Further to Notice 1723, it has been announced that the Council for Museums, Archives & Libraries is to be named Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives & Libraries (or Resource for short). Chris Smith, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has announced the appointments to Resource's Board, which are as follows:

• Ajay Chowdhury, Managing Director of LineOne

• Dr Maurna Crozier, Director of the Cultural Diversity Programme of the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council

• Vivien Griffiths, Assistant Director for Libraries and Learning at Birmingham City Council

• Nicholas Hodgson, Chief Executive of Derbyshire County Council

• Mark Jones, Director of the National Museums of Scotland

• Neil MacGregor, Director of the National Gallery

• Jane Ryder, Director of the Scottish Museums Council

• Michael Stevenson, Joint Director of Factual and Learning at the BBC

• Professor Lola Young, Professor of Cultural Studies at Middlesex University

They join Loyd Grossman, Mark Wood, Karen Knight and Victor Gray who were appointed in January 2000 and Chairman Lord Evans who was appointed in 1999. This brings the membership of the Board to fourteen. There will be a further three appointments which are expected to be announced before the summer.

The organisation is currently undertaking a staffing review and further information about the new structure of the organisation will be reported in future issues of HOT NEWS.

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1743. Centres for Social Change: Museums, Galleries and Archives for All

New policy guidance for Britain's publicly run museums and galleries has been issued by Arts Minister, Alan Howarth. The policy document Centres for Social Change: Museums, Galleries and Archives for All aims to encourage archives and museums to adopt a strategic approach to social inclusion. It recommends that:

• social inclusion must be a policy objective for museums, galleries and archives

• achieving the widest possible access to collections should be a key priority

• those most at risk of social exclusion should be consulted to find out what their needs and aspirations are

• permanent collections and temporary exhibitions should, where reasonable, reflect the cultural and social diversity of the organisation's actual and potential audiences

• full use should be made of information technology to deliver these aims

The Culture Department would welcome comments on the policy proposals by the end of July. The outcomes of the consultation process will be published later in the year. Comments should be sent to Mark Mason, Department for Culture, Media & Sport, Room 103, 2-4 Cockspur Street, London, SW1Y 5DH. Copies are available from the website www.culture.gov.uk or by telephoning (020) 7211 6200.

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Further to Notice 1639, the Inland Revenue has produced interim guidance on the new rules affecting the charity tax system and will produce definitive guidance in summer 2000. For details contact: Financial Intermediaries and Claims Office (FICO), St John's House, Merton Road, Bootle, L69 9BB. Internet: www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk

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1745. Museums & Galleries Commission/Victoria & Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund

Following Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives & Libraries assuming responsibility for the Purchase Grant Fund operated by the Victoria & Albert Museum, no final decision has been taken on its future (or that of the PRISM Fund) and no grants budget has been set for 2000/2001. An interim sum of £300,000 has, however, been made available to ensure the Fund's operation for the first quarter. During this period the basic parameters of the Fund will remain unchanged. These are as follows:

• Minimum purchase price - £500

• Maximum purchase price - £300,000

• Maximum grant - 50%

Since at this stage the annual budget is unknown, it is not possible to set an upper annual limit of support. It is likely that the Fund will be able to make major contributions in the first part of the year and, in line with existing policy, priority will be given to those applicants who have received little previous support.

As previously, local commitment to a purchase is fundamental and the level of grant is therefore calculated at the maximum rate of £2 for every £1 of locally-raised funds.

Grants are normally allocated on a weekly basis towards those cases which are considered to be of particular merit. Decisions are normally given within four weeks of receipt of all necessary information. Purchases costing over £60,000 are considered monthly. For further information contact Janet Davies, V&A Purchase Grant Fund Officer, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, SW7 2RL. Tel: (020) 7938 9641.

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Following on from the Storage Survey undertaken for EmmS by Libby Finney in 1997/98 project grants were awarded to improve museum storage in line with the reports' recommendations. EmmS has recently commissioned Libby to re-visit those museums who received grants to see what improvements have been made and whether the museums could move up to the next grade. Libby has completed her visits and we are pleased to announce that all of the museums have been up-graded.

