A recent article in the Guardian stated it is the government’s intention that every public service could be put out to tender.
It explained: “A private company – or in theory a very large charity – can challenge any service they would like to run and bid to take it over. If Serco or Capita think they can turn a reasonable profit from cherry-picking anything the council or the government runs, they will have the right to demand it is put out to tender.”
Outsourcing companies running heritage services might sound far fetched, but it is not. A single report may sound like speculation, but I have had two separate reports from different museum bodies that outsourcing firms are already looking seriously at tendering for the delivery of museum services. Is this the future you want?
One of the wonderful things about being a freelance museum adviser is working with truly inspiring and engaging people. Everyone working in museums is an expert storyteller. Get the right person with the right object and narratives flow, explaining the importance and significance of the object within any given scenario.
Considering this, it is surprising so many museum professionals are not confident when creating narratives for their museums as institutions. What’s more, they are too willing to accept the narratives that have been created by others.
I have had several conversations, usually at local authority museums, where talk about the future is met with a certain passivity, a shrug and a statement that “they” (an ill-defined group including government, councillors and directors) haven’t informed the museum yet. Many museum professionals seem willing to simply wait until they are told the narrative that they will be existing in.
But the new narratives cascading down from central government are still forming at a local level and may not be set for another six months. True, the themes are known (localism, big society, commissioning and delivery units – all things that museums have being doing for years, albeit under different names), but the details and models are still open to influence. The issue now is, do you want to form the narrative, or are you going to wait for others, perhaps profiteers, to do it?
I’m not going to tell you what narrative you should have for your museum: that is for you to decide. Whether you want the status quo or need a new model, then develop that narrative and engage, explain and advocate for it.
If we have six months until the new narratives are formed then we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to influence the outcome. After all, if you don’t push for the model that works for you, somebody else will develop a model. And it may not be one that you like.
Paul Fraser Webb is a cultural consultant and collections development adviser
It explained: “A private company – or in theory a very large charity – can challenge any service they would like to run and bid to take it over. If Serco or Capita think they can turn a reasonable profit from cherry-picking anything the council or the government runs, they will have the right to demand it is put out to tender.”
Outsourcing companies running heritage services might sound far fetched, but it is not. A single report may sound like speculation, but I have had two separate reports from different museum bodies that outsourcing firms are already looking seriously at tendering for the delivery of museum services. Is this the future you want?
One of the wonderful things about being a freelance museum adviser is working with truly inspiring and engaging people. Everyone working in museums is an expert storyteller. Get the right person with the right object and narratives flow, explaining the importance and significance of the object within any given scenario.
Considering this, it is surprising so many museum professionals are not confident when creating narratives for their museums as institutions. What’s more, they are too willing to accept the narratives that have been created by others.
I have had several conversations, usually at local authority museums, where talk about the future is met with a certain passivity, a shrug and a statement that “they” (an ill-defined group including government, councillors and directors) haven’t informed the museum yet. Many museum professionals seem willing to simply wait until they are told the narrative that they will be existing in.
But the new narratives cascading down from central government are still forming at a local level and may not be set for another six months. True, the themes are known (localism, big society, commissioning and delivery units – all things that museums have being doing for years, albeit under different names), but the details and models are still open to influence. The issue now is, do you want to form the narrative, or are you going to wait for others, perhaps profiteers, to do it?
I’m not going to tell you what narrative you should have for your museum: that is for you to decide. Whether you want the status quo or need a new model, then develop that narrative and engage, explain and advocate for it.
If we have six months until the new narratives are formed then we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to influence the outcome. After all, if you don’t push for the model that works for you, somebody else will develop a model. And it may not be one that you like.
Paul Fraser Webb is a cultural consultant and collections development adviser
