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CyMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales Museums Current Awareness Service - Bulletin 96 Information about the Museums Current Awareness Service can be found on CyMAL's pages on the Welsh Assembly website. http://www.wales.gov.uk/cymal WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT Wales in a website launches at Eisteddfod The People's Collection Wales is a contemporary, interactive and bilingual online experience dedicated to the history of Wales and its people. It is a rich cultural and social treasure trove that charts the human story of Wales with an archive of reminiscences, photographs, video and audio for future generations. These include film from the middle of the last century of the Ebbw Vale Steelworks, the site of the National Eisteddfod, along with the history of the Gorsedd, its ceremonies and regalia, including images, video and audio clips of interviews with Bards, and even 3D photographs of medals awarded in 1789. The site brings the story to life using GPS technology that allows the viewer to travel over the landscape of Wales and travel back and forth in time, while viewing artefacts in 3D. And the free site will build over time as contributions create people's own personal collections. http://wales.gov.uk/newsroom/cultureandsport/2010/100802peoplescollection/?lang=en http://www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk/ Oystermouth Castle receives nearly £1m Heritage Tourism funding Oystermouth Castle is the latest attraction to receive funding from the Welsh Assembly Government's £19m Heritage Tourism project, which is backed with £8.5 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Just under £1m will fund a comprehensive programme designed to improve access to the site and its appeal to visitors. The aim is to create a first-class heritage attraction, increase community connections within Mumbles and Swansea and act as a gateway to the castles of Gower. This work will also assure the long-term sustainability of the castle. The funds will be spent on improving long-term accessibility to the castle, enabling everyone to easily visit and enjoy the site http://wales.gov.uk/newsroom/tourism/2010/100811oystermouth/?lang=en Twenty-four historic buildings across Wales receive restoration funding Wales' oldest theatre, its largest chapel and an Anglesey church with Tudor connections are amongst 24 historic buildings sharing funding of £999,124 announced by Minister for Heritage, Alun Ffred Jones. The Welsh Assembly Government historic building grants have been offered to carry out essential repairs and restoration work to these buildings across Wales. Alun Ffred Jones, Minister for Heritage, said "I am delighted to offer these grants for building repairs. They are for a wide range of historic buildings across Wales, reflecting our rich heritage. Funding will ensure that these important properties are restored and maintained for the enjoyment of future generations." http://tinyurl.com/38cwxmd UK GOVERNMENT Committee launches a new inquiry into the Funding of the Arts and Heritage The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has launched a new inquiry and call for evidence into The Funding of the Arts and Heritage. The Committee is inviting written submissions and requesting views on the following issues: - What impact recent, and future, spending cuts from central and local Government will have on the arts and heritage at a national and local level - What arts organisations can do to work more closely together in order to reduce duplication of effort and to make economies of scale - What level of public subsidy for the arts and heritage is necessary and sustainable Submissions should be received by Thursday 2nd September 2010. http://tinyurl.com/3yazpts DCMS improves efficiency and cuts costs with review of arm's length bodies A number of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's (DCMS) 55 public bodies are set to be merged, abolished or streamlined as part of the Government's drive to cut costs and increase transparency, accountability and efficiency, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced today. Read the Written Ministerial Statement (PDF 36kb) http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/media_releases/7297.aspx FEDERATION OF MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES IN WALES English Cuts threaten Welsh Museums The recent announcement by the Department of Culture Media and Sport that the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) is to be abolished in 2012 as part of the spending cuts may spell disaster for museums in Wales.Several functions of MLA have an impact in Wales and it is unclear how these will continue in the future. http://tinyurl.com/38tht6u MUSEUMS LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES COUNCIL MLA pledge a smooth transition Responding to the government's announcement that the MLA is to be wound up by April 2012, Chair Sir Andrew Motion and Chief