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Following the completion of a project organised by Greater Nottingham Training and Enterprise Council, and delivered by CNCC Webwise, the EmmS website is now on-line at www.emms.org.uk. The project was funded by a Regional Development Fund grant, which met 80% of the costs. The site includes introductory information about EmmS and its work, and is also a vehicle for carrying HOT NEWS and Look at That. The site contains links to museum-sector and other relevant websites, and websites related to the East Midlands. If you have any comments about the site please contact Matthew Hirst Tel: (0115) 985 4534. E-mail: emms@emms.org.uk

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the Science Museum

 

The Science Museum has a number of opportunities to offer potential secondees, as part of the Sharing Museum Skills Millennium Awards Scheme. The Museum hopes that as many people as possible will want to take advantage of the scheme to broaden their experience and share theirs with others.

There are a variety of opportunities available including: temporary exhibitions; visitor research and evaluation; curatorial work and the development of online exhibition resources; and development work on the Energy Gallery, a major gallery project. There is an opportunity to gain skills in a range of areas including research, journalism, recruiting volunteers, customer service and education resource development. If you would like to discuss these or any other secondments contact: Catherine Halcrow, Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2DD. Tel: (020) 7942 4104. E-mail: c.halcrow@nmsi.ac.uk

 

Susan Fell, Assistant Keeper (Projects) at Leicestershire Museums, Arts & Records Service has recently been awarded a grant of £4,000 from the Scheme, and has been seconded to the Science Museum.

 

For more details of the Scheme and secondment opportunities in other museums contact Annie Hollobone, Millennium Awards Administrator. Tel: (020) 7233 4200. E-mail: a.hollobone@mgcuk.co.uk Internet: www.smsma.org.uk The scheme is open to volunteers and paid staff. The next deadline for applications is 10 August 2000, with subsequent quarterly deadlines of 10 November 2000; 10 February and 10 May 2001.

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1749. Arts & Business New Partners Scheme

Arts & Business, a government-supported agency that promotes business sponsorship of the arts, has launched a new investment programme called New Partners, funded by the Arts Council of England and the Department for Culture, Media & Sport. The programme aims to promote the development of new, sustainable and mutually beneficial partnerships between business and the arts.

 

There is no limit to the number of projects that an arts organisation can put forward except that no organisation can receive more than £50,000 in any financial year. The minimum amount a business may invest in a single project is £1,000 (ex VAT). For details about the scheme contact: Arts & Business, Nutmeg House, 60 Gainsford Street, Butlers Wharf, London, SE1 2NY. Tel: (020) 7378 8143. Fax: (020) 7407 7527. E-mail: info@AandB.org.uk Internet: www.AandB.org.uk

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1750. The Campaign for Drawing

 

The Campaign for Drawing is a new public initiative that aims to promote drawing as a powerful stimulus for invention and problem solving in the sciences and humanities. The Campaign's ambition over the next three years is to enhance the role of drawing in everyone's life and to secure a central place for it throughout the curriculum. The Campaign's first major public focus is The Big Draw on Saturday 21 October 2000. You are invited to host an event for The Big Draw which might involve holding a drop-in drawing event or using the day to highlight works from your own collections.

 

The Campaign for Drawing is led by the Guild of St George, the charity founded by John Ruskin to create a better world. Its launch is part of the Ruskin To-Day Centenary Programme. For further information or to register an event for The Big Draw contact: Sue Grayson Ford, Campaign Director, 7 Gentleman's Row, Enfield, EN2 6PT. Tel: (020) 8364 5881. Fax: (020) 8351 0991. E-mail: artconnect@ukgateway.net Internet: www.linst.ac.uk/drawingpower

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Moira Furnace was officially opened by HRH The Duke of Gloucester on 11 May 2000, following building and site repairs and the re-interpretation of the site. This project was completed with a £689,500 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

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The next meeting of PROFESSIONAL PANEL will take place on the morning of Friday 16 June 2000, at Snibston Discovery Park, Coalville. Following lunch there will be a special briefing for Curatorial Advisers, details of which have been distributed.

