Spring School in New Media 5 - 7 March 2002 This March the Department of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester, in partnership with mda and supported by Resource, will be running a three-day course providing new media training for museum professionals. Recent research, commissioned by the University of Leicester into the training and development needs of the sector, identified a growing need for opportunities for museum and gallery professionals to both engage with ideas around new media and develop practical skills in ICT. This initiative is especially timely given the flurry of funded digitisation and Web-based projects beginning (and continuing) this year across the country. Responding to this need, drawing upon the expertise and resources of mda and University of Leicester, as well as the experiences of new media companies, the Spring School in New Media will be characterised by its relevant, high quality and ideas-led content. With a mix of practical workshops, seminar discussions and lectures, the syllabus for 2002 will provide introductions to areas such as image capture/manipulation, intellectual property rights, information management, project management, working with external partners, consultants and new media companies, and evaluation processes, with particular emphasis given to accessible Web site design and development. Rather than providing training in one particular piece of software, or one specific aspect of ICT, the syllabus is designed to provide an opportunity for museum professionals to use productively (and think critically about) a variety of multimedia and database management approaches commonly used in museums. Ross Parry, Spring School co-ordinator at the University of Leicester comments, "Our aim is to help professionals to identify the potential, the limitations and the trajectory of current new media initiatives, and - importantly - to provide them with the means to impart this knowledge to others. Moreover, with its affordable cost, and provision for assisted places, the School is also striving to provide opportunities for museum professionals for whom such training has frequently been inaccessible." Future training developments Responding to the rapidly changing needs of the sector, the Spring School in New Media 2002 will be the first in a series of new training initiatives in ICT provided by mda and the University of Leicester. Costs The cost of the three-day course is: Non-residential delegate £195. Residential delegate £265 (Includes dinner, bed and breakfast in University accommodation from evening of 4 March to breakfast of 7 March). A number of assisted places are available at a cost of £45 (non-residential) and £115 (residential) through mda's NGfL funding from Resource. These are available to employees of independent museums and smaller local authority museums and priority will be given to individuals working within AMC regions that have not previously benefited from mda's NGfL funding. All applications for assisted places must be made to the Department of Museum Studies by 1 February 2002. The Spring School organisers are also grateful to mwr Ltd for their input into the programme and for their sponsorship of study materials to accompany the school. Further details Please note that the total number of places on the Spring School is limited to 18 participants. Latest news on the School can be found at www.le.ac.uk/museumstudies/ For further information and a booking form or to reserve a place please contact: Spring School in New Media Department of Museum Studies University of Leicester 105 Princess Road East Leicester LE1 7LG Telephone: 0116 252 3963 Email: [log in to unmask] ********************************************************************** Jim Roberts Hon FMA University of Leicester Department of Museum Studies http://www.le.ac.uk/museumstudies/ +44 (0)116 252 3961 ***********************************************************************