Further to Notice 1771, we are delighted to announce that Claire Browne and Debbie Richards of Leicestershire Museums, Arts & Records Service have been seconded to EmmS until mid November on a job-share basis. Claire will work Monday to Wednesday and Debbie will work Thursday & Friday. During this time Lesley Colsell will assume the role of Acting Director whilst Adrian Babbidge undertakes other work.

 

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1787.  Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives & Libraries

 

Resource has launched a new fund of £600,000 that aims to encourage cross-sectoral work between museums, archives and libraries in the English regions. The funding will be allocated in two stages. Initially each region will receive £25,000 to enable area museum councils (AMCs), regional archives councils and regional library systems to identify priorities in their area. Proposals must:

• involve all three sectors

• help develop regional archive strategies where these are not currently in place

• be related to Resource's strategic priorities

The deadline for this first stage is 11 September 2000. In stage two the regions will be invited to submit bids for the remainder of the fund. The criteria for this round will be identified by December 2000, and the deadline for applications will be 20 February 2001.

 

Chris Smith, Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport, has announced the appointment of David Barrie, Director of the National Art Collections Fund, to the Board of Resource. He joins the other fifteen Board members listed in Notice 1742 and 1771.

 

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Further to Notice 1757, the efficiency review of the Museums Registration Scheme undertaken by Rosemary Ewles, Secretary of the Committee of Area Museum Councils (AMCs), and Adrian Babbidge is now complete. The recommendations for the scheme are as follows:

 

• There should be fixed timetables for dealing with applications

• AMCs will be expected to advise both applicants and Resource of its timetable on receipt of an application. No application should take longer than four weeks to process from its arrival at Resource

• Resource should have sole responsibility for checking that minimum standards are met. AMCs should be responsible for the advice and development aspects of Registration

• AMCs should be responsible for recommending whether an applicant meets the Registration standards and for identifying areas for improvement

• AMCs should give advice before the application stage, not afterwards

• AMCs should reject incomplete applications

• AMCs should not submit incomplete applications to Resource

• Resource case assessors should liaise with the AMCs not with individual applicants

• Resource should evaluate a sample of 10% of applications from each AMC and give prompt feedback to AMCs on their management process

The complete report Process Review of the Museum Registration Scheme Phase 2, is available from Resource by telephoning Sarah Woodward on (020) 7233 4200, e-mail: sarah.woodward@resource.gov.uk or on the Resource website at www.resource.gov.uk

 

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Resource has produced an Incident Report Form (IRF), which is intended to complement the Crimefile Report Form for Museums & Galleries which is already widely used. This new form should be used to record any incident that occurs including, fire, flood or physical damage caused by vandalism, building defects or extreme weather conditions. A copy of the IRF is included in this mailing for all Registered museums. Further copies of the forms can be obtained by telephoning (0115) 985 4534.

 

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Resource has announced the second round of the Technology Baseline Scheme, which provides free modems to Registered museums who have computers but do not currently have access to the Internet. As with the previous MGC scheme, the modems will be made available through a voucher system, which is operated by EmmS for the East Midlands. The museums will also receive details of free Internet service providers (ISPs). Any museum within the region wishing to take advantage of the offer should contact Debbie Richards at EmmS on Thursdays or Fridays. Tel: (0115) 985 4534.

 

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1791.  Warning

A number of museums have been approached by a company saying that a domain name for the museum i.e. www.museumname.co.uk has been requested by a third party. The company has then offered the museum the option to reserve the domain name for a fee. Currently the standard fee for a .co.uk or a .org.uk website address is £10 for 2 years at the lower end of the market. If a museum is approached by a company, please ensure the charge is not unreasonable.

 

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1792.  University of Leicester New Technology Projects

The Department of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester is looking for museums who would be prepared to partner New Technology Projects. The projects are part of a wider programme looking at the potential of digital media, primarily CD-Rom and web-based technologies, in the museum and gallery sector. In each case initial project briefs would be written in conjunction with museum clients and offered to groups of four postgraduate students who, after meeting with the museums to develop the ideas, would use the University's facilities to create the final product.

 

The projects will take place between October 2000 and February 2001. Briefs will be finalised by 10 October. If you would like to register your interest, or wish to find out more about the projects contact: Ross Parry, Lecturer in New Technologies, Department of Museum Studies, University of Leicester, 103-5 Princess Road East, Leicester, LE1 7LG. Tel: (0116) 252 3963. E-mail: rdp5@le.ac.uk

 

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1793.  Family Learning Weekend

This year's Family Learning Weekend takes place on 6 - 8 October 2000. If you are planning an event it can be included in the publicity released by the Campaign for Learning, co-ordinators of the Family Learning Weekend. To discuss any ideas or to register your event for inclusion contact: The Campaign for Learning, Midlands Office, BVSC 138 Digbeth, Birmingham, B5 6DR. Tel/Fax: (0121) 643 0774. E-mail: hrutledge@cflearning.org.uk Event details will also be passed to learndirect a freephone helpline for families, which will operate from 1 September giving callers details of events in their area. To receive promotional material about the Family Learning Weekend automatically, telephone (0117) 966 7755.

 

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1794.  National Science Week 2001

This is a reminder that the final closing date for applications to the Committee on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS) Grants programme is 31 October 2000. Grants are available for events connected with National Science Week 2001 (16 - 25 March) 2001.

