From the first time you stepped on stage in a production of Macbeth you knew acting was in your blood. Maybe so, but until now it would have been difficult to find out if that was actually the case.
But theatre enthusiasts and budding actors can now easily access information on the history and culture of the theatre and even discover if any of their ancestors were performers.
This has been made possible by the Theatre Information Group, which has set up a database to share information about all previous theatrical productions and the history of theatre, linked to collections across the country. The public can learn where and when theatrical productions took place, and can find information on all cast members from the present to the past.
The Theatre Information Group is one of the Subject Specialist Networks (SSNs) established to develop or further improve the relationships between museums that have collections in common. Last year the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) awarded its first round of grants to the networks. It has just announced that applications for a second round of funding are being invited.
Once again, funding will be available as exploratory and implementation grants, although the criteria will not be finalised until the autumn (for more information go to www.mla.gov.uk).
The networks were devised as a way of getting museums to work together to maximise resources and expertise. The aim is to promote scholarship by sharing collections and conducting joint research, and institutions can work together on interpretation, publications and marketing.
Abigail Walker, a senior policy adviser for Renaissance at the MLA, describes the role of SSNs: 'We are trying to help networks share what's out there, help them further develop and utilise collections, prevent duplication and work to bring long-term benefits to audiences.'
These goals are shared by the Museums Association (MA), which is working closely with the MLA on SSNs. The MA believes creating networks and sharing information is vital for the future of collections.
Its Collections for the Future report, published in June 2005, found that public programmes, exhibitions and learning opportunities are linked to the improvement of collections through research, scholarship and workforce development.
Maurice Davies, the deputy director of the MA, says museums must start working together; if they expand, reach out and learn from each other, their programmes have a greater chance of being effective than if they work individually.
'Many networks have already shown the potential for success,' Davies says. 'They can bring benefits to the museums and organisations that are involved but there needs to be enthusiasm, effort and dedication from the members.'
SSNs are not a new concept - museums have tried to create formal or informal networks in the past. An example is the United Kingdom Maritime Collections Strategy, which was established in 1998 to survey and examine maritime heritage in national, regional and independent museums.
There are many other examples where museums have developed relationships with one another to share collections or expertise, but without adequate funding they can only go so far. MLA grants are a major factor in the success of the SSNs. 'Networks did exist before we began the funding but we are awarding both formal and new projects and helping them get going,' says Walker.
The MLA awarded 17 SSN grants totalling £68,000 in February 2005 to enable museums to explore the establishment or further development of a network. That preliminary phase was concluded in November last year. An additional seven grants totalling nearly £180,000 were awarded to develop and implement specific projects. These projects will be completed by August 2006. In all, £248,000 has been distributed so far.
The networks that received this money have varied widely in size and focus. Themes include British comics; children's literature; Japanese art; screen heritage; public transport; archaeology; and medicine and healthcare.
The networks foster collaboration, and a joint approach improves understanding of where collections are being held and identifies gaps in individual museums' collections. 'If museums share collections, learn more about their own collections and others, they will ultimately reach more audiences,' Davies says.
And it is not just about museum collections. Several SSN projects are hoping to uncover artwork and artefacts held by non-museum organisations such as schools and universities, corporate collections, clubs and private collections.
The MLA says money is limited and it is not feasible to continue to support all the networks. But the second round of funding will help, while certain projects such as the development of websites can continue without additional cash.
'Extra money is definitely going to be needed to further help these networks,' Davies says. 'They are still at early stages of development and it looks like it is going to take longer and be more challenging than initially predicted. This is only the beginning of a long-term effort.'
Christina Folkard is a journalism student
The Ceramics Network
The Ceramics Network was awarded £34,800 to produce resources promoting ceramic-based learning. Activities include the development exhibitions in six cities that are all key post-medieval ceramics production centres. The plan is to encourage pupils to learn about the history of ceramics, and help inspire creative work and new techniques.
Ian Lawley, the head of museums at Stoke-on-Trent, says at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery design pathways are being integrated into the ceramics and decorative arts galleries. 'These will place the ceramics displays in a wider context and offer layered interpretation for a broad audience with differing learning styles,' he says.