Executive Roy Clare pledge a smooth and orderly transition to deliver the best possible future for museums, libraries and archives across England and for the people and communities who expect to use them. http://www.mla.gov.uk/news_and_views/press_releases/2010/mla_gov_announcement MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION Vanessa Trevelyan to be MA president Vanessa Trevelyan, Head of service at Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service will take over after AGM in October. For this year's Museums Association council elections, there were 16 vacancies in 14 categories. However, we received only four nominations: president, councillor for the South West, university museum institutional councillor and national museum institutional councillor. Therefore members will not be required to vote and the nominees are elected or re-elected to council. http://www.museumsassociation.org/news/10082010-trevelyan-new-ma-president Call for Effective Collections special project applications The MA is urging museums that wish to improve use of their stored collections to apply to the Special Project Fund before the September deadline. The fund, which offers grants of up to £25,000, is looking for ambitious collections projects that show potential to become exemplars in the sector. Sought-after criteria include: demonstrable public outcomes - particularly disposal or sharing through long loans; impact on the museum itself; sustainability and legacy in the long-term; and value for money. http://tinyurl.com/3xuofa8 MA presses Ed Vaizey to recognise importance of museum sector Association director Mark Taylor and president Stuart Davies has met culture minister Ed Vaizey to make the case for the future of museums in England. Topics they discussed included Renaissance, the reallocation of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council's role and programmes, help and support for medium and small museums, the role of national museums and how they will deal with cuts, and how museums can use collections more effectively. http://tinyurl.com/38vnylj ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT MUSEUMS Economic value toolkit now available on AIM's website AIM's newly-commissioned research into the Economic Value of Independent Museums, which found that the independent sector was worth nearly £500 million, is now available on AIM's website. The full report, researched by DC Research and supported by the Museums, Libraries & Archives Council, is available to read, along with an executive summary, and most importantly, the toolkit. This enables you to calculate your own value in your own local area, providing a useful advocacy tool and enabling you to make your case to economic and tourism stakeholders. The toolkit has three levels, tourism impacts, employment impacts and impacts of spend on goods and services. http://www.aim-museums.co.uk/pages/pg-18-aim-economic-impact-paper/ NATIONAL MUSEUMS DIRECTORS' CONFERENCE NMDC briefing on Museums and Tourism NMDC has produced a new briefing paper on museums and tourism, highlighting the role of museums as drivers of British tourism, the fifth largest industry in the UK. The briefing is full of facts and figures and analysis of the role of museums in building the UK brand, attracting international visitors and contributing to the UK's tourism economy. http://www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/news/?item=museums-and-tourism MUSEUMS GALLERIES SCOTLAND MLA Wind Down, MGS Response, 3 August 2010 A spokesperson for Museums Galleries Scotland said: "The situation that the national debt creates is an unprecedented one. It means we need to consider completely different ways of working to support change and create new opportunities. Decisions made in these times, however, need to be taken very carefully and with a long term perspective. The (recent) decision last week (month) by DCMS to wind up MLA by 2012 is extremely concerning. Support for the UK museums and galleries sector must continue in some form. We await further announcement from DCMS on how necessary support will be delivered." http://tinyurl.com/3y99k3d FUNDING AND AWARDS Cutswatch: you tell us where arts are feeling the squeeze The arts community is expected to feel the impact of government austerity measures in the coming months, but we want you to help us paint a detailed picture of where the axe strikes. http://tinyurl.com/2ugjpxu PROMOTING MUSEUMS Open Doors 2010: European Heritage Days in Wales Our programme will be live on 1 August Organiser information - Branding and marketing Information on the use of the Open Doors logo, downloads of logos and posters, and details of branding material which you will be able to order from us, including badges and banners. http://www.civictrustwales.org/ehd/ HERITAGE LOTTERY FUND Heritage Lottery Fund announces more money for major projects and greater flexibility in tough economic climate The Heritage Lottery Fund has announced its continuing commitment to support major transformational