AVAILABLE ON-LINE AT www.emms.org.uk

1919. Foot and Mouth Disease

To reduce the risk to its herds of deer and cattle from the spread of Foot and Mouth disease, Wollaton Park is closed, and the subject of an Order that prohibits access to unlicensed persons. While, for the time being, we are able to use our offices, we regret that we will be unable to welcome any visitors until further notice.

We are monitoring the position as it affects museums, and have already assembled data that suggests that from 1 April the loss to independent museums in the region may be in the order of £50,000 per week. We would encourage museums to keep us informed as to how the epidemic is affecting them - whether closure, partial closure, the cancellation of events, reductions in visitor numbers or income, and so on. We can use this information to lobby for museum needs to be recognised. Please telephone Rose Millington with your information on (0115) 985 4534, or email us at emms@emms.org.uk with brief details. If you have spoken to us already, and have experienced no changes, then there is no need to contact us again.

The Heart of England Tourist Board have issued the following advice: in order to ensure that the impact of foot and mouth disease on tourism in the region is no greater than necessary, museums and heritage attractions which are still open need to make this very clear to their local Tourist Information Centres and in their own publicity.

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1920. EmmS Budget 2001/2

Following Notice 1884 in the January edition of HOT NEWS regarding budget constraints for 2001/2, and the failure of Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries to commit additional funds to maintain our capacity, the Service's Board has taken the following decisions:

• The project grants programme will be reduced from £60,000 to £30,000. As this is such a small amount, decisions about grants will be at our discretion, and priority will be given to applications for Special Initiative Funding for education and storage. You are advised to speak to Lesley Colsell, Head of Member Services, before applying.
• The core Training Programme will be reduced to 6 events, and the Middle Management programme suspended. The programme for 2001 will be circulated in April.
• Look at That will not be published in printed form this year. However, the Guide, updated for 2001, is now available on the EmmS website, www.emms.org.uk

Taken with other savings, this enables EmmS to achieve a slightly-better than break-even position for the year, and extend its financial viability until 31 March 2002. A final decision on whether the Service continues beyond that date will be taken during the coming six months.

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1921. MORI Museum Visiting Survey

MORI has published the second in its series of reports on museum visiting in the UK, which was commissioned by Resource. Besides focusing on general visit trends throughout the UK, it also focuses on schoolchildren in England and Wales. Headline findings are:

• museums and galleries remain as one of the most popular types of attraction in the UK, with just under three in ten residents having visited at least once during 1999 - though there has been a general reduction in the proportion of the population who visit all types of heritage attractions;
• students and people from socio-economic group AB between the ages of 45 and 65 remain the most likely people to visit, and there has been a decline in family visits;
• 27% of schoolchildren have visited a museum or gallery website, and one-third have been back to a museum or gallery they have visited with their school.
• Copies of the report can be downloaded from the Resource website, www.resource.gov.uk, or obtained free of charge from Sarah Woodward at Resource, 16 Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1H 9AA. Tel: (020) 7273 1458.

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1922. Budget 2001

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the following measures relevant to museums in his Budget statement on 7 March:

• A VAT refund scheme for National Museums and Galleries that do not charge admission to the public, which will enable them to reclaim the VAT due on all the expenditure they incur. The forthcoming Finance Act, and a subsequent Treasury Order, will provide the legal basis for the scheme, which will be introduced by September 2001 after consultation (though museums and galleries currently with free admission will be able to recover the VAT incurred from 1 April 2001). The cost for a full year is estimated at around £15 million. National museums that continue to charge will continue to be eligible to offset the costs of their purchases against the VAT due on admission charges. The effect of this change, therefore, is to equalise the VAT position between all National Museums.
• An increase in the National Minimum Wage for workers aged 22 and over to £4.10 per hour in October 2001 and (subject to the economic conditions at the time) £4.20 in October 2002.
• An increase in the VAT registration threshold to £54,000, with the annual accounting and cash accounting schemes extended to organisations with an annual turnover of up to £600,000.

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1923. Charity Commission Consultation on Museums and Art Galleries

The Charity Commission has, as part of its General Review of the Register of Charities, issued a consultation paper on the charitable status of museums and art galleries. There are no plans to change the law in this area, but the Commission wishes to consult on:

• how to determine whether a collection is of educational or artistic merit;

• the use of expert opinion to determine that merit;

• issues concerning public access;

• the extent to which issues concerning independence and public versus private benefit affect the overall charitable status of a museum and gallery.

Comments on the discussion document issued by the Commission (available at www.charity-commission.gov.uk) are required by 30 June 2001.

