Essentials of Evaluation
Demonstrating success and identifying learning are at the heart of evaluation – this session from The Audience Agency will provide a process for you and your organisation to follow to help you define and gather those all important facts, figures and insights.
Inventory and Documentation Planning
This is the fourth of seven workshops delivered by West Midlands Museum Development (WMMD) in partnership with Museum Development East Midlands and Collections Trust to support you in ensuring that your collections documentation is well managed.
This session will explore the potential steps and considerations involved when undertaking an inventory project, using the Spectrum 5.1 Inventory procedure as a framework.
What is the difference between the Inventory and Audit procedures? What information do you need to meet the requirements for the Inventory procedure? How can you create a realistic documentation plan to address inventory projects?
By the end of the session, delegates will:
- Understand the role of the Spectrum standard, and its supporting guidance, in relation to museum Accreditation
- Understand the Spectrum requirements for the Inventory procedure
- Understand policy related to Inventory
- Know how to develop a realistic plan to address gaps in inventory information
- Know where to find more information and guidance
Before the session:
Think about how you do things in your museum, referring to your in-house procedural manual if you have access to it. You might also find it useful to have it with you to refer to during the session.
Maximum two delegates per organisation.
This event will be auto-captioned through Zoom. If you would benefit from any other form of access support, including live captioning, please answer ‘yes’ to the access requirements question on the booking form and email the WMMD team as early as possible stating the support you require.
All participants will receive an email containing a Zoom link to the training prior to the event. The email will be sent to the email address used for booking. If you have not received an email the day before the event please contact us.
If you can’t see the booking button the event is fully booked. If you would like to join the waiting list please mailto:wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk
Inventory and Documentation Planning
Thursday 12 October, 10am-12noon
Online
Location and Movement Control
This is the third of seven workshops delivered by West Midlands Museum Development (WMMD) in partnership with Museum Development East Midlands and Collections Trust to support you in ensuring that your collections documentation is well managed.
In this session we will focus on the Spectrum procedures and processes involved in recording and managing the location and movement of objects. This includes systematic record-keeping, accountability, preparation, and maintenance of location information.
By the end of the session, delegates will:
- Understand the Spectrum procedure Location and movement control.
- Understand the importance of recording and maintaining up to date information about object locations.
- Understand the role of the Spectrum standard in relation to museum Accreditation.
- Know where to find more information and guidance
Before the session:
Think about how you do things in your museum, referring to your relevant policy and procedures if you have access to them. You might also find it useful to have it with you to refer to during the session
Maximum two delegates per organisation.
This event will be auto-captioned through Zoom. If you would benefit from any other form of access support, including live captioning, please answer ‘yes’ to the access requirements question on the booking form and email the WMMD team as early as possible stating the support you require.
All participants will receive an email containing a Zoom link to the training prior to the event. The email will be sent to the email address used for booking. If you have not received an email the day before the event please contact us.
If you can’t see the booking button the course is fully booked. If you would like to join the waiting list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk
Location and Movement Control
Thursday 14 September, 10am-12noon
Online
MidFed Meeting: Co-producing the Leicester Stories Gallery
Join MidFed for their first in person meeting since Covid.
Angela Robinson will be talking about co-curating the Leicester Stories Gallery, which opened in 2021 and focuses on the stories and voices of people living in Leicester today – from the 1950s onwards.
After the meeting will continue in a nearby pub.
Membership of the MidFed is currently free and there is no charge for this event. To book a place, just email midfed@gmail.com
MidFed Meeting: Co-producing the Leicester Stories Gallery
Wednesday 24 May, 4.30pm-5.30pm
Leicester Museum and Art Gallery LE1 7EA
Accreditation Mentors – Spectrum 5.1 and rethinking cataloguing
Collections Trust is running this online briefing event for Accreditation mentors who want to learn more about the recent updates to the Spectrum standard to support your mentee museum.
They will highlight the key changes to the standard, explain why these have been made, and invite questions for clarification. This event is also an opportunity to come together with other mentors from around the UK.
Register for the event by 09.30am, Thursday 22 June
Accreditation Mentors – Spectrum 5.1 and rethinking cataloguing
Thursday 29 June, 2pm-3pm
Museum Carbon Literacy training
Museum Development North West is running free online Carbon Literacy training aimed at museum professionals and volunteers on Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 May.
Sign up and learn about the ways that the carbon impact of museums can be reduced and how the influence of museums can be leveraged for climate action.
If you are planning on delivering Carbon Literacy within your museum using the Museums Toolkit, becoming Carbon Literate yourself is an essential first step – so don’t miss this opportunity!
The training consists of a pre-course activity (1.5 hours, to be completed between 3 and 9 May), an online session on 10 May (10am-12.30pm), and an online session on 11 May (10am-14.25pm).
Collection Advisors
We are thrilled to introduce SumnerMcIntyre as our Collections Advisors for 2023/24.
Ann Sumner and Beth McIntyre work together as the consultancy partnership SumnerMcIntyre having met as colleagues in 2000 at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff. They have extensive and wide experience of working with Museums and Art Galleries. They are passionate about helping museums and galleries to be resilient in their strategic planning and ensuring their collections are engaged, relevant and sustainable. Together they have worked as Organisational Development Consultants for Gawthorpe Textiles Collection (2020-2021) and Research Consultants for ‘Bringing out the Best’ NLHF Resilient Heritage Project, Kirklees Council Museums and Galleries scoping the potential for a new art gallery in Huddersfield (2020-2021).
