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*APOLOGIES FOR
CROSS-POSTING*
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE,
MEDIA AND SPORT
Mark Wood appointed new Chairman
of Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and
Libraries
Mark Wood is to be the
new Chairman of Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries,
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell announced today. The
appointment is for four years.
Mr Wood, who has
been Acting Chairman of Resource for the last six months, will take up the post
immediately.
Resource provides
strategic leadership for the museums, archives and libraries communities and
advises the government on policies and priorities for these sectors.
Resource’s current
major objectives include “Renaissance in the Regions”, a programme backed by £70m of government funding to revitalise
Tessa Jowell
said: “I am delighted that Mark
Wood has agreed to take on this key role in Resource. He has an impressive
track record in delivery and has already made an impact at Resource during his
brief tenure as Acting Chair. I know that he will provide the vision and
leadership necessary to drive forward these important agendas.”
Mark Wood said:
“Resource has begun to have a real impact on museums, archives and
libraries, unlocking the enormous potential for collaboration between them. My
role will be to ensure Resource continues to provide effective leadership and
acts as a positive force for change.”
Notes to Editors:
Resource
was established in 2000 through the merger of the Museums and Galleries
Commission (MGC) and the Libraries and Information Commission (LIC).
One
of its major successes has been the implementation of the “People’s
Network”, a £170-million lottery-funded project to give free internet
access in all 4000 public libraries in the UK, linking libraries through a
nationwide broadband network. In the wake of that programme,
completed on time and within budget in December 2002, library visits have been
rising steadily this year.
Mr Wood said that Resource had a special responsibility
to assist the development of museums, archives and libraries in the English
regions. As the evolution of the three domains converges, Resource would also
lead the way in forging closer partnerships with the education sector and
developing cross-domain digitisation and electronic
networking strategies.
Members
of the Resource Board include Neil MacGregor,
Director of the
Biographical
information
Mark
Wood is currently Acting Chair of Resource.
He is also Chairman of Independent Television News (ITN). He was Editor-in-Chief of Reuters from
1989-2000 and headed Reuters media and corporate information businesses. After graduating in German and Russian, he
was a correspondent for 10 years for Reuters in
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