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CyMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales
Museums Current Awareness Service - Bulletin 113
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 GOVERNMENT - VISIT WALES
Tourism investment opportunities
Important changes to the Tourism Investment Support Scheme (TISS) will take place with immediate effect. The scheme, launched last year by Visit Wales, is an investment scheme for tourism businesses in Wales. Its purpose is to help existing businesses to improve product quality and to support new business ventures or expansion proposals.
FEDERATION OF MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES IN WALES
Small Grants scheme - Round Four (2011) is now available
We are now able to offer once again maximum £5,000 but priority to smaller applications. Please complete the application form and for all queries please contact John Marjoram, Federation Development Officer. The closing date is 30th September 2011
[log in to unmask]
http://tinyurl.com/3jthnf9
http://tinyurl.com/3c4sklb (Word doc.)
Museum Strategy for Wales Consultant
The Federation for Museums and Galleries of Wales is looking for a consultant to drive the Museum Strategy for Wales forward, with particular reference to areas led by: Individual Museums and the Federation of Museums and Galleries for Wales. They will also be expected to liaise with CyMAL and Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales. A fee of £11500 is available.
We would expect the successful applicant to start October/November 2011. Days to be spread as required between start date and end of March 2012. Closing date for applications is Monday 19th September 2011.
MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION
Museums Association Published 2010/11 Annual Report
The Museums Association's (MA) 2010/11 Annual Report is now available to download online. The past year has been challenging and transformative for the entire sector and the report details how the MA has changed its staffing structure and rewritten its business plan to take into account the worsening economic climate.
The Association's priorities have shifted towards placing a greater emphasis on advocacy and strategic work in order to provide a valued and valuable service to members. The MA also dramatically altered its existing governance structure, replacing the MA Council with a smaller, more dynamic board elected by members earlier this year.
ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT MUSEUMS
AIM Conference contributions online
Some contributions to AIM’s annual conference at IWM Duxford in June, Crisis, What Crisis? Opportunities for Independent Museums are available as pdf attachments from AIM’s website, They include Historic Royal Palaces chief executive Michael Day’s keynote speech Thriving in the Age of Austerity, Farrer & Co’s legal presentation by Julian Smith, Bodelwyddan Castle’s Dr Kevin Mason’s case study How to generate income 24 hours a day, and Dundee Heritage Trust’s Gill Poulter on Wind Turbines, funding and delivery.
AIM funding sources list updated
AIM’s listing of funding sources on its website has just been thoroughly revised as part of an upgrading of the site. The listing now includes a number of new additions as well as a website link for each entry.
http://www.aim-museums.co.uk/images/uploads/Funding%20Sources.pdf
COLLECTIONS
UCL Publishes Collections Review Toolkit
The UCL Collections Review was a single, all-encompassing review of the care, use and significance of all the objects in the museums and the teaching and research collections had UCL. The Review revealed that there are 18 collections at UCL, containing a total of 380,000 objects across 190 storage, display and museum spaces. Recommendations from the Review Reports have been incorporated in the strategic plans for each collection and the whole process has allowed us to manage this diverse range of collections centrally and strategically, including the development of a thoughtful and informed disposal program.
We have written a Toolkit about the UCL Collections Review. The Toolkit includes the background to the project, its main aims and objectives along with tools and exercises to help you develop you own review framework.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/review
Public display inspection reports
Human bodies and body parts may be displayed in museums or at other premises where temporary exhibitions are held. The HTA licenses organisations that display bodies of deceased people, or tissue taken from the body of a deceased person, who died less than a hundred years ago. Inspections are scheduled taking into account the establishment’s risk level into account. Organisations that hold temporary displays must be licensed before the exhibition opens and are inspected prior to the exhibition start date.
Museums waging war on exhibit-eating bugs
Collections of irreplaceable and valuable artefacts in many of Britain's museums and heritage properties are under threat from a growing army of insects, particularly moth and beetle larvae. Can we stop them munching away on our precious relics?
"If you have ethnographic objects from around the world which were collected maybe 200 years ago, maybe some of these people are no longer producing these objects, maybe some have even died out... you can't just go and get another one."
