Opinion

Voxpop

What makes a family-friendly museum?

Profile image for Sharon Heal

The policy column

It’s never too late to learn

ITV got it wrong – cemetery tours are not in poor taste

Telling the stories of the dead can bring the past back to life

Digital | Joined-up thinking

There are few technical barriers to creating a nationwide collections database - so why haven't we?

Museum of slavery must avoid mistakes of the past

We need to do more to acknowledge the links between the slave trade and modern-day racism and inequalities

Profile image for Simon Stephens

Editorial | Remaining relevant is key to public support

No one wants to be irrelevant, and for museums it is vital not only to be seen as trusted institutions, but also as places that respond positively to people’s interests, passions and concerns. And over the past 20 years or so, as the sector has turned to face the public more squarely, there has been …

Profile image for Alistair Brown

The policy column

Reckoning with our colonial past

Profile image for Tonya Nelson

Why Icom postponed the vote on its new museum definition

More discussion was needed to avoid a Brexit-like rift in the global community

Is it possible for museums to move away from fossil fuel sponsorship?

Dear Chris:  Theoretically, yes. But many museums are charities with a duty to their trustees. Instruments of governance oblige trustees to act in the best interests of their organisations. Depending on how their deeds are worded, boards may feel compelled to invest from any legal source; members may not legally be free to pick and …

Partnerships are crucial to small museums

Support from larger organisations can work wonders

Digital | One-size-fits-all does not work

Small museums need a bespoke approach to digital

Voxpop | What advice would you give to first-timers at the MA Conference?

An event with 1,000 or more unfamiliar faces can be daunting - but most delegates are brimming with information and chat