Stop ignoring the needs of small museums
We talk of museums being inclusive, reaching out to excluded communities, so when will Museums Journal start doing this? When will it really appeal to the smaller independent and local authority-run museums?
Looking at the January edition there are many excellent articles but how many of those issues affect those outside the nationals and larger regionals? Insuring blockbuster shows (MJ January 2006, p18) is an extremely specialised subject.
Cafe Society (MJ January 2006, p28-31) was fascinating but when the Museum in Docklands is described as a 'smaller museum' it's hard to see how the article can appeal, except intellectually, to small locals.
The temporary exhibition reviews are interesting and give ideas for days out but with budgets of £500,000, several times your annual budget for everything, it's hard to see what you can learn - except to change jobs! The interview with Stephen Snoddy was fascinating (MJ January 2006, p20-23).
But his perspective is very different to the average manager and curator, whose greatest achievement is to keep their place open and who can only dream of getting money out of the arts council. Sometimes it seems the only time the smaller museums get a mention is in the news pages when they are about to be shut.
It's time to bring back the articles on doing things for under £1,000 (though that's most probably too much for many museums), start giving advice on reviews and strategies, and have interviews with staff who've run small locals for ten or 15 years and whose struggles and achievements have been just as great, if not greater, than someone at some big museum or gallery. Then Museums Journal can see itself as inclusive of its audience.
Jason Finch, temporary assistant manager, Elmbridge Museum, Surrey
Evaluate resources by the cost of repair
Patrick Steel's article (Museums Journal February 2006, p6) resonates in a timely way with the debate on demonstrating the public value of heritage. Museums are not the only sector struggling with the notion of 'price' for resources that are not for sale, public parks face this issue too.
Would it help to move away from considering the sale value, and instead start considering the 'repair' value? Realistically, most museums are more likely to need to deal with damage to the collections that they care for, rather than theft or sale. Conservation costs are often higher than sale value, and any insurance cover should reflect this.
It is relatively easy to quantify the cost of conserving an irreplaceable object if it were to be flooded or vandalised, as the market price for conservators is far easier to ascertain than the market price for most provenanced museum objects. Here in Wakefield, we have used this method to quantify some of the costs of leaving collections in inappropriate storage.
Christine Johnstone, principal cultural officer, Wakefield Cultural Services
Here's looking at you kids
Further to the recent Museums Journal article The Medical Model by Bryony Kelly on medical museums that form part of larger professional bodies (Museums Journal November 2005, p33-35) I am pleased to inform readers that the careers presentation she mentions is now live on the Web.
A Look at Optometrists is aimed at young people considering their careers options at an early stage and is likely to prove particularly interesting to those aged 13-16, not least because there is an associated prize draw. The fun includes a walk down a typical high street, a 'true or false' challenge and a 'what optometrists do' game.
In developing this resource the College of Optometrists took inspiration from the collections of the British Optical Association Museum, from whose records the stories and most of the images were drawn. The activities have been designed so they could be easily adapted for interactive use in the gallery.
We think this project demonstrates that the British Optical Association Museum can be as much about the communication of contemporary eye health information as it is about preserving ophthalmic heritage, but that the latter activity feeds the former.
Turning the past to its advantage the college hopes to encourage budding young optometrists to visit the museum or its MusEYEum website to get a feel for the subject prior to applying to university. It is a way of engaging both with potential future members and those who will use their services.
In a similar vein our museum's future outreach plans include careers fairs. Consequently the museum becomes an important 'shop window' for the profession rather an expensive luxury.
A Look at Optometrists can be found at: www.college-optometrists.org/look
Neil Handley, curator, British Optical Association Museum, The College of Optometrists
V&A not as dry as we thought
It is not true, as Gwyn Miles says (Museums Journal, January 2006, p28), that in the South Kensington Museum (the predecessor of the Victoria and Albert Museum) 'on principle, no alcohol was served'.
Certainly, the pioneer director, Henry Cole, hoped that, for the working man, museums would 'furnish a powerful antidote to the gin palace'. But he was no puritan, and did not try to run a 'dry' institution.
A licence was speedily obtained for his first Refreshment Rooms, and in 1860 Cole reported that in that year 20 bottles of wine, five of brandy, six quarts of ale, 71 pints of stout, 80 gallons of draught ale, and 20 gallons of porter had been consumed, without giving rise to single incident of drunkenness (see John Physick, The Victoria and Albert Museum: a History of its Building, 1982, p30). There was a similar regime in the new Refreshment Rooms, opened in 1868.