"Bug man" David Pinniger, an entomologist and renowned heritage site pest control consultant, knows how important it is to put an end to an infestation before the damage becomes irreversible.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14630783
Museum Accreditation on Collections Link
Collections Link now contains an entire section dedicated to providing you with the information you need to engage with the Collections Management elements of the Museum Accreditation Scheme. Once the revised Scheme is launched in October, Collections Link will be your source of information, guidance and best practice to support your engagement with the requirements of Accreditation.
http://www.collectionslink.org.uk/programmes/museum-accreditation
DOCUMENTATION, DIGITISATION AND ICT
Mapping the use of digital technologies in the heritage sector
This research conducted by the Collections Trust and Flow Associates, gives an overview of practitioners’ experience of the changes that digital material and technology have brought, and of the changing needs of users.
http://www.hlf.org.uk/aboutus/howwework/Pages/Digitalheritage.aspx
TRAINING AND CONFERENCES
Improving and expanding practice in participation: national good practice conference - Newtown, 20 October 2011
The Participation Workers' Network for Wales is organising this free one-day conference on the Children and Young People's National Participation Standards for Wales to highlight new methods and share examples of good practice. The conference is open to any practitioners who work with young people in Wales and it is intended that the audience will include practitioners looking to expand the methods that they currently use and practitioners looking at participation for the first time.
“I Know Where I'm Going”: Remote Access to World Heritage Sites - Edinburgh, 23-24 November
The aims of this conference, which Museums Galleries Scotland is supporting, are to showcase new technologies (3D/4D scanning, mobile technologies, GPS/GIS, satellite technologies, apps and social media) and discuss their applications; to debate policy issues linked to the benefits and challenges these technologies present for sites preservation, conservation, and interpretation worldwide; and to encourage site managers to consider the benefits and impact the new technologies could have for their own sites.
http://iknowwhereimgoing.eventbrite.com/
Industrial Heritage 2011: 5th European contact weekend for industrial heritage volunteers and associations - Tilburg (The Netherlands), 14-16.10.2011
After the succesfull meetings in Beringen, Kortrijk, Barcelona, and Calais each attended by representatives from a dozen countries, E-FAITH is now going to organize a fifth European contact weekend for volunteers and non profit organisations that are engaged in the research, the preservation, the interpretation and/or the presentation of the industrial and technical heritage.
It will again be an open and stimulating meeting where organisations and individuals can present and compare their ideas, projects and results - and find out where cooperation or common projects can grow, how they can support the aims of colleagues and how colleagues can support their objectives. This will be possible by lectures and oral presentations, leaflets, information stands, posters and small exhibits.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
How to get ahead in museums
Earlier this month the Museums Association’s (MA) museum development officer Charlotte Holmes joined a panel of professionals to take part in a Q&A session on Guardian Careers website. The session aimed to give new entrants an opportunity to quiz employers about getting a job in museums. Top tips from the panel included tailoring applications to highlight the specific skills required for each role rather than submitting generic text; being energetic and passionate in every interview; and getting feedback when you don't get the job.
ACCESS, LIFELONG LEARNING AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
National Principles for Public Engagement in Wales blog article
We have written an article on Wales Council for Voluntary Action’s new blog on the National Principles for Public Engagement in Wales and how they can be used to offer a consistent approach and good standard for public engagement , as well as how they can provide public services that meet the needs of people and communities in Wales.
Happy Museum Funded Commissions Announced
Awards to six UK museums and galleries are part of a groundbreaking programme to see how museums can create new civic spaces to help society transition to a high well-being, more sustainable world. The works have been inspired by principles set out in the paper, The Happy Museum - a Tale of How it Turned Out Alright, co-written by the New Economics Foundation and leading museum commentators. Its concluding ‘manifesto for well-being’ argues that museums have innate qualities which can inspire a re-imagining of a society which values co-operation and stewardship of our surroundings as much as it does economic well-being.
The Happy Museum, funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, awards £60,000 to an ambitious programme exploring a connection to the natural world, mental ‘wellness’ (rather than illness); museums as a place of healing; museums as a place of story and play; working with the homeless; stewardship of local communities and strong local partnerships.
http://www.happymuseumproject.org/?p=322
National Register of Access Consultants
The National Register of Access Consultants (NRAC) is an independent register of accredited Access Auditors and Access Consultants who meet professional standards and criteria established by a peer review system. It is a UK-wide accreditation service for individuals who undertake access auditing and access consultancy. The online database of Members facilitates the selection of reputable, accredited Access Auditors and Access Consultants.
