders,to fund the long-term development of collections inaddition to single acquisitions. (50)

The MA will continue to advocate the need formore funding for temporary exhibitions andinvestment in facilities that can host majortemporary exhibitions. (62)

The MA will explore the potential for securingfunding for a project to encourage loans, based on the Museum Loan Network model. (64)

The MA will work with the International Council ofMuseums to encourage bodies such as the DCMSand the MLA to support more UK museums inbuilding mutually beneficial international links. (68)

The MA will investigate ways of supportingmuseums in transferring collections to moreappropriate institutions, including the provision ofbetter information and training. (71)

The MA will seek ways to work in partnership withthe Local Government Association, to find ways toincrease confidence so that all local authorities canbe responsible stewards of their collections. (78)

The MA will work with the MLA to find ways tostreamline museums’ disposal procedures, whileimproving the safeguards offered. (79)

Strengthening the museum sectorThe MA will seek ways to promote and takeforward the debate and research into expertise. (86)

The MA will work with the Arts and HumanitiesResearch Council, the University Museums Groupand other relevant bodies to explore how linksbetween museums and the higher educationsector might be strengthened. (92)

The MA will explore the possibility of raising fundingfor a pilot programme of providing additionalcuratorial support for underused collections. (95)

The MA will work with its recognised museumstudies courses to review the way that the coursesprepare people for museum careers. The MA willalso consider whether a review of the AMA isneeded. (98)

The MA will work with the SSC and with the MLA,the DCMS and other relevant bodies on issuesassociated with workforce development as amatter of priority. (102)

The MA will look for ways to encourage continuedinvestment in subject-based networks, as well as exploring other possible models ofcollaboration. (106)

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How others do it Throughout the inquiry, we have looked abroad for possible models. One of the things we haveconsidered is whether changes to the way thatmuseums and their collections are managed mighthelp to achieve the improvements that we hopefor. In general, the inquiry has concluded that large-scale structural change is not required, somuch as changes to individual museums’ practiceand a much greater commitment to collaborationwithin existing structures. Nevertheless, a numberof people have commented that it would be usefulto know more about the structures in place in otherEuropean countries, to inform the debate abouthow to develop the sector in the UK.

This section provides information about thestructures and mechanisms in place for managingmuseums and their collections in four differentEuropean countries. The Netherlands, Denmark,Sweden and France have been chosen because,in some respects, all take a more centralised orstructured collaborative approach to managingmuseums and their collections than is currently the case in the UK. Research by Julie Nightingale

The NetherlandsMost museums in the Netherlands are run bynational, provincial or local government. Nationalmuseums come under the arm’s-length control ofthe Department of Culture but are all independentfoundations with their own boards and haveoperated in this ‘privatised’ way since the mid-1990s.

It is government policy to foster the notion of asingle national collection, but one held in variousmuseums across the country. There are measuresin place to encourage mobility between collections.For example, the rules on insurance have beenrelaxed to persuade more nationals to lend to localauthority museums and there are arrangementsbetween central government and key localauthorities so that long-term and exhibition loanscan move freely.

Following the shift to greater independence formuseums, a number of agencies are now involvedin maintaining museums’ collections and increating dialogue between the government andmuseums. Chief among them is the InstituutCollectie Nederland (Institute for NetherlandsCollections, ICN).

The ICN is government-funded to advise ministerson issues to do with museums and collections. Itcarries out a number of collections managementfunctions which were previously shared out amongdifferent bodies, and has four core tasks: advising onthe preservation and management of collections,research, training conservators and managing theICN collection of more than 100,000 works of art,half of which are on loan to other institutions

The ICN’s advice is also available to the museumsand other individuals and organisations that holdcollections, including libraries and archives, as wellas private collectors.

www.icn.nl

DenmarkDenmark has more than 300 museums or relatedinstitutions, about half of which are state-subsidisedto some degree. The state owns and entirely fundsseven national museums. Other museums areowned and run by local authorities and by regionalcouncils. Some museums receive funding from allthree tiers of government.

Despite the reliance on state funding, it is adevolved system and museums are largelyautonomous with their own boards of directors,though the creation of the National CulturalHeritage Agency (NCHA), see below, has handedmore control back to the centre.

In terms of the collection, anything in a public-ownedmuseum is considered part of national heritage. It isa national collection in spirit, though local authoritiesofficially hold the rights of ownership to theircollections (unlike in France).

The most significant recent development formuseums in Denmark has been the DanishMuseums Act, which covers all public-fundedmuseums irrespective of size or type. It sets out the purpose of museums, obligations in return forpublic funding, rules covering research (mainlyarchaeological investigations), treasure trove andnatural history finds.

Cooperation between museums at different levelsis taken for granted; museum people talk about‘the network of museums’ in Denmark. The Acthas codified these partnerships and emphasisesmuseums’ duty to work together on research orexhibitions and to exchange objects freely. Inaddition, the three nationals specialising in culturalhistory, art and natural history are required to sharetheir expertise with local museums.