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1924. Resource Annual Workplan

Resource has published its annual Workplan and Budget for 2001-02. Ten key objectives outlined in the Workplan are to:

• demonstrate the long-term impact of the museums, archives and libraries sectors on society and the economy, by evaluating the domain's impact on the Government's learning, access and inclusion agendas;
• pilot a standard for access across its domain;
• improve the quality of leadership in the domain, and pilot a domain-wide leadership training course;
• develop regional capacity for action through additional support for regional agencies;
• demonstrate the value of its domain through the publication of statistics and other evidence for advocacy purposes;
• report on the steps necessary to safeguard the future of regional museums;
• connect 75 per cent of UK public-library service points to the web;
• implement a strategic plan of action for the development of information and communication technology within the domain;
• create a programme of advocacy, information and communications which explains its objectives and involves the domain in its work;
• locate all Resource staff in the Queen Anne's Gate office.

It has also published a framework for its international activity during the year. Both documents are available at www.resource.gov.uk

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1925. AIM EdWeb Project

The Association of Independent Museum's EdWeb Project, Piloting Learning Resources on the Web, is now on-line, after its launch at the Museums and Heritage Show earlier this month. Fourteen museums collaborated in the project funded by Resource and the Carnegie UK Trust, to place educational material online, including 'tours' of the museum, interactive games and activities, many of which are linked to the National Curriculum. The EdWeb site can be visited at www.museums.org.uk/aim/EdWeb/edweb.html

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1925. DCMS / Resource ICT Challenge Fund

Eleven innovative new technology projects in museums around the UK are set to go live at the end of March. The projects have been supported by the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Challenge Fund, which is administered by Resource on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The fund has provided £500,000 over two years to help projects which demonstrate how ICT can contribute to access, education and innovation in museums.

Within the East Midlands, Creswell Heritage Trust in Nottinghamshire received a grant for a website project, Virtually the Ice Age, which provides virtual access to the caves at Creswell Crags and encourages visitors to explore the Ice Age remains stored within a wide range of museums across England. The site can be visited at www.creswell-crags.org.uk/virtuallytheiceage

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1927. Sharing Museum Skills Millennium Awards

Grants worth more than £56,000 have been awarded to 15 secondees under the latest round of the Sharing Museum Skills Millennium Awards scheme, funded by the Millennium Commission. Although none of the secondments affects the East Midlands, there is still time to apply to the scheme, either as a host or as a secondee. The next deadline for applications is on 23 March, followed by deadlines on 24 May, 27 July and 31 August. For details, contact Catherine Atkinson, Millennium Awards Administrator, Sharing Museum Skills, 16 Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1H 9AA. Tel: (020) 7273 1406. Fax: (020) 7273 1404. Email: catherine.atkinson@resource.gov.uk

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1928. Higher Education Museums, Galleries and Collections (NEMGC) Scheme

The Arts & Humanities Research Board has recently announced a call for proposals to its Higher Education Museums, Galleries and Collections Scheme.

The scheme is open to museums, galleries and collections located within a Higher Education Institution. It applies not only to collections which fall within the traditional subject remit of the AHRB, but also Earth Science collections. The scheme is not open to archival or special library collections or to any collections where there is not a significant part always on display to the public.

The central purpose of the scheme is to contribute up to 50% towards the core funding required for the care, security, conservation, display and access of existing collections.

To qualify for support you must demonstrate that:

• at least some significant part of the collection is permanently on display to the public;

• access to the displays is available free of charge, five days a week to the HE community;

• the museum or gallery is registered or provisionally registered with Resource;

• information about the museum is available on a website and there are firm plans in place for enhancing electronic access;

• there are established links between the museum and the teaching and research activities of the HEI.

For further information, visit the AHRB's website, at www.ahrb.ac.uk/mlg/index.htm

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1929. UK Online Funding

DfEE are interested in receiving more innovative bids for phase 3 of the UK Online Centres initiative. Details can be found at www.dfee.gov.uk/ukonlinecentres. Organisations working in and with people in disadvantaged communities and social groups in England are eligible to apply (in partnership with an FE college for example) for a grant to support innovative ICT projects. The closing date for this round is 4 May.

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1930. Museum in the Classroom 2001

This event aims to help children find out about how museums are created and organised by bringing in their own collected objects and setting up an exhibition for their class. There is an attractive (and free) teachers' resource pack covering topics such as why people collect things, what they collect, organising the classroom exhibits, links to the National Curriculum and an activity sheet. The idea is that schools build up their museums this term and next, then produce a report and photos to be submitted in March: awards will be presented in May, which is Museums and Galleries Month.

For further information, send a large stamped SAE (66p) to Museum in the Classroom pack, c/o First Class Mailing Services, Unit 7, Britannia Trading Estate, Colnebrook, Slough SL3 0BH.

