Ethics Committee
The aim of the ethics committee is to create a culture in UK museums that embraces ethical practice so that people working in museums:
The ethics committee is regularly asked to provide confidential advice on specific issues that arise in individual museums. The committee acts as a sounding board and critical friend to promote good ethical practice in the museum community.
Occasionally, in difficult cases, a substantial investigation needs to be undertaken and individual ethics committee members help with this if they have appropriate experience or expertise.
Members
Convenor
Nick Merriman
Nick is Director of the Manchester Museum. Previously he worked at University College London and the Museum of London. He is interested in access to museums and collections, and the legacy of Empire.
Members
Melanie Horton
Melanie is an independent researcher, writer and lecturer. Previously she worked in museums on projects dealing with collections care, outreach, exhibitions and research. She has specialist interests in museum collections and colonial history.
John Jackson
John is science policy coordinator at the Natural History Museum. He works in both science and museum policy, strategic planning, quality management and ethics. He has a particular interest in ethics for natural history collections, corporate collaboration and cultural property.
Hedley Swain
Hedley is director of programme delivery at MLA with responsibility for the delivery of Renaissance, the Museum Accreditation Scheme and overseeing the Stories of the World programme for the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. His background is in archaeology.
Jane Arthur
Jane is a museums and heritage consultant with a collections-based approach to museum development. She specialises in strategic planning, organisational change and collection standards.
From 1997-2007 she was head of collections and deputy director at Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, leading on capital projects for access to collections, documentation and storage.
Rachel Cockett
Rachel has worked at Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery since 2000. She is currently Renaissance West Midlands Manager, responsible for monitoring finance and performance; delivering communications and advocacy; and developing and maintaining regional networks.
She was a Documentation Manager for seven years and has been known to express strong opinions on acquisition and disposal.
Judy Lindsay
Judy is Head of Museum at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Previously she worked for the Dorset County Museum the British Museum.
She is also Chair of the London Museums Group and is interested in partnership working and teaching collections.
Suzanne Lyle
Richard de Peyer
Richard retired as Director of the Silk Heritage Trust in July 2010 and has since worked on a variety of projects including for the Embroiderers Guild.
He has been Director of the Dorset County Museum and Deputy Director of the SW Area Museums Council and started his career as transfer officer for the Wellcome Institute collections.
He has strong interests in the problems of independent museums and in collections research and curation and in issues relating to sponsorship and conditional grants.
- Recognise responsibility for practising and promoting ethical behaviour
- See ethics as a positive force, responsive to developing professional and public views, and underpinning change and improvement
- Regard an awareness and discussion of ethics as the norm, connecting all museums and playing a role in planning and decision making
The ethics committee is regularly asked to provide confidential advice on specific issues that arise in individual museums. The committee acts as a sounding board and critical friend to promote good ethical practice in the museum community.
Occasionally, in difficult cases, a substantial investigation needs to be undertaken and individual ethics committee members help with this if they have appropriate experience or expertise.
Members
Convenor
Nick Merriman
Nick is Director of the Manchester Museum. Previously he worked at University College London and the Museum of London. He is interested in access to museums and collections, and the legacy of Empire.
Members
Melanie Horton
Melanie is an independent researcher, writer and lecturer. Previously she worked in museums on projects dealing with collections care, outreach, exhibitions and research. She has specialist interests in museum collections and colonial history.
John Jackson
John is science policy coordinator at the Natural History Museum. He works in both science and museum policy, strategic planning, quality management and ethics. He has a particular interest in ethics for natural history collections, corporate collaboration and cultural property.
Hedley Swain
Hedley is director of programme delivery at MLA with responsibility for the delivery of Renaissance, the Museum Accreditation Scheme and overseeing the Stories of the World programme for the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. His background is in archaeology.
Jane Arthur
Jane is a museums and heritage consultant with a collections-based approach to museum development. She specialises in strategic planning, organisational change and collection standards.
From 1997-2007 she was head of collections and deputy director at Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, leading on capital projects for access to collections, documentation and storage.
Rachel Cockett
Rachel has worked at Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery since 2000. She is currently Renaissance West Midlands Manager, responsible for monitoring finance and performance; delivering communications and advocacy; and developing and maintaining regional networks.
She was a Documentation Manager for seven years and has been known to express strong opinions on acquisition and disposal.
Judy Lindsay
Judy is Head of Museum at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Previously she worked for the Dorset County Museum the British Museum.
She is also Chair of the London Museums Group and is interested in partnership working and teaching collections.
Suzanne Lyle
Richard de Peyer
Richard retired as Director of the Silk Heritage Trust in July 2010 and has since worked on a variety of projects including for the Embroiderers Guild.
He has been Director of the Dorset County Museum and Deputy Director of the SW Area Museums Council and started his career as transfer officer for the Wellcome Institute collections.
He has strong interests in the problems of independent museums and in collections research and curation and in issues relating to sponsorship and conditional grants.
