Thank you for the offer, Martin.  For the benefit of members of this list who have not been able to attend Museum Computer Group meetings in the past, I perhaps ought to clarify how meetings USUALLY work:

Twice a year, the group meets at a museum somewhere in Britain.  The meeting is a chance for the host museum to showcase recent developments and raise issues of wider interest.   The museum (or museums: we often have joint hosts on one town) puts on a programme of demos, talks and tours with an IT flavour.   There are no proceedings and the emphasis is on informality, which gives everyone a chance to raise problems as well as successes.  (Members find they learn as much - if not more - from problems that have cropped up elsewhere . . .)   We try to move around the country to give everyone a chance to get to a meeting economically at least once a year.

As with membership of the MCG, meetings are free apart from meals.  By moving meetings around between museums, we share the cost between us.   As we do not have a Committee (or a bank account), we do ask the host to copy and mail out booking forms to our c200 members and to take bookings.  The host would need to provide a meeting room: we usually have around 50 delegates.  We also ask the host to advise on local hotels and to book an evening meal at a local restaurant for some of the delegates.

I am sure previous hosts would agree that hosting an MCG meeting has been really quite enjoyable.   It is a chance to include staff from across the museum as well as perhaps local organisations who have assisted with IT developments.  And of course we're a terribly friendly group (but of course I would say that wouldn't I?).

Attached for information is some more information about the group, which includes a list of previous hosts - in case you want to ask them what it was really like . . .

So, any volunteers to host the spring meeting - please?  If you are interested, please contact me for a no-obligation chat.  (Also - don't forget that if you join the group - which is free - you will receive our newsletter and details of the meeting.  To join, please contact our membership secretary, Emma Ashley, on 01222 573201.)

I look forward to hearing from you.

Fiona

Fiona Marshall
Chair, MCG
(British Museum)
Tel. 0171-323 8901
Fax 0171-323 8730


>>> Martin Sach <[log in to unmask]> 01/08 4:55 pm >>>
> Date:          Fri, 08 Jan 1999 09:00:48 +0000
> Subject:       Re: mcg meetings
> From:          Fiona Marshall <[log in to unmask]>
> To:            [log in to unmask] 
> Reply-to:      [log in to unmask] 

> No, I'm afraid nobody knows when the next MCG meeting is . . .   After a false start, when I thought we had a venue lined up, I have tried everywhere I can think of (including Leeds . . .) with no su> 
> All ideas gratefully welcomed.
Fiona

What is this MGC? It does not sound like the Museums and Galleries 
Commission, they wouldn't be in doubt about meetings!

Its a long shot, but London Canal Museum (Kings Cross)  is an 
attractive location for meetings and available for hire. Not free, 
I'm afraid, but not expensive either.  We can accommodate small 
meetings at a budget charge or up to a hundred if the main gallery is 
used.

The full picture is available on 
www.martins.dircon.co.uk/lcm/hirebroc 


Martin
London Canal Museum www.charitynet.org/~LCanalMus 
Registered Charity No. 277484