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1931. National Centre for Tactile Diagrams

The National Centre for Tactile Diagrams supports visually impaired people with materials such as tactile diagrams and maps and also provides advice and courses on the use and production of tactile materials. For details contact National Centre for Tactile Diagrams, Tel: (01707) 286384. Website: www.nctd.org.uk

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1932. .museum

ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has announced that .museum will be a top-level internet domain (TLD). Museums will now have the possibility of registering Internet addresses with a .museum suffix. This will bring potential advantages such as being a kitemark for authenticity, and greater ease in distinguishing museums from other institutions.

The TLD will be administered by the Museum Domain Management Association (MuseDoma), an independent organisation founded by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the J Paul Getty Trust. Negotiations on the conditions under which .museum will function have yet to be finalised, but ICOM is seeking to ensure that only institutions that meet its definition of a museum will be eligible to use the TLD. Further information from www.musedoma.org

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1933. The Royal Photographic Society

At its meeting on 20 February the Council of the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) decided to seek new partners in a joint HLF bid to make its world-class collection more publicly available in a new location. Driven by the crucial importance of providing new storage facilities, and making the outstanding collection available to as wide an audience as possible, the Society is inviting imaginative proposals from local authorities, museums, archives, universities and/or commercial companies. It is expected that the successful proposals will include housing the collection and the Society offices in suitable premises and the establishment of an international research centre with visitor facilities.

Any organisations or individuals interested in contributing to this project are invited to contact Barry Lane, Secretary General, The Royal Photographic Society, The Octagon, Milsom Street, Bath BA1 1DN. Tel: (01225) 462841. Fax: (01225) 448688. Email: barry@rps.org Website: www.rps.org

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1934. Museum Theft

A theft occurred recently at Derby Museum and Art Gallery. The item stolen was an 1849 pocket pistol, and although the exact date of the theft, and the description of the thief are unknown, museums - especially those with military collections - are asked to be vigilant.

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1935. Forthcoming Events & Seminars

25 April FORMAL AND INFORMAL EDUCATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE - GEM, Group for Education in Museums. This day will look at projects for young adults, including case studies of work with post 16s from Newcastle Museum and the Heritage Motorcycle Museum. A good opportunity to hear about good practice with a hard-to-reach audience. Venue: The Royal Pump Rooms, Leamington Spa. Cost: £5. For details contact: Kirsty Sherwood, Tamworth Castle Museum, GEM Midland, The Holloway, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B79 7LR. Tel: (01827) 709632. Website: www.gem.org.uk

7 June ARTS & BUSINESS SPONSORSHIP SEMINAR - Arts & Business East Midlands. This seminar is specifically designed to raise understanding of arts sponsorship and give practical guidance to arts organisations on how best to go about obtaining and developing it. Venue: Nottingham. Cost: £50, including lunch, materials and manual. For details contact: Emma Priest, Arts & Business, Carlton Studios, Lenton Lane, Nottingham NG7 2NA. Tel: (1005) 964 5648/5798. Fax: (0115) 964 5488. Website: www.aandb.org.uk

23 June BAfM EAST MIDLANDS REGIONAL MEETING - BAfM, British Association of Friends of Museums. This is a meeting to which all invited members and non-members are welcome. The Chairman, Hon. Secretary and Hon. Membership Secretary of BAfM will be attending. Rosemary Watts, Lincoln Diocesan Tourist Officer, will speak on Christian Heritage. There will be a tour of Lincoln Cathedral in the afternoon, and the BAfM Millennium Quilt will be exhibited. Venue: Lincoln Castle. For details Tel/Fax (01427) 612017 or email officialfoha@hotmail.com

28 June EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES AND EVALUATION - LEARNING FROM DfEE PROJECTS IN MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES - GEM. This free seminar held in conjunction with the Department for Education and Employment and the Campaign for Learning through Museums and Galleries will focus on DfEE funded museum and gallery education projects in and around the Midlands region. Case studies will include projects from Nottingham Castle, the Museum of Liverpool Life and Walsall Museums and the New Art Gallery. Venue: The New Art Gallery, Walsall. Cost: free. For details see event on 25 April.

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1936. Congratulations to…

… Carla Madeley, who has been appointed Assistant Curator at Mansfield Museum. She was previously Education and Outreach Officer at the Harley Gallery.

1937. Farewell & Best Wishes to…

… Richard Langley, who will be leaving his post as Principal Curator (Collections) at Derby Museum & Art Gallery to become Services Manager for the MODES Users Association, providing support, training and consultancy for MODES and Catalist users.

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CUMULATIVE INDEX No 1 (January 1990) - No 138 (March 2001)

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