 

The British Association for the Advancement of Science, co-ordinators of National Science Week, are seeking information about events that are being planned, and the national media have already asked them for details about the week. For a grant application form, more information, or to register your event contact: Maria Roy, National Science Week Officer, The British Association for the Advancement of Science, 23 Savile Row, London, W1X 2NB. Tel: (020) 7973. Fax: (020) 7973 3063. E-mail: maria.roy@britassoc.org.uk

 

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1795.  Sharing Museums Skills Millennium Awards

Leicestershire Museums, Arts & Records Service is hosting a secondment from Liverpool University. Shirley-Ann Hadley will be working with the Service's outreach and archaeology operations during August and October and would be pleased to hear from any East Midlands museum about their education and outreach work. Telephone (0116) 265 6783 or e-mail: museums@leics.gov.uk

 

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1796.  Forthcoming EmmS Events & Seminars

DEVELOPING A WEBSITE - 27 SEPTEMBER. This seminar is designed for absolute beginners, or those who have a limited knowledge of website development. The day aims to de-mystify the Internet and give delegates a basic understanding of website construction and design, the software required to produce a website and how to obtain it. Internet providers, what is HTML and the costs involved in website production will also be examined.

 

WHAT MUSEUMS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SCHOOLS - 28 SEPTEMBER. The aim of this seminar is to enable museum staff and volunteers to understand current issues in education and how they affect museums. School structures, funding, the National Curriculum and the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies will be discussed, and suggestions given for building networks with teachers and children.

 

VISIT TO PUBLIC ACCESS STORES IN LONDON - 4 OCTOBER. A visit has been arranged to the Science Museum's stores at Blythe House, and to the Depot in Acton, which is the stores for the London Transport Museum. Both of these stores have been designed to allow maximum public access to collections and their associated information, and will provide useful case studies for museums planning new facilities. We will meet in London for a conducted tour provided by the Curators from each museum. Numbers will be limited.

 

ARCHIVE SKILLS FOR MUSEUMS - 11 OCTOBER. This training day, led by archivists and archive conservators, will provide delegates with an introduction to the basic archive standards. The seminar will have a realistic and practical approach covering the following aspects: preservation and storage; handling; security and access; digital technology; and copyright.

 

SATURDAY SPECIAL - ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING - 21 OCTOBER. This course will show why environmental monitoring is important, familiarise delegates with the current range of available equipment and look at how environmental data can be interpreted and acted on. Delegates will undertake practical sessions with a range of monitoring equipment, discuss case studies and learn how to use and calibrate equipment.

 

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18 - 21 September - CONSERVATION LECTURE SERIES - Society of Archivists (SoA).

The course aims to develop a knowledge and understanding of preservation and conservation work. Issues covered will include adhesives; leather testing & conservation; binding; handmade paper and prints & drawings. Delegates can attend all four days or individual days. Venue: Oxford University. Cost: £140, £170 non-member (for one-day £50, £80 non-members). For details contact: SoA, 40 Northampton Road, London, EC1R 0HB. Tel: (020) 7278 2107. E-mail: societyofarchivists@archives.org.uk

 

21 September - MARKETPLACE 2000 - Touring Exhibitions Group (TEG). Open to anyone involved or interested in touring or hiring exhibitions. The day provides an opportunity to network and includes a seminar that will examine collaboration in exhibitions and the effect this can have on economic viability, creative impact and access. Venue: The Guildhall, Bath. Cost: £35, £55 non-members. For details contact: Jennifer Shaw, Gracefield Arts Centre, 28 Edinburgh Road, Dumfries, DG1 1NW. Tel: (01387) 262084.

 

26 - 29 September - CONSERVATION PLANS AND RECORDING FOR REPAIR - Aimed at those responsible for managing repair projects in historic buildings, providing insight into the conservation plan process and practice in compiling plans at an appropriate level of detail. A range of survey equipment will be available to try, demonstrating how the knowledge obtained can be used to feed into the conservation plan. Venue: West Dean College. Cost: £545 residential. For details contact: The College Office, West Dean College, West Dean, Chichester, PO18 0QZ.

 

28 September - BEST VALUE - Natural Sciences Conservation Group (NSCG). A one-day seminar focusing on Best Value and how it affects museums, particularly conservation and collections management. Venue: The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent. For details contact: Bob Entwistle, Ipswich Museum, High Street, Ipswich, IP1 3QH. Tel: (01473) 433549.

 

3 October & 7 December - TARGETED RECRUITMENT OF VOLUNTEERS - Directory of Social Change. This course is aimed at people who have some experience of managing volunteer programmes and examines how to recruit people to meet the specific needs and values of your organisation. Venue: Leeds. Cost: £150. For details contact: Directory of Social Change, Federation House, Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BW. Tel: (0151) 708 0117. Fax: (0151) 708 0139. Internet: www.dsc.org.uk

 

4 October - IT & LOCAL STUDIES - Local Studies Group, Midlands & Anglia Branch. A one-day seminar that looks at some of the developments in IT, and advice on applying for grants. Venue: Hinckley Library. Cost: £25 + VAT. For details contact: Eleanor Nannestad (01522) 510800 or Joan Bray (0115) 915 2871.

 

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1798.  Congratulations to…

 

…William Brown, on his promotion from Registrar to Collections & Information Services Manager for Central Museum & Art Gallery, Northampton.

 

…Gainsborough Old Hall for a £600 grant from the Woodmansterne Award for Remedial Conservation work to a painting.

 

…Leicestershire Museums, Arts & Records Service for an £18,000 grant from The Clore Foundation to purchase a modified van for transporting works from its 20^th century and contemporary collections to schools and community centres as part of their outreach work.

 

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1799.  Farewell & Best Wishes to…

…Jocelyn Dodd, Service Manager for Nottingham City Museums, who will join the Research Centre for Museums & Galleries at the University of Leicester.

 

…Matthew Hirst who will be leaving EmmS to commence an MA in Historic Interiors & the Decorative Arts at the Wallace Collection.

 

…Katie Page, of Grantham Museum, who is relocating to Yorkshire and will begin working as a museum consultant.

CUMULATIVE INDEX No 1 (January 1990) - No 131 (August 2000)

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