In 1873 Cole observed with satisfaction that, at the South Kensington Museum, 'the working man could go and study any subject he wished. He could have a cup of tea for 2d…, or, if it were preferred, a glass of beer; and it was a fact that thirteen millions of people had been admitted to the institution, and that only two had been turned out for drinking too much' (see Anthony Burton, Vision and Accident: the Story of the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1999, p77-8).
So it seems that culture was able to restrain the demon drink at South Kensington. It would be a pity, then, if the museum were encumbered with an undeserved reputation as zone of prohibition, and we seek to put the record straight.
John Physick, former deputy director, Victoria and Albert Museum
Anthony Burton, former senior research fellow in museology, Victoria and Albert Museum
Who's who in storage
In an issue of the journal last year (Museums Journal December 2006, p9) you printed an article stating RMJM architects designed the extension to the existing storage facility at the National Museums of Scotland's store in Granton.
May I make a minor correction? Much of the work consisted of a redesign of the storage facilities and the logistics involved in relocating the collections, and it also included a survey of the actual collections which were being moved from the museum in Chambers Street. This work was carried out by my company on behalf of RMJM.
Tony Baker, AJB Designs, Harrogate
Professional edge for taxpayers
Now is a good time of year to remind all income taxpayers that they can save on subscriptions to bodies such as the Museum Professionals Group (MPG) and the Museums Association. Just tell your tax office, (your employer can give the address), how much you pay. They will then make sure that you are not taxed on that amount of your income. In other words, you end up paying less.
Claims can be backdated up to five years, and the subscriptions of many other professional groups are tax deductible too. Check www.hmrc.gov.uk/list3/list3.htm for a full list.
To join the newly rejuvenated MPG contact Nicola Hughes on 020 7841 3600 or email Nicola@foundlingmuseum.org.uk
David Rice, treasurer, Museum Professionals Group
Clarification
The museum referred to in the editorial (Museums Journal February 2006, p4) was the Ragged School Museum in Tower Hamlets, London.
We talk of museums being inclusive, reaching out to excluded communities, so when will Museums Journal start doing this? When will it really appeal to the smaller independent and local authority-run museums?
Looking at the January edition there are many excellent articles but how many of those issues affect those outside the nationals and larger regionals? Insuring blockbuster shows (MJ January 2006, p18) is an extremely specialised subject.
Cafe Society (MJ January 2006, p28-31) was fascinating but when the Museum in Docklands is described as a 'smaller museum' it's hard to see how the article can appeal, except intellectually, to small locals.
The temporary exhibition reviews are interesting and give ideas for days out but with budgets of £500,000, several times your annual budget for everything, it's hard to see what you can learn - except to change jobs! The interview with Stephen Snoddy was fascinating (MJ January 2006, p20-23).
But his perspective is very different to the average manager and curator, whose greatest achievement is to keep their place open and who can only dream of getting money out of the arts council. Sometimes it seems the only time the smaller museums get a mention is in the news pages when they are about to be shut.
It's time to bring back the articles on doing things for under £1,000 (though that's most probably too much for many museums), start giving advice on reviews and strategies, and have interviews with staff who've run small locals for ten or 15 years and whose struggles and achievements have been just as great, if not greater, than someone at some big museum or gallery. Then Museums Journal can see itself as inclusive of its audience.
Jason Finch, temporary assistant manager, Elmbridge Museum, Surrey
Evaluate resources by the cost of repair
Patrick Steel's article (Museums Journal February 2006, p6) resonates in a timely way with the debate on demonstrating the public value of heritage. Museums are not the only sector struggling with the notion of 'price' for resources that are not for sale, public parks face this issue too.
Would it help to move away from considering the sale value, and instead start considering the 'repair' value? Realistically, most museums are more likely to need to deal with damage to the collections that they care for, rather than theft or sale. Conservation costs are often higher than sale value, and any insurance cover should reflect this.
It is relatively easy to quantify the cost of conserving an irreplaceable object if it were to be flooded or vandalised, as the market price for conservators is far easier to ascertain than the market price for most provenanced museum objects. Here in Wakefield, we have used this method to quantify some of the costs of leaving collections in inappropriate storage.
