A draft national strategy for museums moved closer last month with the first meeting of the Scottish Museums Think Tank, which was convened by culture minister Michael Russell.
"Some priorities were brought to the floor and some confusions laid to rest," said Ewen Smith, the director of the Hunterian Museum and Gallery. "For example, there was talk of the need for balance between nationals, independents, university and local authority museums, some of it possibly news to some people round the table."
Stewart Brymer, the chairman of the Dundee Heritage Trust, said: "We are looking for available funds to be utilised better. That would mean some form of redistribution, but we can't just say divide the money this way one day, then divide it another way tomorrow. We need to ask whether the current structure is working, and if not, what alternative can we put in place?"
"The minister has an open mind," said John Leighton, the director general of the National Galleries of Scotland, "but he doesn't have a terribly open wallet. Changes in the funding structure are a possibility but clearly there is not masses of new money on the table."
Gordon Rintoul, director of National Museums Scotland, said: "We need to explore if more can be done with the funding that exists." He said this could involve formalising the relationship between nationals and the rest of the sector and seeing how museums fit the government's education agenda.
Alongside Smith, Brymer, Leighton and Rintoul, the think tank includes Liz Cameron, chair of Culture and Sport Glasgow; Frank Little, museums manager at City of Edinburgh Council; Jim Tildsley, director of the Scottish Maritime Museum; Rachel Skene, development officer at Strathnaver Museum; and Sharon Webb, director of Kilmartin House Museum.
"Some priorities were brought to the floor and some confusions laid to rest," said Ewen Smith, the director of the Hunterian Museum and Gallery. "For example, there was talk of the need for balance between nationals, independents, university and local authority museums, some of it possibly news to some people round the table."
Stewart Brymer, the chairman of the Dundee Heritage Trust, said: "We are looking for available funds to be utilised better. That would mean some form of redistribution, but we can't just say divide the money this way one day, then divide it another way tomorrow. We need to ask whether the current structure is working, and if not, what alternative can we put in place?"
"The minister has an open mind," said John Leighton, the director general of the National Galleries of Scotland, "but he doesn't have a terribly open wallet. Changes in the funding structure are a possibility but clearly there is not masses of new money on the table."
Gordon Rintoul, director of National Museums Scotland, said: "We need to explore if more can be done with the funding that exists." He said this could involve formalising the relationship between nationals and the rest of the sector and seeing how museums fit the government's education agenda.
Alongside Smith, Brymer, Leighton and Rintoul, the think tank includes Liz Cameron, chair of Culture and Sport Glasgow; Frank Little, museums manager at City of Edinburgh Council; Jim Tildsley, director of the Scottish Maritime Museum; Rachel Skene, development officer at Strathnaver Museum; and Sharon Webb, director of Kilmartin House Museum.
