In 2019 the Museums Association published the Empowering Collections report which called for museums, funders and policy-makers to work together to ensure that museum collections are empowering, relevant and dynamic.

The report was the result of research carried out during 2018-19. Over 1,000 people from across the museum sector participated in consultation sessions and responded to our discussion paper.

It set out a series of 11 key recommendations:

  1. A culture change in collections practice
  2. A proactive approach to the democratisation and decolonisation of collections
  3. A focus on reinterpretation of out-of-date displays
  4. Research to understand public expectations of collections
  5. Strategic collecting in partnership with communities
  6. A strategic approach to online collections
  7. Use collections projects to create social impact, embed knowledge and build legacy
  8. Support partnerships and knowledge sharing
  9. Improve training and funding for the rationalisation of museum collections
  10. Improve transparency and accessibility of museum collections online
  11. Explore shared storage solutions

Much has happened since the publication of this report. A global pandemic and cost-of-living crisis hit the culture sector hard, squeezing already tight budgets and seriously impacting visitor figures. Increasing polarisation and division in society means that there is more need for museums to use collections to challenge assumptions, foster debate and motivate people to contribute to positive change.

There has also been a huge increase in decolonisation in museums. The Museums Association now has guidance around this work and initiatives such as Museums Galleries Scotland’s Delivering Change have supported this work. Additionally, more and more museums are undertaking participatory practice with communities to create equitable partnerships, and the Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund was relaunched to support this type of work.

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There is an increasing awareness of the need for the sharing of expertise and resources regionally. The Museum Data Service is beginning to gather collections data online but there is more to be done in this area, especially around physical collections.

Arts Council England secured funds from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to review the Accreditation scheme for usability, accessibility and to ensure the scheme better reflects the sector’s priorities.

There is new guidance around rationalisation too but there has been little progress in the storage crisis which impacts the accessibility and care of collections and often prevents the contemporary collecting needed to ensure their relevance.

We know there is still much work to do and many new challenges that have yet to be addressed. AI is already a world apart from where it was in 2019, for example, and there is a growing awareness from the general public around the extent of our stored collections and the gaps in our knowledge around these. We’re now reviewing the report and asking for evidence to show how practice has moved on, where it hasn’t, and what new challenges those who work with collections face.

Our call for evidence has now closed. Further updates on the review will be published in due course.