There IS speculation in the museum sector in Scotland about the possible introduction of a scheme similar to the English designation scheme following a speech by tourism, culture and sport minister Frank McAveety, in which he mentioned 'items of national importance' in local museums.
The minister made the speech at the formal opening of the Scottish Railway Exhibition at Bo'ness Station, at the end of June.
The minister said: 'I know that within the overall allocation of budgets, the independent museums sector, the voluntary museums sector, have found it very difficult to survive. Some of those museums, whilst they are important emotionally, may not always survive.
But there are some that are of critical importance, and that's why in the next period we will be engaging in a process of looking at what is contained in local museums that should be defined as of national importance.'
Bob Clarke, the curator at the Scottish Railway Exhibition at Bo'ness and a museum consultant, told Museums Journal: 'If the minister means designation then times have changed since Scotland stepped back from designation previously. There are collections of national interest in museums all across Scotland.'
The designation scheme running in England and Wales aims to identify and celebrate the pre-eminent collections of national and international importance held in non-national museums. The scheme was launched in 1997 by the Museums and Galleries Commission on behalf of England's museums.
The Designation Challenge Fund was created by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in 1999 to provide for the care and interpretation of the collections in the designation scheme. More than £20m has been awarded so far.
The Scottish Executive's Cultural Policy Statement of April 2004 does detail a remit for the Culture Commission to 'consider the designation national and how it might be more appropriately determined'.
Recognition of nationally significant museum collections has been advocated by the Scottish Museums Council (SMC) since the launch of the joint SMC, National Museums of Scotland and National Galleries of Scotland National Strategy for Museums in 1999. The Scottish Executive has asked the SMC to find out if it would be feasible and of value to formally recognise the nationally significant collections in Scottish museums.
The minister made the speech at the formal opening of the Scottish Railway Exhibition at Bo'ness Station, at the end of June.
The minister said: 'I know that within the overall allocation of budgets, the independent museums sector, the voluntary museums sector, have found it very difficult to survive. Some of those museums, whilst they are important emotionally, may not always survive.
But there are some that are of critical importance, and that's why in the next period we will be engaging in a process of looking at what is contained in local museums that should be defined as of national importance.'
Bob Clarke, the curator at the Scottish Railway Exhibition at Bo'ness and a museum consultant, told Museums Journal: 'If the minister means designation then times have changed since Scotland stepped back from designation previously. There are collections of national interest in museums all across Scotland.'
The designation scheme running in England and Wales aims to identify and celebrate the pre-eminent collections of national and international importance held in non-national museums. The scheme was launched in 1997 by the Museums and Galleries Commission on behalf of England's museums.
The Designation Challenge Fund was created by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in 1999 to provide for the care and interpretation of the collections in the designation scheme. More than £20m has been awarded so far.
The Scottish Executive's Cultural Policy Statement of April 2004 does detail a remit for the Culture Commission to 'consider the designation national and how it might be more appropriately determined'.
Recognition of nationally significant museum collections has been advocated by the Scottish Museums Council (SMC) since the launch of the joint SMC, National Museums of Scotland and National Galleries of Scotland National Strategy for Museums in 1999. The Scottish Executive has asked the SMC to find out if it would be feasible and of value to formally recognise the nationally significant collections in Scottish museums.