The NCHA was created when the Act came intoforce in 2001, replacing the National Council ofMuseums. The agency advises the minister andsets a number of regulations for museums, as wellas giving guidance on collections managementand overseeing ‘quality control’ of museums work.

A key innovation under the Act has been thecreation of two central registers, one for art, and one for other collections. The Act creates anobligation for state museums and state-supportedmuseums to enter everything in their collections on to the registers. Access to all the information(except personal information and details of aboutstorage) is free for the public as well asprofessionals.

www.kum.dk/sw4497.asp – explanation of theDanish Museum Act 2001 (in English)

Appendix

Sweden There are almost 200 museums in Sweden andthe majority are public-funded. They fall into threemain groups: national, county/regional (with statesubsidy) and those run by other local authorities.There is no central accreditation scheme as thereis in the UK, and, unlike Denmark, Swedishmuseums are not covered by a singleparliamentary act.

The key government body for museums is theNational Heritage Board, the central authority for all matters concerning the historic landscape andcultural heritage. The board oversees all nationalmuseums and also works with the regional andlocal authority-funded museums. One of its maintasks is to allocate government grants to regionalmuseums and to award project funding to nationalmuseums. (See www.raa.se).

Most of the county/regional museums and someof the national museums are owned byfoundations. This, theoretically, gives them a highdegree of autonomy. In practice, all are dependenton public funding, and their grants are often alliedto government/local authority objectives. (They arenot independent in the same sense as independentmuseums in the UK because opportunities foralternative funding streams, such as sponsorship,are thin on the ground and there is no tradition ofan entrepreneurial approach to raising revenue.)

In terms of their collections, Swedish museumsoperate autonomously – the concept of a united,nationwide, national collection does not apply.Archaeological material is protected by law andkept in dedicated museums, which have a legalobligation to care for archaeological archives.Otherwise, every museum is responsible for itsown collection and decides independently what to acquire.

That said, many museums participate in theSamdok initiative, which has had a profoundimpact on their collecting policies. Samdok, which has been running since 1977, began as astrategy to build cooperation between culturalhistory museums around contemporary research,documentation and collecting. It was originallyfunded by the government but is now supported by the Nordiska Museet (the national museum ofcultural history in Stockholm) and more than 80museums are involved. At its core, is the principlethat museums can research contemporary societyand culture more effectively by collaborating andapplying a common philosophy. Its objective is to

deepen knowledge and understanding ofSwedish society by creating a reliable record of its people, conditions and phenomena. It takes a holistic approach to the recording of informationand it draws on a range of techniques – oraltestimony, film, photography, and documentation– to ensure a broad perspective. It covers eightsubject areas and participating museums chooseto focus on one of these. Though each museumdirects and funds its own research, they discussthe content and scope of their programmes withcolleagues from other museums working on thesame topic. It has its own decision-making body,the Samdok council.

www.nordiskamuseet.se/Publication.asp?publicationid=4213

France Of the four countries we refer to, France has themost clear-cut definition of where the nationalcollection ends and others begin: the nation ownsthe lot. Since 1791 all collections, national or local,have been the inalienable property of the Frenchpeople. The relevant ministries and individualmuseums are simply custodians of the collection,and all senior museum staff are civil servants. Allcollections and registered monuments are listed onthe National Inventory. Even though museums arenow shifting to a more decentralised structure (seebelow), this change is highly unlikely to overturnmore than 200 years of tradition and fragment thenational collection.

There is no single legislative framework coveringmuseums. Around two dozen come under theCulture Ministry but many others, including theMuseum d’Histoire Naturelle and others with ascience focus, come under the Higher Educationand Research Ministry. Others fall to defence,transport and foreign affairs. National museumsmay be funded by a single sponsoring ministry or by a combination of ministries.

Regional and local museums receive their grantsfrom the relevant tier of local or regionalgovernment, but many also receive additionalfunding from central government. For example,the director and deputy of all important localgovernment museums are appointed and paid for by the state.

The other significant body for museums is LaRéunion des Musées Nationaux. One of its keyfunctions is to pool income earned by museums,including that from reproduction rights and

admissions to special exhibitions, to help fundmajor temporary exhibitions and purchase grants.

The state is relaxing its historically tight grip on themanagement of its cultural heritage and is movingto a more devolved model of governance. Manynational museums now have a structurecomparable to UK nationals, with boards oftrustees. New administrative laws cover therunning of public museums and set out therelationships between them and a number ofgovernment and regional support agencies.

Since the end of the 1980s, around 16,000 staff(half the workforce) have been switched fromCulture Ministry employment to these newgoverning bodies, and more will follow in line withthe national policy of decentralising France overall.For example, around 85 per cent of all the 450 or sonational monuments and sites are to be transferredfrom direct government management and handedto regional or local bodies or autonomous trusts.Technically, this means employees will cease to becivil servants, but senior staff at least are likely toremain under the ministry.

http://www.rmn.fr/

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