CyMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales
Museums Current Awareness Service - Bulletin 139
Information about the Museums Current Awareness Service can be found on CyMAL’s pages on the Welsh Government website.
WELSH GOVERNMENT - CYMAL
LLYWODRAETH CYMRU - CYMAL
Forthcoming courses
Museum Security - Pontypridd, 20 May
Museum Security - Llangollen, 21 May
Storytelling - Swansea, 29 April
Storytelling - Llanberis, 13 May
Using rhyme - Swansea, 7 Mai
Using rhyme - Bangor, 10 April
Working with babies and children under 5 - Bangor, 9 April
Working with babies and children under 5 - Swansea, 6 May
Working with babies and children under 5 (short course) - 10 July
WELSH GOVERNMENT
Tackling Poverty through Culture – landmark report released
A report that looks at how the arts, culture and historic environment can boost attainment, skills, pride in community and social inclusion has been launched. Commissioned by the Minister for Culture and Sport,
John Griffiths and written by Baroness Kay Andrews OBE the report examines how cultural and heritage organisations can work closer together in order to help tackle poverty. It also outlines how bodies can develop stronger links with anti-poverty schemes such
as the Welsh Government’s Communities First programme.
Museums prove to be major draw
Eight out of ten tourists that visit a Welsh museum during their trip to Wales would recommend the museum to a friend or relative as a place to visit according to a new survey published today by the Welsh Government.
The CyMAL Visitor Survey 2013, which was carried out as ‘booster’ survey to the Wales Visitor Survey that was published at the end of 2013, highlights the continued popularity of Welsh museums.
In addition to the positive recommendations from museum-goers the survey also revealed:
- the number of visitors who believe our museums are “friendly and welcoming places” rose from 75% in 2011 to 84% in 2013
- 56% of overseas tourists say they have visited or plan to visit a museum during their trip to Wales (compared to 27% across the UK)
- visiting museums was the third most popular activity for tourists to Wales (23%) - with the most popular being a visit to the beach (42%)
ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT MUSEUMS
New AIM Success Guide launched on Business Rates
Business rates are a significant cost to businesses, and are expected to be an increasingly notable cost to museums over the next few years. AIM’s new Success Guide will help museums understand how to keep the
costs down. Successfully Negotiating Business Rates has been written by Colin Hunter of Storey Edward Symons, a specialist in advice on all aspects of property and business assets. Business rates are “surrounded by myths and legends”, he says but in essence
it is simply a property tax. The guide begins by explaining the basics of valuations and reliefs, before moving on to how museums in particular are valued for rating and rights of appeal.
AIM sets up new blog
AIM has set up a new blog intended to get information to members on an even more regular basis than before. Members already have access to the printed bi-monthly AIM Bulletin, the monthly E-News, the website,
and Twitter posts. Subjects so far have included: running membership schemes; local enterprise partnerships; fundraising articles; internships and traineeships offered; webinars on collections management, and the ‘social entrepreneurship revolution’.
PROMOTING MUSEUMS
Volcanoes and earthquakes: what can museums learn from rolling news?
Can exhibitions adapt to news, future knowledge and events? The Natural History Museum wants to stay current, permanently
Museums UK
MuseumsUK unites thousands of British museums and galleries and provides users with detailed data about each institution: visitor information, collections and objects, exhibitions and events, educational activities,
social media updates. It already features more than 200.000 objects from UK museums.
HERITAGE LOTTERY FUND
Transition funding
Transition funding is available to organisations in the UK who want to achieve significant strategic change – through acquiring new skills or knowledge, or new models of governance, leadership, business and
income – in order to become more resilient and sustain improved management of heritage for the long term. You may be in transition legally or structurally – for example, local authority heritage services transferring to trust status - or facing strategic or
financial challenges due to loss of regular or anticipated income streams. To apply you must be a previous recipient of an HLF grant.
COLLECTIONS
One Collection to Unite them All – Is it finally time for The Distributed National Collection?
In his latest blog post, Collections Trust’s CEO Nick Poole explores the case for a Distributed National Collection in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. He highlights the potential to tap into a
bigger public and political agenda relating to equality of opportunity and education, and says: “The Distributed National Collection is a concept that has provoked discussion and debate among the museum profession for decades. Perhaps, finally, it is an idea
whose time has come?
DOCUMENTATION, DIGITISATION AND ICT
Digital Engagement in culture, heritage and the arts
The Digital Engagement Framework is a tool to develop digital and online engagement strategies for organisations and projects. It’s a structured set of questions that provide the building blocks for a successful
engagement strategy.
Developing Community Collections
Developing Community Collections is an online guide for beginners which highlights the key issues to bear in mind when creating and setting up online community collections. A community collection is where content
is created and shared by individuals or groups to form an online digital resource. Online community collections can be developed through partnerships between universities, colleges, libraries and museums and a wide range of communities, including local groups,
schools, heritage organisations, employers, and the public at large. The Developing Community Collections online guide explores models for building community collections, motivating factors, legal matters, impact and sustainability.
ACCESS, LIFELONG LEARNING AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
Museums on the road: the kids are all right in Cornwall
Last autumn, the National Maritime Museum Cornwall hit the road with a living history programme that explored Cornwall's relationship with the sea. Called Cornish Voices, this actor-led outreach programme was
designed especially for schools and delivered in partnership with local museums, which made each performance relevant to the history and heritage of its local community. Running outreach work in any area is a time consuming and complex operation. Add to that
Cornwall's geographic spread, super-narrow country lanes, some tiny schools, a handful of cars causing gridlock and questionable road signs and you get the picture.
