Projects from other organisations
Underpinning the recommendations of the Collections for the Future report in 2005 was an ambition to raise the profile of collections-related issues, to put collections back on the policy agenda and to encourage museums to think in new ways about the importance of their collections as assets.
There has been considerable progress in this area, not just through the work of the MA, but also through independent initiatives from a whole range of organisations that share many of the MA's ambitions.
In addition to those below, examples of collections projects from across the museum sector can be found in the report Making Collections Effective.
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
Designation Challenge Fund - Hidden Histories
Collections for the Future recommended that more museums re examine their collections from new perspectives. This was to help them discover material that illuminates themes that might previously have been overlooked. For example, re-examining a collection from the perspective of black history will often uncover a wealth of relevant material that had previously not been considered in this light.
£3.2m has been invested by Renaissance, to support 34 museums open up their Designated collections. This is helping to reveal the hidden stories behind Designated collections whose place within their museums has traditionally been unquestioned.
Subject Specialist Networks
Subject Specialist Networks are mechanisms for sharing scholarship, collections, collections expertise, research and interpretation skills, with a view to improving the way audiences experience these distributed collections.
Over £500,000 of Renaissance funding has been invested in 40 Subject Specialist Networks to date. This investment is helping museums, libraries, archives and specialist organisations to work together to encourage a more active use of collections, to improve the way collections-related knowledge is managed and to facilitate the sharing of specialist knowledge. These are issues that support the MA's Collections for the Future inquiry.
The Designation Scheme
The Designation Scheme identifies the pre-eminent collections of national and international importance held in England's non-national museums, libraries and archives, based on their quality and significance.
These inspiring collections represent a vital part of our national cultural and artistic heritage. The scheme was launched in 1997 for museums only and extended to libraries and archives in 2005.
There are now over 100 designated collections held in museums, libraries and archives which are being cared for and managed to a high standard, to ensure they can be fully enjoyed by many generations to come.
Collections for People
The stored collections of UK museums as a public resource
It is estimated that there are about 200 million items in UK museums' stored collections. They are presently thought to be underused, but is this the case?
Through a sample survey, interviews and visits this UCL Museum Studies research project aims to discover how much and how often are collections accessed or used? Who uses them, and for what? What are the barriers, what could assist users?
The ultimate aim is to discover the factors that make most difference to the quantity and quality of collections uses, and hence how museums can deliver the most benefit from them.
The Recognition Scheme
The Recognition Scheme is a Scottish Executive initiative administered by the 'Museums Galleries Scotland. Its aim is to celebrate, promote and invest in nationally significant collections held by non- national museums and galleries in Scotland.
Applicants submit evidence of the importance of their collection(s) and this is assed by an independent committee, which awards recognised status in appropriate cases.
There has been considerable progress in this area, not just through the work of the MA, but also through independent initiatives from a whole range of organisations that share many of the MA's ambitions.
In addition to those below, examples of collections projects from across the museum sector can be found in the report Making Collections Effective.
To download Making Collections Effective, click here (pdf)
For information about the MA's other collections work, click here
For information about the MA's other collections work, click here
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
Designation Challenge Fund - Hidden Histories
Collections for the Future recommended that more museums re examine their collections from new perspectives. This was to help them discover material that illuminates themes that might previously have been overlooked. For example, re-examining a collection from the perspective of black history will often uncover a wealth of relevant material that had previously not been considered in this light.
£3.2m has been invested by Renaissance, to support 34 museums open up their Designated collections. This is helping to reveal the hidden stories behind Designated collections whose place within their museums has traditionally been unquestioned.
Subject Specialist Networks
Subject Specialist Networks are mechanisms for sharing scholarship, collections, collections expertise, research and interpretation skills, with a view to improving the way audiences experience these distributed collections.
Over £500,000 of Renaissance funding has been invested in 40 Subject Specialist Networks to date. This investment is helping museums, libraries, archives and specialist organisations to work together to encourage a more active use of collections, to improve the way collections-related knowledge is managed and to facilitate the sharing of specialist knowledge. These are issues that support the MA's Collections for the Future inquiry.
The Designation Scheme
The Designation Scheme identifies the pre-eminent collections of national and international importance held in England's non-national museums, libraries and archives, based on their quality and significance.
These inspiring collections represent a vital part of our national cultural and artistic heritage. The scheme was launched in 1997 for museums only and extended to libraries and archives in 2005.
There are now over 100 designated collections held in museums, libraries and archives which are being cared for and managed to a high standard, to ensure they can be fully enjoyed by many generations to come.
Collections for People
The stored collections of UK museums as a public resource
It is estimated that there are about 200 million items in UK museums' stored collections. They are presently thought to be underused, but is this the case?
Through a sample survey, interviews and visits this UCL Museum Studies research project aims to discover how much and how often are collections accessed or used? Who uses them, and for what? What are the barriers, what could assist users?
The ultimate aim is to discover the factors that make most difference to the quantity and quality of collections uses, and hence how museums can deliver the most benefit from them.
The Recognition Scheme
The Recognition Scheme is a Scottish Executive initiative administered by the 'Museums Galleries Scotland. Its aim is to celebrate, promote and invest in nationally significant collections held by non- national museums and galleries in Scotland.
Applicants submit evidence of the importance of their collection(s) and this is assed by an independent committee, which awards recognised status in appropriate cases.