http://www.nrac.org.uk/index.html
Commission publishes more detailed guidance on Equality Act
The Charity Commission, the independent regulator for charities in England and Wales, has published more detailed guidance for charity trustees about a key section of the Equality Act that may have implications for them. The more detailed guidance, which replaces the existing summary published last September, retains a focus on the charities’ exception in the Act.
http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/RSS/News/pr_equality_restrictions.aspx
Shifting Perspectives
This CultureLink publication identifies approaches to key aspects of service delivery which can help improve access to museums and galleries venues, collections and archives. 'Barriers can be intellectual as well as physical.' These imperceptible barriers, often placed in the way of blind and partially sighted people by others, are far more complex and discriminatory than we first thought. But with planning, insight and understanding, they can be developed. However it is paramount that they can be addressed in a strategic, manageable and inclusive manner. We envisage our new publication 'Shifting Perspectives' highlights more creative thinking and inclusive approaches for all and offers a unique perspective from blind and partially sighted people.
FUNDING AND AWARDS
WRENs Heritage Fund
Under Object E of the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF), WREN is able to fund the repair, maintenance or restoration of a building or structure of architectural or historic importance including places of worship.
http://www.actionforall.org.uk/fundingyourfuture/news/view/1695
EU Culture Fund
The EU Culture programme offers funding each year for projects linking European countries to one or more countries outside Europe. Offering up to €200,000, for the May 2013 deadline the countries are Australia and Canada. Seminars aiding a brokering initiative to develop partnerships are to be held in London on 6 September and Manchester on 15 September.
CHARITIES AND VOLUNTEERS
Understanding the drivers of volunteering in culture and sport - Analysis of the Taking Part Survey
This study used Taking Part Survey data to identify four distinct groups of volunteers: general, sport, multi-activity and arts and heritage. It aimed to develop a typology of individuals who volunteer and identifies the drivers of volunteering.
http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/research/Drivers_of_volunteering_August2011.pdf
New tools to help charities file information online
The Charity Commission has developed new video tutorials to help charities file their Annual Returns and update their details online. Charities with an income over £10,000 must complete an Annual Return and all charities are required to keep their details up to date on the Register of Charities. From 2011 onwards all charities are being asked to submit the required information online, via the Charity Commission’s website.
To help those charities who have not previously submitted information online, the Commission has produced a helpful video showing how easy it is to complete the Annual Return through its website. The video tutorial explains, step-by-step, how charities can update their financial information and amend the details that are shown about them on the Register of Charities.
http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/RSS/News/pr_ar11.aspx
WANTED
Inside Welsh Homes Exhibition
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales is putting together an exhibition called Inside Welsh Homes. The exhibition will use images from the Commission’s archive to show how Welsh domestic interiors have changed over time, and will promote the Royal Commission’s archive as a useful resource and tool for people interested in exploring the past in Wales. The exhibition will be accompanied by the Inside Welsh Homes publication, provisionally due to release in mid-2012, and will contribute to the People’s Collection website.
The exhibition will comprise of between 25 and 35 images, and will be accompanied by bilingual interpretation panels. It will open in Ceredigion Museum on the 25th May 2012 for six weeks. Ceredigion Museum will exhibit furniture items from their own collection to complement the Commissions’ images.
The Commission is seeking other venues to host the exhibition after this date. We would like host museums to add objects from their own collections to complement the images used. We would also like to host a People’s Collection event at each venue.
If you are interested in finding out more about this exhibition, or if you would like to host the exhibition for a short time, please contact Rachael Barnwell at the Royal Commission on 01970 621 240 or by e-mail at [log in to unmask]
SITUATIONS VACANT
Access to Heritage Officer - Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
Fixed term
£24,646 - £27,052
Closing date: 15th September 2011
An opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic person to develop the full educational potential of the heritage sector within Blaenau Gwent (including voluntary museums, community archives and library collections) for the whole community and to provide a wide range of opportunities for local people to participate in heritage events and activities on a socially inclusive basis.
The successful candidate will be key for delivering the outcomes of the Access to Heritage Project and the three year Access to Heritage Activity Plan.
You will be educated to degree level in a relevant subject and hold a post graduate diploma or equivalent in Education. Post graduate training or experience in the cultural heritage will be essential.
