MGC Celebrates Designated Museum Collections

London, 29 March 1999 -- At a reception on 30 March, attended by the Rt
Hon Chris Smith MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the
Museums & Galleries Commission (MGC) will celebrate England's Designated
museum collections with the publication of a new brochure, the launch of
the Designation Challenge Fund and the unveiling of a new website, which
in its pilot phase will feature the Designated collections.

The new brochure, An Introduction to Designated Collections, features
information and illustrations from the pre-eminent collections held by
43 English museums, "Designated" under the MGC's scheme. The brochure
will be used by the museums and the MGC to promote these prestigious
collections and draw attention to the scheme.

The Designation Challenge Fund aims to provide support for every museum
with a Designated collection, in recognition of their outstanding
importance. A total of £15m will be allocated over three years. Three
million pounds in the first year, followed by £6m in the second and
third years. The deadline for the first round of applications is 16
April 1999. The Designation Challenge Fund will fund up to a maximum of
80 per cent of each project and the museum will be expected to provide
the remaining portion.

At the same event the Designated collections will make their first
collective appearance on the Internet via a pilot website for a new UK
project, Cornucopia: Discovering UK Collections. Cornucopia will
eventually provide a complete picture of the wealth of museum
collections in the UK. The pilot will focus on Designated collections
and will be available at www.cornucopia.org.uk from 30 March 1999.
Cornucopia will provide good quality information on museum collections
for the public, and will contribute towards lifelong learning in
museums. It will also be a valuable research and advocacy tool for
museum professionals and advisory and funding bodies. The second phase
of Cornucopia will include information on all 1,700 Registered museums
and will be launched during 2000. The site will be linked to the MGC's
own website museums.gov.uk which will go live in April.

Timothy Mason, MGC Director, commented: "The MGC is delighted to be
holding a reception to celebrate these important initiatives. The MGC
brochure, An Introduction to Designated Collections, shows the
importance of the Designated Collections in England. The MGC campaigned
strenuously for funds to support them and is grateful to the Secretary
of State and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport who have
generously provided £15m to give these museums a real opportunity to
enhance the care and presentation of their collections for a wide
audience.

"Cornucopia will increase access to museums by making
information on the collections in the UK's Registered museums easily
accessible. It will be an essential source of information for an
extensive range of people."

The Designation Scheme is designed to focus attention on 50 pre-eminent
museum collections in England. It was introduced in 1997. There are
currently 43 governing bodies with Designated collections in England,
representing 51 museums or museum services.


David Dawson
Museums New Technology Adviser, Museums and Galleries Commission
tel: 0171 233 4200, email: [log in to unmask]
Visit our Websites:-
Cornucopia Portable Antiquities Sharing Museums
Skills
www.cornucopia.org.uk www.finds.org.uk www.smsma.org.uk


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