A new educational resource has also been designed to stimulate enthusiasm for ceramics among Key Stage 3 and 4 schoolchildren.
Lawley says that materials from collections at Brighton, Ironbridge, Nottingham, Stoke-on-Trent and elsewhere will be used to 'promote an understanding of the relationship between material, form and production'. The network is working with schools to develop, pilot, and evaluate a toolkit consisting of printed materials, DVDs and online material.
Lawley hopes to further develop relationships after the funding period ends. 'A steering group has been set up to ensure that the emailing group continues as a forum for discussion and networking,' he says.
Any museum with a ceramic collection open to the public, and anyone with an academic interest in ceramics can join the network.
For more information email ian.lawley@stoke.gov.uk
Rural Museums Network
In April 2005 the Rural Museums Network launched its Building Relevance Programme (BRP), a strategy for tackling some of the difficulties rural museums face. The project, supported by a £36,552 SSN grant, is gathering information on audiences across the sector and managing a series of forums and meetings to identify new ways in which rural museums can engage with their audiences.
Rural museums are sometimes perceived as outdated and unappealing, lacking resources or not sufficiently engaged in areas of mainstream public interest. The network aims to change these perceptions.
It covers the UK, including the national collections of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and reaches beyond museums to incorporate private collections and related organisations. The network has 53 members including bodies such as the Museum of Scottish Country Life, Beamish Museum, the Yorkshire Museum of Farming and a range of smaller volunteer-run museums.
Roy Brigden, the keeper of the Museum of English Rural Life at the University of Reading, says the point of the network is to provide 'a means of communication and mutual assistance and a focus for an otherwise very dispersed sector'.
Through the BRP the Rural Museums Network hopes to address three key issues: what are rural museums for, who are the audiences and what do they enjoy, and what role should collections play? The aim is to provide the context in which rural museums need to operate. The research and analysis is being made available to all members in the network.
The network has been evolving since 2002 in response to the need for institutions to work together. Brigden is hopeful of a positive outcome: 'These are still the early days for the network, but it is finding its way and making steady progress.' Membership is open to all rural and agricultural collections in the UK and the aim is to achieve full coverage.
For more information email r.d.brigden@reading.ac.uk
But theatre enthusiasts and budding actors can now easily access information on the history and culture of the theatre and even discover if any of their ancestors were performers.
This has been made possible by the Theatre Information Group, which has set up a database to share information about all previous theatrical productions and the history of theatre, linked to collections across the country. The public can learn where and when theatrical productions took place, and can find information on all cast members from the present to the past.
The Theatre Information Group is one of the Subject Specialist Networks (SSNs) established to develop or further improve the relationships between museums that have collections in common. Last year the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) awarded its first round of grants to the networks. It has just announced that applications for a second round of funding are being invited.
Once again, funding will be available as exploratory and implementation grants, although the criteria will not be finalised until the autumn (for more information go to www.mla.gov.uk).
The networks were devised as a way of getting museums to work together to maximise resources and expertise. The aim is to promote scholarship by sharing collections and conducting joint research, and institutions can work together on interpretation, publications and marketing.
Abigail Walker, a senior policy adviser for Renaissance at the MLA, describes the role of SSNs: 'We are trying to help networks share what's out there, help them further develop and utilise collections, prevent duplication and work to bring long-term benefits to audiences.'
These goals are shared by the Museums Association (MA), which is working closely with the MLA on SSNs. The MA believes creating networks and sharing information is vital for the future of collections.
Its Collections for the Future report, published in June 2005, found that public programmes, exhibitions and learning opportunities are linked to the improvement of collections through research, scholarship and workforce development.
Maurice Davies, the deputy director of the MA, says museums must start working together; if they expand, reach out and learn from each other, their programmes have a greater chance of being effective than if they work individually.
'Many networks have already shown the potential for success,' Davies says. 'They can bring benefits to the museums and organisations that are involved but there needs to be enthusiasm, effort and dedication from the members.'
SSNs are not a new concept - museums have tried to create formal or informal networks in the past. An example is the United Kingdom Maritime Collections Strategy, which was established in 1998 to survey and examine maritime heritage in national, regional and independent museums.