projects (HLF grants of £5m and over) in the tough economic climate. This will be achieved in two ways: - By increasing HLF's allocation for major projects from £20m pa to £30m pa from 2011 onwards. - By removing, with immediate effect, HLF's second-round submission deadline so that applicants can work to timetables that suit their project. This means that projects can work more effectively with other funders and gives applicants greater flexibility to secure partnership support. It removes batched competition at the second round, giving greater certainty of funding for projects which are progressing satisfactorily. http://www.hlf.org.uk/news/Pages/Majorprojectsprojectchanges.aspx DCMS' review of arm's length bodies 26/07/2010 Commenting on today's DCMS statement, Carole Souter, Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF), said: "We understand that every Government department is reviewing the roles of arm's length bodies and we will work with DCMS, and any other bodies involved, to ensure the very best outcome for the heritage while continuing to keep costs down." http://www.hlf.org.uk/news/Pages/DCMSreview.aspx DOCUMENTATION, DIGITISATION AND ICT Welsh Voices of the Great War Online Welsh Voices of the Great War Online is a digital community heritage project established and co-ordinated by the School of History & Archaeology at Cardiff University which will run until February 2011. The project seeks to gather, catalogue and make public an undiscovered treasure trove of World War 1 artefacts and memorabilia which remain in private hands. http://www.welshvoices.com/about TRAINING AND CONFERENCES HELM: Traditional Domestic Buildings and Energy Efficiency: Practical Advice for Local Authorities, Sept / Oct HELM training is aimed at all local authority staff and elected members whose work has an impact on the historic environment. This HELM course on traditional domestic buildings and energy efficiency has been designed for local authority staff who provide advice and make informed decisions about energy efficiency in traditional domestic buildings. The course is free of charge. Dates are 16 September (Taunton), 30 September (Sheffield), 14 October (Birmingham) and 28 October (Oxford). Please contact Sam Channer on 01793 44 5029 or email [log in to unmask] to reserve your place. ACCESS, LIFELONG LEARNING AND SOCIAL INCLUSION Participation Cymru Newsletter - August edition The latest edition of the Participation Cymru newsletter is now available online. http://participationcymru.webspring.org.uk/11559 CHARITIES AND VOLUNTEERS Volunteering Conference 2010 - Caernarfon, 15 September The third sector is built on the remarkable efforts of its volunteers. The Volunteering Conference 2010, titled Volunteers in focus, seeks to celebrate those who work so hard to help others, as well as explore ways for groups to develop working practices which respect and enhance the experience of volunteers. The day will feature a plenary session from Richard Andrews, of Corporate Instinct Ltd, called Timebanking - lessons and challenges for volunteering. There will also be a number of thought-provoking workshops, including Volunteering programmes: the two-way approach by Reverend Wynne Roberts of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and Involving volunteers through consultation and feedback from Melanie Andrews of Barnardos Cymru. There will even be a Volunteering Dragons' Den, in which a youth panel will assess a series of volunteering opportunities. http://tinyurl.com/3a7kz5d PUBLICATIONS AND RESEARCH Renewable Energy and the Historic Environment - Guidance for Historic Property Owners Harnessing the power of nature is increasingly proving popular with homeowners looking for sustainable solutions to reducing energy consumption and their carbon footprint. A new free booklet Renewable Energy and your Historic Building - Installing Micro-generation Systems published by Cadw, the Welsh Assembly Government's historic environment service, intends to raise awareness of the range of opportunities and solutions available to owners looking to install a micro-generation system in a historic building, conservation area, historic park or garden, ancient monument or archaeological site. http://www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/default.asp?id=21&NewsId=309 RESOURCES 'Let Paul Robeson Sing!' at the Ebbw Vale National Eisteddfod Swansea University will be launching a new learning resource about Paul Robeson, the world renowned singer, actor and civil rights activist, and his links with Wales at the National Eisteddfod on Tuesday 3 August. The bilingual learning resource has been developed by the South Wales Miners' Library, Swansea University with the financial support of the Welsh Assembly Government and will be part of the new online People's Collection Wales. http://wales.gov.uk/newsroom/cultureandsport/2010/100803robeson/?lang=en Culture Grid opens up UK collections online Over one million objects from collections from museums, galleries, libraries and archives