Christine Johnstone, principal cultural officer, Wakefield Cultural Services
Here's looking at you kids
Further to the recent Museums Journal article The Medical Model by Bryony Kelly on medical museums that form part of larger professional bodies (Museums Journal November 2005, p33-35) I am pleased to inform readers that the careers presentation she mentions is now live on the Web.
A Look at Optometrists is aimed at young people considering their careers options at an early stage and is likely to prove particularly interesting to those aged 13-16, not least because there is an associated prize draw. The fun includes a walk down a typical high street, a 'true or false' challenge and a 'what optometrists do' game.
In developing this resource the College of Optometrists took inspiration from the collections of the British Optical Association Museum, from whose records the stories and most of the images were drawn. The activities have been designed so they could be easily adapted for interactive use in the gallery.
We think this project demonstrates that the British Optical Association Museum can be as much about the communication of contemporary eye health information as it is about preserving ophthalmic heritage, but that the latter activity feeds the former.
Turning the past to its advantage the college hopes to encourage budding young optometrists to visit the museum or its MusEYEum website to get a feel for the subject prior to applying to university. It is a way of engaging both with potential future members and those who will use their services.
In a similar vein our museum's future outreach plans include careers fairs. Consequently the museum becomes an important 'shop window' for the profession rather an expensive luxury.
A Look at Optometrists can be found at: www.college-optometrists.org/look
Neil Handley, curator, British Optical Association Museum, The College of Optometrists
V&A not as dry as we thought
It is not true, as Gwyn Miles says (Museums Journal, January 2006, p28), that in the South Kensington Museum (the predecessor of the Victoria and Albert Museum) 'on principle, no alcohol was served'.
Certainly, the pioneer director, Henry Cole, hoped that, for the working man, museums would 'furnish a powerful antidote to the gin palace'. But he was no puritan, and did not try to run a 'dry' institution.
A licence was speedily obtained for his first Refreshment Rooms, and in 1860 Cole reported that in that year 20 bottles of wine, five of brandy, six quarts of ale, 71 pints of stout, 80 gallons of draught ale, and 20 gallons of porter had been consumed, without giving rise to single incident of drunkenness (see John Physick, The Victoria and Albert Museum: a History of its Building, 1982, p30). There was a similar regime in the new Refreshment Rooms, opened in 1868.
In 1873 Cole observed with satisfaction that, at the South Kensington Museum, 'the working man could go and study any subject he wished. He could have a cup of tea for 2d…, or, if it were preferred, a glass of beer; and it was a fact that thirteen millions of people had been admitted to the institution, and that only two had been turned out for drinking too much' (see Anthony Burton, Vision and Accident: the Story of the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1999, p77-8).
So it seems that culture was able to restrain the demon drink at South Kensington. It would be a pity, then, if the museum were encumbered with an undeserved reputation as zone of prohibition, and we seek to put the record straight.
John Physick, former deputy director, Victoria and Albert Museum
Anthony Burton, former senior research fellow in museology, Victoria and Albert Museum
Who's who in storage
In an issue of the journal last year (Museums Journal December 2006, p9) you printed an article stating RMJM architects designed the extension to the existing storage facility at the National Museums of Scotland's store in Granton.
May I make a minor correction? Much of the work consisted of a redesign of the storage facilities and the logistics involved in relocating the collections, and it also included a survey of the actual collections which were being moved from the museum in Chambers Street. This work was carried out by my company on behalf of RMJM.
Tony Baker, AJB Designs, Harrogate
Professional edge for taxpayers
Now is a good time of year to remind all income taxpayers that they can save on subscriptions to bodies such as the Museum Professionals Group (MPG) and the Museums Association. Just tell your tax office, (your employer can give the address), how much you pay. They will then make sure that you are not taxed on that amount of your income. In other words, you end up paying less.
Claims can be backdated up to five years, and the subscriptions of many other professional groups are tax deductible too. Check www.hmrc.gov.uk/list3/list3.htm for a full list.
To join the newly rejuvenated MPG contact Nicola Hughes on 020 7841 3600 or email Nicola@foundlingmuseum.org.uk
David Rice, treasurer, Museum Professionals Group
Clarification
The museum referred to in the editorial (Museums Journal February 2006, p4) was the Ragged School Museum in Tower Hamlets, London.