There are many other examples where museums have developed relationships with one another to share collections or expertise, but without adequate funding they can only go so far. MLA grants are a major factor in the success of the SSNs. 'Networks did exist before we began the funding but we are awarding both formal and new projects and helping them get going,' says Walker.
The MLA awarded 17 SSN grants totalling £68,000 in February 2005 to enable museums to explore the establishment or further development of a network. That preliminary phase was concluded in November last year. An additional seven grants totalling nearly £180,000 were awarded to develop and implement specific projects. These projects will be completed by August 2006. In all, £248,000 has been distributed so far.
The networks that received this money have varied widely in size and focus. Themes include British comics; children's literature; Japanese art; screen heritage; public transport; archaeology; and medicine and healthcare.
The networks foster collaboration, and a joint approach improves understanding of where collections are being held and identifies gaps in individual museums' collections. 'If museums share collections, learn more about their own collections and others, they will ultimately reach more audiences,' Davies says.
And it is not just about museum collections. Several SSN projects are hoping to uncover artwork and artefacts held by non-museum organisations such as schools and universities, corporate collections, clubs and private collections.
The MLA says money is limited and it is not feasible to continue to support all the networks. But the second round of funding will help, while certain projects such as the development of websites can continue without additional cash.
'Extra money is definitely going to be needed to further help these networks,' Davies says. 'They are still at early stages of development and it looks like it is going to take longer and be more challenging than initially predicted. This is only the beginning of a long-term effort.'
Christina Folkard is a journalism student
The Ceramics Network
The Ceramics Network was awarded £34,800 to produce resources promoting ceramic-based learning. Activities include the development exhibitions in six cities that are all key post-medieval ceramics production centres. The plan is to encourage pupils to learn about the history of ceramics, and help inspire creative work and new techniques.
Ian Lawley, the head of museums at Stoke-on-Trent, says at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery design pathways are being integrated into the ceramics and decorative arts galleries. 'These will place the ceramics displays in a wider context and offer layered interpretation for a broad audience with differing learning styles,' he says.
A new educational resource has also been designed to stimulate enthusiasm for ceramics among Key Stage 3 and 4 schoolchildren.
Lawley says that materials from collections at Brighton, Ironbridge, Nottingham, Stoke-on-Trent and elsewhere will be used to 'promote an understanding of the relationship between material, form and production'. The network is working with schools to develop, pilot, and evaluate a toolkit consisting of printed materials, DVDs and online material.
Lawley hopes to further develop relationships after the funding period ends. 'A steering group has been set up to ensure that the emailing group continues as a forum for discussion and networking,' he says.
Any museum with a ceramic collection open to the public, and anyone with an academic interest in ceramics can join the network.
For more information email ian.lawley@stoke.gov.uk
Rural Museums Network
In April 2005 the Rural Museums Network launched its Building Relevance Programme (BRP), a strategy for tackling some of the difficulties rural museums face. The project, supported by a £36,552 SSN grant, is gathering information on audiences across the sector and managing a series of forums and meetings to identify new ways in which rural museums can engage with their audiences.
Rural museums are sometimes perceived as outdated and unappealing, lacking resources or not sufficiently engaged in areas of mainstream public interest. The network aims to change these perceptions.
It covers the UK, including the national collections of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and reaches beyond museums to incorporate private collections and related organisations. The network has 53 members including bodies such as the Museum of Scottish Country Life, Beamish Museum, the Yorkshire Museum of Farming and a range of smaller volunteer-run museums.
Roy Brigden, the keeper of the Museum of English Rural Life at the University of Reading, says the point of the network is to provide 'a means of communication and mutual assistance and a focus for an otherwise very dispersed sector'.
Through the BRP the Rural Museums Network hopes to address three key issues: what are rural museums for, who are the audiences and what do they enjoy, and what role should collections play? The aim is to provide the context in which rural museums need to operate. The research and analysis is being made available to all members in the network.
The network has been evolving since 2002 in response to the need for institutions to work together. Brigden is hopeful of a positive outcome: 'These are still the early days for the network, but it is finding its way and making steady progress.' Membership is open to all rural and agricultural collections in the UK and the aim is to achieve full coverage.
For more information email r.d.brigden@reading.ac.uk
