Opinion
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 …
Talkback: October 2006
As the Museums and Galleries Disability Association is wound up, will disability issues in museums be sufficiently addressed?
Letters
The value of investment at the Geffrye Sara Selwood’s critique of the Geffrye Museum’s new 17th-and 18th-century displays (Museums Journal February 2007, p46-47) missed the point. These are representations of rooms as they might have been experienced by people at the time, when the panelling and textiles were new and the colours were bright, and …
Letters
MLA closure will hit the whole of the UK The proposed closure of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) has been discussed in the light of its impact on museums in England but it also has serious consequences for those in the other home countries. Museums and galleries in Wales continue to participate in …
If you jump on a bandwagon, hold onto the reins
The United Nations has used International Years to raise awareness of global issues for half a century. Other organisations also use year-long themed campaigns to promote understanding of important concepts by responding to topical issues or by celebrating anniversaries of notable achievements, people or events. For museums, such campaigns can be a good focus for …
Kinship and culture: they go together
Arts and culture are a necessity for children and families. We know that taking part in cultural activities together helps to make families strong and stable, providing them with shared memories, history and happiness as well as resilience when times are hard. Such positive family experiences can be gained from a range of activities: a …