Opinion

The insider

You pays your money you takes your choice

Tell your own story before others do it for you

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 …

From where I’m standing

A recent return of human remains tells a moral tale of patience and power

The diary of a national museum director

Part 11

Vox pop

Are museums exploiting interns?

Profile image for Sharon Heal

Editorial

Regionals need help now more than ever

Letters

Sometimes you have to put your dreams on hold I am writing in response to the letter entitled “You can close our museums but you can’t take our dreams”. To look uncompromisingly for work in the museum sector while in the midst of the worst economic recession since the second world war is admirable. But …

Why flaws in the export system need to be fixed

If you managed to save up to buy a new object for your collection, only to be told it’s not actually for sale, how would you feel? Bemused? Angry? This was the situation that faced the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) and the Burrell Collection just before Christmas.  Between them they had raised over £950,000 to …

The insider

Sex-up your displays to win new audiences

Are tiered entry prices a way forward for museums?

Last year I chaired a small group set up by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council to think about the future of museums. It was a good mix of museum expertise and outsider viewpoints. For me, as a lay person who has always been in the habit of visiting museums but had never looked at …

From where I’m standing

When sponsorship adds insult to injury

The diary of a national museum director

Part Ten