Some of the government-set targets for national museums should either be scrapped, or replaced by more accurate measures according to a report commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Balancing the Scorecard is a review of the performance indicators that national museums have to measure as part of their funding agreements with the government.
The report found widespread inconsistencies in the interpretation of performance indicators; a lack of continuity in reporting; and a lack of understanding of what's been asked for. It recommends standardising definitions in a number of cases.
Of the 23 performance indicators currently used to measure museums, the report recommends getting rid of six, including: the percentage of collections stored in the correct environmental conditions; the percentage of the collection that is internet accessible; and the percentage of time the museum is open. The report recommends replacing them with a Statement of Minimum Standard based on Accreditation.
Kate Bellamy, the secretary of the National Museum Directors' Conference, said it had helped shape the recommendations and was broadly supportive of them, in particular the inclusion of museum-specific measures, such as research.
But it is not clear what the department intends to do with the report now. It was commissioned before the new ministers were appointed and a DCMS statement said the report was intended to inform thinking on the future of the performance framework.
"The department has noted the recommendations but has not responded to them, nor has any plans to do so in a formal sense." It is understood that the recommendations could be taken into account in the negotiation of the new funding agreements between the DCMS and the national museums and feed into the McMaster's review.
Sharon Heal
Balancing the Scorecard is a review of the performance indicators that national museums have to measure as part of their funding agreements with the government.
The report found widespread inconsistencies in the interpretation of performance indicators; a lack of continuity in reporting; and a lack of understanding of what's been asked for. It recommends standardising definitions in a number of cases.
Of the 23 performance indicators currently used to measure museums, the report recommends getting rid of six, including: the percentage of collections stored in the correct environmental conditions; the percentage of the collection that is internet accessible; and the percentage of time the museum is open. The report recommends replacing them with a Statement of Minimum Standard based on Accreditation.
Kate Bellamy, the secretary of the National Museum Directors' Conference, said it had helped shape the recommendations and was broadly supportive of them, in particular the inclusion of museum-specific measures, such as research.
But it is not clear what the department intends to do with the report now. It was commissioned before the new ministers were appointed and a DCMS statement said the report was intended to inform thinking on the future of the performance framework.
"The department has noted the recommendations but has not responded to them, nor has any plans to do so in a formal sense." It is understood that the recommendations could be taken into account in the negotiation of the new funding agreements between the DCMS and the national museums and feed into the McMaster's review.
Sharon Heal
