Opinion
Collections are not there for “just-in-case”
Some dictionaries claim to be concise. Museums, their close-relatives, make no such claims. Museums and dictionaries though are driven by a common desire to contain every possible object or word, even though most are never looked at or looked up. As a result my Concise Oxford Dictionary has 1,558 pages of closely typed words and …
Letters
Mandate needed for post-Renaissance plan Congratulations on another robust editorial. Your contributions remain one of the highlights each month and “Loss of MLA is chance to shape our future” summed up how many of us are feeling. My only concern was your call for “the swift implementation of the core museums model” for Renaissance. I …
Looking forward as Diversify finishes
Thanks to programmes such as the Museums Association’s (MA) Renaissance-funded Diversify scheme, the museum workforce is getting more diverse. Since the 1990s the proportion of people from minority-ethnic backgrounds working in UK museums has almost trebled from around 2.5 per cent in 1993 to around 7 per cent in 2008 (the most recent figures available). …
Are cuts a threat to collections mobility?
We have experienced the worst recession since the 1930s and the government is committed to cutting its way out our economic difficulties. We already have evidence to demonstrate that spending on arts and culture is a soft target – witness the proposed 50 per cent cut at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and …
Big Society is already here: let’s not abuse it
There was a furore in Liverpool recently when prime minister David Cameron came to the city to announce his plan for the Big Society. Actually, ‘plan’ might be too strong a word for the notion of shifting power from central government to neighbourhoods. It’s more of a dream, a vision, part of the ideology that …
Vox pop
Where should responsibility for museums in England lie after the abolition of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council?
Letters
Stonehenge: it’s a lot more than a visitor centre that is at stake Maev Kennedy makes light of the government’s decision to withdraw £10m funding from the Stonehenge project. The media response has, understandably, focused on the building side of the project – the visitor centre. What has not been mentioned are the environmental improvements …