I thought that this might be of interest to you all. Apologies for the
delay in picking this off the DCMS website.


Regards


Gillian Whichelo
96/2000 4 May 2000





CHRIS SMITH ANNOUNCES NINE APPOINTMENTS TO THE BOARD OF RESOURCE (THE
COUNCIL FOR MUSEUMS, ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES)


Culture Secretary Chris Smith today announced nine appointments to the Board
of Resource (The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries). The
appointments are for a term of three years and bring membership of the Board
to fourteen including the Chairman, Lord Evans. The final three Board
appointments are expected to be announced before the summer.

The new members of the Board are Ajay Chowdhury, Dr Maurna Crozier, Vivien
Griffiths, Nicholas Hodgson, Mark Jones, Neil MacGregor, Elizabeth Jane
Ryder, Michael Stevenson and Professor Lola Young. They join Loyd Grossman,
Mark Wood, Karen Knight and Victor Gray who were appointed in January 2000
and Chairman Lord Evans who was appointed last year.

Announcing the latest appointments Culture Secretary Chris Smith said:

"These appointments create a strong, multi-skilled team on the Resource
Board. The new intake strengthens the Board's expertise in museums, archives
and libraries and will help to establish constructive relationships with the
worlds of Higher Education, local government, the creative industries and
cultural institutions in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

"I am particularly keen to ensure that the two outstanding representatives
of the national museums and galleries who have agreed to be members of the
board will lead the development of greater cooperation and joint working
between national, regional and local museums. Their appointment demonstrates
Resource's commitment to working in partnership with all types of
institution in support of museums, archives and libraries and those who use
them."

Resource's Chairman Lord Evans commented:

"I am delighted that we have a board of such high quality. We are confident
that we can now deliver our ambitious agenda."

Biographical Notes on new Resource Board members

Ajay Chowdhury is Managing Director of LineOne, a leading content portal and
the UK's second largest internet service provider. LineOne has over a
million visitors to its site every month. He joined United News and Media in
1991 and was responsible for starting and developing the new media
division - United Interactive -in 1994. United Interactive has grown since
then to encompass Anglia Multimedia (one of the UK's leading educational
publishers), Definition Digital Media (a leading UK web developer) and
AngliaCampus ( a joint venture with BT to provide online educational
services to schools and homes). Ajay Chowdhury is Artistic Director of the
Rented Space Theatre Company and Vice Chairman of Index on Censorship.

Dr Maurna Crozier is Director of the Cultural Diversity Programme of the
Northern Ireland Community Relations Council. She is also President of the
Linen Hall Library, a Trustee of the National Museums and Galleries of
Northern Ireland, a Member of the Northern Ireland Museums Council and a
Member of the Advisory Committee for British Cultural Studies at the British
Council. Her career has included teaching, lecturing, writing and
broadcasting. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Department of Social
Anthropology at Queen's University, Belfast.

Vivien Griffiths is Assistant Director for Libraries and Learning at
Birmingham City Council and has responsibility for one of England's largest
public library services, embracing 39 Community Libraries and the most
heavily used Central Library in the country. She is also responsible for the
archives service of the City of Birmingham. She is a Director of the Academy
of Youth (University of the First Age) and of the Learning City Network.
Vivien Griffiths is Vice President (England)of the Society of Chief
Librarians and Chair of the EARL (Electronic Access to Resources in
Libraries) Council.

Nicholas Hodgson is Chief Executive of Derbyshire County Council. He started
work at the County Council in 1975 as a planning assistant and quickly moved
into corporate management. He has been involved in a broad range of
activities from European affairs and voluntary sector support to the
campaign that persuaded Toyota to locate in Derbyshire and the successful
outcome of Local Government Review. As Chief Executive for the last three
years he has concentrated on empowering front-line services, laying the ICT
foundations for the future whilst keeping an eye on service effectiveness
and efficiency through the development of Best Value. Mark Jones has been
Director of the National Museums of Scotland since 1992. Before that he was
Keeper of Coins and Medals at the British Museum. Mark Jones serves on the
Boards of SCRAN (Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network), the Scottish
Museums Council, the Royal Mint Advisory Committee and the Visual Arts
Research Institute. He is a Member of the Scottish Executive's Focus Group
which assists with the development of the Executive's National Cultural
Strategy.

Neil MacGregor has been Director of the National Gallery since 1987. Before
that he was Editor of the Burlington Magazine. He is a Member of the Boards
of Electors of the Ashmolean Museum and the Fitzwilliam Museum and is a
former Chairman of the National Museums Directors' Conference. Neil
MacGregor is a Trustee of the Raad van Toezicht of the Rijksmuseum,
Amsterdam and is a member of the UNESCO Advisory Group of the Hermitage, St
Petersburg and of the Visiting Committee of the J Paul Getty Museum, Malibu.

Elizabeth Jane Ryder has been Director of the Scottish Museums Council since
1995. She is a Director of SCRAN (Scottish Cultural Resources Access
Network), a Trustee of Dunedin Consort, Company Secretary of the Scottish
Refugee Council and a Board Member of the Stevenson College of Further
Education. Jane Ryder is a qualified solicitor. She was a Council Member of
the Law Society of Scotland from 1986 to 1995 and is currently Convenor of a
Law Society Working Party on the Ethical Standards (Scotland) Bill.

Michael Stevenson is Joint Director of Factual and Learning at the BBC, with
responsibility for Education. Since 1992 he has held a series of top
management jobs at the Corporation; Secretary of the BBC (1992 -1996);
Deputy Director of Nations and Regions (1996 -1999); Director of Education
(1999 - 2000); and joint Director of Factual and Learning (April 2000).

Professor Lola Young is Professor of Cultural Studies at Middlesex
University. She is Project Director of the National Museum and Archives of
Black History, a Member of the Boards of the Institute for International
Visual Arts and the Royal National Theatre, and also serves on the Arts
Council of England's Visual Arts Training and Education sub-committee and
the British Council's British Studies sub-committee. She has been active in
developing procedures for assessment of scholarly research activity for the
Higher Education Funding Council and the Quality Assurance Agency.



Notes to Editors

1. Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries is the new name
for the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLAC), the strategic body
which replaced the Museums and Galleries Commission (MGC) and the Library
and Information Commission (LIC) on 3 April this year.

2. Lord Evans was appointed as Chair of Resource in August 1999. Four other
Board appointments were announced in January 2000. Resource will have a
maximum Board membership of 17, although the number may vary as
circumstances require.

3. Appointments to Resource are made by the Secretary of State for Culture,
Media and Sport . Future appointments will include representatives from
education, fine art and the cultural institutions of Wales.







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Enquiries : 0207 211 6200 Internet : http://www.culture.gov.uk














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