Ann Sumner is a Museum Consultant and former museum director with broad experience. This ranges from working with large organisations such as national museums, trust status museums and historic houses to smaller volunteer run institutions, working closely with staff, volunteers and stakeholders. She is currently Chair of Methodist Modern Art Collection, a Trustee of the Museum of Bath at Work, where she is Chair of the Fundraising Committee, a Trustee of Leeds Art Fund, and she sits on Aberystwyth University’s School of Art Museum and Gallery Advisory Board.
Beth McIntyre is a Museum and Gallery Consultant and Freelance Art Historian, Curator and Author. She has extensive experience in community engagement and consultation and has a passion for developing exciting new ways of engaging with collections and broadening audiences. She is currently Art History Researcher for Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity, London and from 2004-2020 was Senior Curator (Fine Art – Prints and Drawings), National Museum Wales, Cardiff.
“We are delighted to be working as Collections Advisors for West Midlands Museum Development 2023-24 and are look forward to helping with collection enquiries, meeting and talking with members from around West Midlands and to setting up some training sessions.”
Please join Ann and Beth for Coffee and Chatter on Thursday 25 May from 10.30am-11.30am. They are keen for museums to get in touch with any collection enquires or ideas for future training courses.
Energy Bills Discount Scheme – Get ready to apply for support
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero team has issued a letter for non-domestic customers that are eligible for the higher level of support under the Energy Bill Discount Scheme (known as Energy and Trade Intensive Industries (ETII), and including museums, libraries and archives, historical sites and buildings, and zoos).
Eligible organisations will have 90 days from the scheme introduction date of 26 April to apply for the higher support.
Applicants will need to provide information about their organisation or business including:
- contact details
- registered name and address
- company registration number (if you have one)
- up to 4 ETII eligible SIC codes
- whether you pay bills directly to an energy supplier and details of any intermediaries involved (such as a landlord)
- the names of gas and/or electricity suppliers
- the gas or electricity meter point numbers (MPRN or MPAN) associated with the property, found on your bills from your energy suppliers.
- the name of your organisation as it appears on your bill from your energy supplier(s)
- a declaration letter signed by a named director or equivalent of your organisation or business (a template will be provided)
- a template has also been provided to record your meter point numbers. This can also be used when applying [if you have more than 10 meter point numbers per supplier].
In addition to this, you may be asked to provide financial evidence to determine your eligibility. For more information visit the government website page.
If you have any questions about the application process, or how you might be eligible, you can contact the EBDS customer support team by phone or by email.
Email: support@ebds.beis.gov.uk Telephone: 0300 400 5251 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Saturday, 9am to 1pm
Coffee and Chatter
Grab your morning cuppa…
Join the WMMD team as we introduce our Accreditation Advisor for 2023/24, Jennie Crawford.
Jennie will facilitate and deliver Accreditation events for Museum Development East Midlands and West Midlands Museum Development. She will be your first point of contact to answer Accreditation queries, whether you want help with your Accreditation return or you’re just wanting to know more about the Accreditation Scheme.
Coffee and Chatter is also the perfect opportunity to share what’s happening at your museum, exchange ideas with colleagues across the region and hear about the latest sector guidance and news.
10.30am-11.30am
Zoom details:
https://zoom.us/j/99254865285?pwd=R2xiUlUzOFdWMGJFQXpyL0E4cHpNQT09
Meeting ID: 992 5486 5285
Password: 579046
Coffee and Chatter will be auto-captioned.
Revealing Hidden Histories: Telling the Difficult Stories in Our Collections Deadline extended
The deadline to apply for our Revealing Hidden Histories Programme has been extended to 5pm, Friday 5 May.
This year the team at Museums Worcestershire is working with West Midlands Museum Development (WMMD) to deliver Revealing Hidden Histories 23/24.
Every collection has objects with complex or sometimes contentious stories. Your collection may include objects with huge potential that are difficult to handle or display, or that would be best interpreted with the involvement of the community that they represent.
The Revealing Hidden Histories programme is designed to help you to increase your knowledge, understanding and confidence in making these objects more accessible to your audiences.
Four museums in the West Midlands will have the opportunity to work with a collections specialist on a specific object or group of objects from their collection which have not been displayed or interpreted. You may want specialist support to help:
- increase your knowledge and understanding of underused elements in your collections. These could be objects that talk about disability, LGBQT+, colonialism or other issues not well represented in museum collections.
- or overcome barriers that prevent the telling of hidden histories eg challenging environmental conditions or managing hazardous material
- or to engage new audiences with hidden histories and offering guidance in community outreach and community co-curation
Collections specialists will work with you directly to talk through the different approaches to the object(s) and to support you and your museum colleagues. There will be an event at the end of the project where museums will come together to share their experiences and think about how to develop other elements of their collections in the future.
If you are interested in taking part, please contact Deborah Fox for an Expression of Interest form or download the form with the link below. The deadline for submissions is 5pm, Friday 5 May.
This opportunity is open to Museums that are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation in the West Midlands. Priority will be given to non-NPOs and non-National museums.