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BASIC MUSEUM DOCUMENTATION - 7 JUNE. Alex Dawson of mda will be leading this one-day seminar which will address the documentation standards required for Registration and will include sessions on entry, exit, accession and loan records, labelling and marking objects and indexing information for retrieval.

If you have some new staff or volunteers who would benefit from this training please telephone Lesley Colsell on (0115) 985 4534.

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1 June - VOLUNTEER FAIR 2000 - Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire Volunteer Fair is an all-day event with many representatives from national and local organisations. Venue: Winding Wheel, Chesterfield. Free entry. For details contact: Tel: (01246) 276777. E-mail: volunteercentre@lineone.net

7 June - PUBLIC LIBRARY NETWORKING AND THE WIDER CULTURAL DOMAIN - EARL The Consortium for public library networking invites you to attend its 2000 Council event. Venue: The Geological Society, Burlington House, London. Cost: £55 + VAT for EARL Partners, £85 + VAT for others. For details contact: Sally Chambers, EARL Liaison Officer, 4^th Floor, Gun Court, 70 Wapping Lane, London, E1W 2RS. Tel: (020) 7702 2020. Fax: (020) 7702 2019. E-mail: sally@earl.org.uk Internet: www.earl.org.uk

16 June - A GUIDE TO COPYRIGHT FOR MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES - Museums Association. The aim of this one-day seminar is to explain copyright and how long it lasts, show why it is important, show ways it can be used commercially and look at the consequences of unauthorised use. Venue: National Gallery, London. Cost: £65 MA Members, £130 Non-Members, £25 Student/Retired/Un-waged members. For details contact: The Seminar Department, Museums Association, 42 Clerkenwell Close, London, EC1R 0PA. Tel: (020) 7250 1836. Fax: (020) 7250 1929.

27-30 June -  SOCIETY OF ARCHIVISTS ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND CONSERVATION TRAINING CONFERENCE - Analysing the new strategies for the new millennium. This conference will look at the new political landscape, developing archive policies, and includes workshops on Preservation and Conservation and Archives in Education. Venue: Manchester. For details contact: Susan Bradshaw, SoA Training Officer, 10 Alverton Terrace, Truro, Cornwall, TR1 1JE. Internet: www.archives.org.uk

30 June/ 1 JulyVISITING RIGHTS? HOW MUSEUMS & GALLERIES SERVE THEIR  PUBLICS - organised in collaboration with the European Socrates project, MUSAEAM, and Cultural Trends. It will address current policy and practice, identify the numbers and kinds of people who visit museums & galleries, the important role of museums and galleries in the education of adults and the impact of new technologies. Venue: Tate Modern, London. Cost: £80, £50 Concs. For details contact: Tate Box Office, Tate, Millbank, London, SW1P 4RG. Tel: (020) 7887 8888. Internet: www.tate.org.uk

27 August 9 September - MUSEUM LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME - There is a maximum of 12 places on the course and applicants should have at least eight years' experience in the profession. For details contact: Nicola Johnson, UEA, Norwich, NR4 7TJ. Tel: (01603) 593193. Fax: (01603) 259401. E-mail: n.johnson@uea.ac.uk

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1741. Congratulations to…

…Louise Connell from the Harris Museum, Preston, who has been appointed Curator at Galleries of Justice.

…Maria Gidion who has been appointed Assistant Curator of Chesterfield Museum & Art Gallery. She has recently graduated from The University of Leicester with an MA in Museum Studies.

…Jane Lillystone, who has been appointed Tourism & Heritage Officer for Broxtowe Borough Council.

CUMULATIVE INDEX No 1 (January 1990) - No 128 (May 2000)

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