from across the UK are now accessible together online for the first time, thanks to the Culture Grid, a new initiative from the Collections Trust. The Culture Grid works by drawing together information from thousands of museum, archive and library websites and databases and feeding it to mainstream media partners such as Google, Flickr, the BBC, and Wikipedia, which increases the information's profile and enables more people to access it. http://www.culturegrid.org.uk/ NEWS - WALES Internal Fire - Engineering Heritage Award presentation for the Pocket Power Station On Monday 21st of June, Prof. Isobel Pollock, the Heritage Chairman of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers presented an Engineering Heritage Award to the Bristol Proteus/ Pocket Power Station. Ian Craighead, Head of Corporate Heritage at Rolls Royce received the award on behalf of Rolls-Royce. http://www.internalfire.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1418 Narrow Gauge Railway Museum - Sunday 11 July Accreditation Special The Museum operated a special mixed train for invited guests to celebrate our recent Accreditation. The weather was fine and a good time was had by all who attended. http://www.ngrm.org.uk/News/2010/JultoSep Billy the Seal is back on show at museum in Cardiff The skeleton of one of Cardiff's most famous residents is a key attraction of a new gallery at the National Museum. Billy the Seal, who lived in a pool in Victoria Park, is back on show for the first time in nearly 20 years. "Billy is such an iconic specimen," said curator Peter Howlett. "The Clore Discovery Centre now provides a great space to display Billy and allow visitors to see 'him' again after so many years." The new centre has been built with the help of a £160,000 donation by the Clore Duffield Foundation. http://tinyurl.com/35dqehc Relic trails' help children explore history in Denbighshire Museums in Denbighshire are running new "relic trails" to encourage children to get involved with local history. The idea is based on BBC TV series, Relic: Guardians of the Museum in which a spooky guide takes children on a tour of a museum and gets them to solve clues along the way. And it is being run as part of the project A History of the World, a year-long partnership between the BBC and museums throughout the UK. Now, free relic trails are being held at Ruthin Gaol, Rhyl Museum and historic hall Plas Newydd, Llangollen. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/northeastwales/hi/things_to_do/newsid_8886000/8886348.stm Funding fears for Caernarfon's Segontium Roman museum The free entry policy that has boosted attendance at national museums could be having an adverse effect on smaller attractions. Rhys Prytherch, who is involved with two small museums in Caernarfon, says they're suffering from the public's assumption that all museums should be free. Segontium Roman Fort and Caernarfon Maritime Museum depend on admission charges and grants from the town council and they are struggling to stay open. "We have to apply for the town council grant each year and we don't know what will happen in 2011," said Rhys, chairman of Segontium Ltd, the company which now runs the museum. The Roman fort's museum was previously funded by the National Museums and Galleries of Wales. http://tinyurl.com/2vl49ym NEWS - SCOTLAND Coal Conversations: The Oral History of Mining in Scotland - Coatbridge, 1 October 2010 A free, one-day conference examining the value of oral history to our coal mining heritage, and looking at possibilities for future projects and collaboration in the collection and preservation of oral history. For further details and to book a place please contact: Maureen Hardiker, Scottish Mining Museum, Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange, Midlothian, EH22 4QN Tel: 0131 663 7519 Email: [log in to unmask] http://www.coalcollections.org Elizabeth Bennett & Carol Whittaker Current Awareness Service Inclusion of third party information in the Museums Current Awareness Service does not constitute an endorsement by CyMAL. CyMAL takes no responsibility for the quality of third party events, products or services featured in this Newsletter. Whilst every care is taken to provide accurate information, neither CyMAL nor the editor undertakes any liability for any error or omission. If you know anyone who would like to be added to the circulation list, or would like a 'hard copy' of the main mailing, or if you don't have access to the internet and need prints from the sites listed - please contact Carol Whittaker. People who currently receive hard copies will continue to do so. Welsh and English versions of the bulletin will remain separate in response to requests from readers. --- Elizabeth Bennett CyMAL: Amgueddfeydd Archifau a Llyfrgelloedd Cymru - CyMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru - Welsh Assembly Government Rhodfa Padarn, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3UR. Ffon/Tel: 0300 062 2101 Fax/Ffacs: 0300 062 2052 e-bost/e-mail: [log in to unmask]