Opinion
Letters: MJ July 2007
Questioning human remains comments I read with interest, though some disquiet, Piotr Bienkowski’s comment and analysis concerning the Human Remains Advisory Service (Museums Journal June 2007, p18). As Bienkowski says, the Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums was primarily drafted to help museums deal with overseas claims and the evidence we have …
Ethics: benefactors
The MA's code of ethics requires museums to 'Recognise the interests of people who made, used, owned, collected or gave items in the collections' (7.0), and, on occasion, personal objects are requested for return by stakeholders. How would you approach a claim for the return of an object with personal significance to the donor, in contrast to claims for generic items?
Letters
Thinking about who we are Having just read your article, Who do we think we are? (Museums Journal August 2007, p14), I am torn between, on the one hand, enthusiasm for a museum that communicates, reflects upon and celebrates every aspect of ‘Britishness’ and, on the other hand, despair that prime minister Gordon Brown thinks …
Ethics: Conservation
Alterations, additions and partial destruction of an artefact can tell us a lot about that object’s historical significance and social and cultural context. Conservation can reveal important information for research and audience development purposes about the object’s original conception and intended use. Should museums and galleries ever restore an object to its original state? It …
Who do we think we are?
Gordon Brown's fixation with Britishness prompted discussions by the British Library and the British Museum on an exhibition of modern Britain. Now Brown is prime minister, could a museum of modern Britain become a reality? We asked six cultural practitioners about their vision for such a venue
Letters
Human remains – Manchester’s view Quinton Carroll (Museums Journal July 2007, p14) asked if the article written by Piotr Bienkowski about the Human Remains Advisory Service reflected the policy of the Manchester Museum. I find his question a puzzling one. It is certainly not our policy to criticise individual organisations. However, as a university museum, …
Letters
Gypsy culture has not been ignored I was surprised and rather disappointed to read Jake Bowers’ article about the ‘failure of public museums to represent Gypsy-Traveller history’ (Museums Journal August 2006, p18). Bowers states that ‘in 2005 (he) investigated why public museums, libraries and archives had done so little to represent and celebrate the history …
Roundtable Debtate: Understanding slavery
With preparations already underway for next year's 200th anniversary of the British slave trade, Museums Journal organised a round table debate with leading experts in the history of slavery to discuss the challenges museums face
Talkback: November 2006
Should museums allow pagan ceremonies to be conducted on ancient human remains if the person's religion or beliefs are unknown?
Letters
Are museums ready for the new web wave? James Morrisons’ thoughtful but ultimately unsatisfying piece about online cultural projects (Museums Journal September 2006, p24) raises more questions than it answers. Morrison questions the relevance and value for public money of much of what has been done over the past ten years, but does not suggest …
Letters
Loans help to boost museum links I enjoyed Julie Nightingale’s important article about museum loans (Museums Journal August 2006, p12-15). The news of Alec Coles’s investigation of the topic for the National Museum Directors’ Conference and the Museums Association’s work on the subject is especially welcome. However, it is hoped that this work will take …