If you require further information after receipt of the Job Description please contact. Frank Olding on Tel: 01495 355972, e-mail [log in to unmask]
http://www.blaenau-gwentjobs.info
Conservation & Collections Officer - Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea
£22,221 - £26,276 per annum
Closing date: 13 October 2011
Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, one of Wales' key public galleries, is seeking to appoint a Conservation & Collections Officer. This is a senior management post and as head of the Collections section, you will have the opportunity to contribute to key initiatives for the Gallery’s current major redevelopment.
During the period when the Gallery is relocated off-site, you will have the opportunity to work at Amgueddfa Cymru-National Museum Wales, Cardiff, for a period of up to two years. Expertise in the conservation of easel paintings is essential for this position, together with experience of general collections care and preventative conservation. A good team worker with excellent interpersonal skills, you will have the ability to prioritise effectively and supervise the work of others.
For an informal discussion, please contact Jenni Spencer-Davies, Curator on 01792 516900.
http://www.swansea.gov.uk/jobs
NEWS - WALES
Welsh Communities are remembering the past, in order to build the future
200 People from communities in Gwynedd, and the surrounding rural environs of Bangor University are being invited to participate in a project that will allow them to map the past, present and future of their communities. The participants will include members of society whose voices are not often heard, for example young people, the elderly and the disabled. The findings will be shared with local planning and development agencies.
Swansea City FC's history on display at museum
The history of Swansea City has gone on display at the city's museum to mark the club's promotion to the Premier League.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-14662704
Denbigh pharmacy exhibition marks 200th anniversary
An exhibition is being held to mark the 200th anniversary of a Denbighshire pharmacy. It is said to be one of Wales' oldest pharmacies, occupying the same site on Denbigh High Street since 1811. Then, the pharmacist made his own medicines and perfumes, as well as acting as a coffee merchant and making house calls on horseback. Work is under way to reinstate original features on the front of the Grade II-listed building. Glenys McCormack, who owns the pharmacy building, is staging the exhibition in the town's library and museum. She hopes people with stories or memorabilia, such as old glass medicine bottles, will come forward.
NEWS - ENGLAND
Waterways archive to move from Gloucester museum
The archive at Gloucester's waterways museum is to be moved to the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port. Documents including canal company records, maps and photographs will be moved out of Llanthony Warehouse at the end of the year. Some of the records date back to the 18th Century. Collections manager, Peter Collins, said they had long been aware that storage conditions in Gloucester were "inappropriate".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-14813217
Rhino horn raiders steal replicas from Tring museum
Thieves who broke into a museum to rip two rhino horns from taxidermy displays were foiled by staff who had replaced horns worth £240,000 with replicas. The Natural History Museum in Tring, Hertfordshire, said the resin horns were fitted on to two specimens three months ago and had no resale value. Rhino horn can fetch £60,000 per kg in the far east where it is prized for its supposed medicinal qualities. Many museums have removed rhino horns from displays as thefts increase.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-14693144
England's tourist attractions see rise in numbers
England's visitor attractions saw a 3% rise in admissions in 2010, a survey by a tourism body suggests. Overall, non-charging attractions saw numbers increase by 6%, with paid-for attractions reporting a decline of 1%. Most of the top 20 places of interest were museums or art galleries, and the British Museum retained its top spot with 5.8m visitors, up 5% on 2009.
The Tower of London topped the paid-for category with 2.4m visits, the survey of 1,082 sites by VisitEngland found. The next most popular non-charging attractions, after the British Museum, were the Tate Modern, the National Gallery and the Natural History Museum. Regional venues also featured heavily among the most popular free attractions, including the Ashmolean Museum, the Merseyside Maritime Museum, Museums Sheffield and the World Museum Liverpool.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14547405
NEWS - INTERNATIONAL
Man steals 8-foot whale tooth from Norway museum
A man dressed in a black leather hat and a dark coat on Wednesday ran off with an eight-foot (2.5 meter) whale tooth from a museum in the Norwegian city Stavanger. Museum official Atle Fiskaa says the tooth was more than 100 years old and valued at around $9,300. Fiskaa says the thief was between 40 and 50 years old and took off with the tooth together with a big, white dog that he had left outside the museum before entering. The incident has been reported to police, who are searching for the thief.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/9826082
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.
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Elizabeth Bennett
CyMAL: Amgueddfeydd Archifau a Llyfrgelloedd Cymru - CyMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales
Llywodraeth Cymru - Welsh 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]