The Truth about Bilingual Interpretation: Guest Post by Steve Yalowitz (Museums 2.0)
Bilingualism in the U.S. is a controversial topic, and the same is true in museums. If someone asked you whether museums should or need to have text in more than one language, what would you say? You probably
have an opinion, or you could probably come up with an opinion without too much effort. Maybe you are in a country that mandates multiple languages, or at an institution already committed to bi- or multi-lingual interpretation. However, based on my conversations
and experiences with many museum professionals, my guess is that many of you are aware of the issue, may think it’s worth discussing, but have limited knowledge about the core issues surrounding bilingual interpretation.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Work at height Regulations 2005 (as amended)
This brief guide describes what employers need to do to protect their employees from falls from height. Falls from height are one of the biggest causes of workplace fatalities and major injuries. Work at height
means work in any place where, if there were no precautions in place, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. Common causes are falls from ladders and through fragile roofs. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 aim to prevent death and
injury from a fall from height.
Safe use of ladders and stepladders
Falls from height account for a significant number of workplace injuries and unnecessary deaths every year across a wide range of work at height activities. This leaflet gives advice to employers, employees
and self-employed people on simple, sensible precautions to take when using ladders and stepladders to work at height. This leaflet replaces INDG402 Safe use of ladders and stepladders: An employers' guide, INDG403 A toolbox talk on leaning ladder and stepladder
safety and INDG405 Top tips for ladder and stepladder safety.
FUNDING AND AWARDS
The Textile Society Museum, Archive and Conservation Award
The Society offers awards of up to £5,000 for a textile related project within the museum, archive or conservation sector. The Award is designed to support textile related projects within a museum, archive,
or conservation studio for exhibition, publication or conservation and will help achieve greater awareness and access for the public. It is not an award for an individual e.g. individual researcher (unless attached to a museum). The next round of awards will
be made in the summer of 2014. The deadline for applications is June 2nd 2014.
PRISM Fund 2014/15
The PRISM Fund 2014/15 is now open for applications. The Preservation of Industrial and Scientific Material (PRISM) Fund awards grants towards the costs of acquisition and conservation of items or collections
which are important in the history and development of science, technology, industry, and related fields. The PRISM Fund can offer grants of up to £20,000, or 90% of the total project costs. Applications can be submitted at any time of the year, and will be
assessed subject to budgetary constraints. A decision is usually given within two months of receiving an application. Decisions are made by the Arts Council using established criteria together with the advice of expert assessors (normally from national institutions).
Institute of Fundraising - guidance for fundraisers
The Institute of Fundraising provides legal and best practice guidance on a wide range of fundraising techniques. Fundraising itself is largely unregulated in law, but there are a number or regulatory requirements
that impact upon fundraising. By taking some time to understand the regulatory environment and the requirements that you may need to follow, you will be best placed to ensure you meet legal and best practice standards.
PUBLICATIONS AND RESEARCH
NEMO and the Netherlands Museums Association report on the benefits of cooperation within the museum sector
The English-language report “Tried-and-Tested Partnerships” explores successful examples of cooperation and new initiatives within the Dutch museum sector. Particularly within an era of decreased funding and
increased public scrutiny, it is important that museums continue to create and deliver successful and exciting museum experiences to the public, while simultaneously demonstrating what they are achieving for the common good. The report highlights that one important
way to do this is through cooperation – through partnerships – between museums, but also between museums and organisations outside the museum or cultural sectors.
New EENC Paper: Challenges and Priorities for Cultural Heritage in Europe
In August 2013, the Directorate-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission (DG EAC) asked the EENC to carry out a consultation with experts in the field of cultural heritage in Europe, in order
to discuss the main challenges in this area for the coming years and the aspects in which future action at EU level could provide more substantial value added. The results of the consultation should inform DG EAC’s ongoing reflections in the field of cultural
heritage, including new policy activities foreseen in the near future.
New Review on Access to Culture Policies
This document summarizes the positions on access to culture as stated in official policy documents, policy papers, research studies and reports. In the context of the Access to Culture – Policy Analysis project,
this review aims to examine the current context of access to culture policies at European level, on the basis of recent literature, and to inform subsequent steps of the project.
NEWS - WALES
Brecon Museum and Art Gallery revamp plans unveiled
Plans have been unveiled for an £8.8m revamp of a Victorian museum and art gallery and a new library in Brecon in Powys. Development of the council-owned Grade II-listed Brecknock Museum is part of wider plans
for a cultural and community hub in the town centre. It will also include a community space, cafe and shop. Powys council's cabinet approved plans to earmark more than £5m to renovate the Brecon landmark and build the library last year.
NEWS - INTERNATIONAL
China's new passion for food museums
The Chinese have always loved food, and have lately begun to display a keen interest in their culinary heritage. This has spawned a crop of new museums all about food, and the many ways it has been cooked across
the centuries. The cuisine museum in the eastern city of Hangzhou is one of a growing number of food museums in China, but it's probably the most magnificent. It occupies a large site in the scenic hills on the outskirts of town, and was built at a cost of
nearly $30m (£18m). Unlike the more modest food museums in cities such as Chengdu and Kaifeng, which are run by private collectors, the Hangzhou museum has been funded by the city government, and entry is free of charge.
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.
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Elizabeth Bennett
CyMAL: Amgueddfeydd Archifau a Llyfrgelloedd Cymru - CyMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales
Llywodraeth Cymru - Welsh Government
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