Collections Essentials: Making your Collections Care Green
Helena Jaeschke, Conservation Development Officer at South West Museum Development will lead this 2 hour session exploring the ways in which museums can improve the care of their collections and reduce their impact on the environment. The session will include:
- The risks affecting museum collections
- How to assess the materials and methods you use and their effect on the environment
- What changes you can make in collections care without adversely affecting your collection
- Discussions about specific issues
Who should attend?
This session is suitable for anyone working in a museum (paid or volunteer) who wants to know how to look after and protect the collection whilst reducing the museum’s effect on the planet. No previous experience or training is necessary.
This training session was created as part of the museum development programme delivered by our partners South West Museum Development.
“It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being better”
Maximum of two delegates per organisation. Priority will be given to delegates from non-NPO and non-National museums in the West Midlands which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation.
The webinar will be live captioned through StageText and MyClearText.
All participants will receive an email containing a Zoom link prior to the event. The email will be sent to the email address used for booking. If you have not received an email by the day before the event please contact us.
Collections Essentials: Making your Collections Care Green
Wednesday 23 February 2022, 10.30am-12.30pm
Online
If the booking button isn’t visible, this event is fully booked. Please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk to join the waiting list.
MDUK Volunteer Management Development Training (session 3)
West Midlands Museum Development is pleased to announce a series of three upcoming Volunteer Management Development training events.
This national online Museum Development series of webinars will help to develop knowledge and skills in volunteer management, volunteer recruitment and volunteer strategy development.
Please note: By completing the booking form you are signing up to attend all three events.
Sessions (all 9.30am-1pm):
Thursday 18 November 2021 – Volunteer Recruitment
Thursday 13 January 2022 – Volunteer Management and Retention
Thursday 17 February 2022 – Volunteer Strategy Development
What will participants gain?
As a result of attending this webinar series, participants will become equipped or underpin skills and knowledge. including and not limited to:
- designing attractive and diverse volunteer roles whilst considering different approaches to recruitment
- planning for volunteer recruitment, measuring success, monitoring and evaluation
- reflective practice that leads to sustainable volunteer retention, development and meaningful experiences
- volunteer strategy development that is linked to organisational values, vision and goals
All training will be delivered using a webinar format via Zoom; training will be co-facilitated by two trainers in order to bring their combined experience and to also increase the level of engagement from participants through greater variety in voice and presentation style.
Who should attend?
This session is aimed at all Accredited museums and those working towards Accreditation in the North West, North East, East Midlands and West Midlands of England and Wales. These webinars are most suitable to groups and organisations that are:
- reviewing their volunteering strategy
- open to learning and exploring changes to involving volunteers
- keen to learn more about and embed inclusive practice into their work on involving volunteers
If you are based in another region, we kindly ask you to book through your local Museum Development provider which you can find the details for here.
Priority will be given to delegates from non-NPO and non-National museums in the West Midlands which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation.
If you are unable to attend any of the sessions please let us know in advance by emailing wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk
If the event becomes oversubscribed we will prioritise bookings from organisations who can send a representative to all three sessions.
Session leaders:
This webinar series is being hosted by volunteering consultants and specialists Laura Hamilton and Carol Carbine, who both bring more than 40 years of volunteer management experience in the VCSE sector.
Laura has a strong understanding of volunteer management within small and medium-sized organisations and of working with staff to build volunteer management confidence and capacity in these contexts; and runs a successful consultancy (Laura Hamilton Consulting), with a specialist focus on volunteer engagement and management and training and mentoring for volunteer managers.
Carol specialises in training/ facilitation and problem-solving/ conflict resolution, working within the overseas aid, animal welfare, disability and heritage sectors; and is a qualified NLP Practitioner. Carol offers bespoke training and facilitation through her own consultancy (Carol Carbine Consulting).
Lunchtime Launch: WMMD Environmental Programme
Join West Midlands Museum Development for a lunchtime launch event for our new national and regional environmental programmes.
This informal, friendly event will give you the opportunity to:
- Be the first to hear of WMMD’s new regional support programme in partnership with Pilio
- Learn more about WMMD’s participation in the national Roots and Branches project
- Find out how to get involved!
There’ll be opportunities to share your experiences and hear from colleagues in the sector.
The event will be autocaptioned.
Christmas Coffee and Chatter
It’s time to show off your festive jumper and join us on Thursday at 10.30am with your morning cuppa and catch up with some friendly faces.
Will you be victorious in the annual Christmas Quiz?
There’s also a chance to hear about the latest sector guidance and news and catch up with colleagues from across the region.
Zoom details:
https://zoom.us/j/99254865285?pwd=R2xiUlUzOFdWMGJFQXpyL0E4cHpNQT09
Meeting ID: 992 5486 5285
Password: 579046
Coffee and Chatter will be auto-captioned.
Coffee and Chatter
Your networking opportunity
Join the WMMD team at 10.30am for a half hour of Coffee and Chatter.
It’s your chance to share what’s happening at your museum, learn what your colleagues across the sector are doing in their heritage organisations, ask the WMMD team for advice and hear about the latest sector guidance and news.
Grab your morning cuppa, exchange ideas and catch up with some friendly faces.
Zoom details:
https://zoom.us/j/99254865285?pwd=R2xiUlUzOFdWMGJFQXpyL0E4cHpNQT09
Meeting ID: 992 5486 5285
Password: 579046
Coffee and Chatter will be auto-captioned.
Coffee and Chatter
Your networking opportunity
Join the WMMD team at 10.30am for a half hour of Coffee and Chatter.
It’s your chance to share what’s happening at your museum, learn what your colleagues across the sector are doing in their heritage organisations, ask the WMMD team for advice and hear about the latest sector guidance and news.
Grab your morning cuppa, exchange ideas and catch up with some friendly faces.
Zoom details:
https://zoom.us/j/99254865285?pwd=R2xiUlUzOFdWMGJFQXpyL0E4cHpNQT09
Meeting ID: 992 5486 5285
Password: 579046
Coffee and Chatter will be auto-captioned.
Working with Freelancers
If you need an extra pair of hands, an unbiased and independent perspective, a critical friend, or expertise you lack in-house, then appointing freelance support can help!
Freelancers and consultants bring a wealth of experience, skills and flexibility to your museum, offering additional resource and expertise for specific projects and activities. Freelance and consultancy fees can be included applications to many funders, such as Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants and the Heritage Fund’s National Lottery Grants for Heritage.
But would you know how to commission a freelancer? What makes a really good brief? Do you understand freelancer employment rights? And what would you do if something went wrong?
This two hour session with Christina Lister, Museum Freelance, will help you understand best practice for appointing and working with freelancers, to ensure your work together is mutually respectful, beneficial and fair.
By the end of the session, you will:
- Be able to write a good freelance brief
- Know how to commission freelancers in an inclusive, fair and transparent way
- Understand the legalities, rights and responsibilities for both freelancers and clients
- Understand contracts, work and plans and effective working relationships
- Understand what could go wrong and how to prevent this
- Have gained insight into budgets, pricing and day rates
- Know where to find freelancers
- Understand the findings from the Museum Freelance 2020 survey, including who freelances in the sector, their motivations, experiences and common challenges they face
The session will have plenty of interactive elements and opportunities for questions and discussion.
You said, we listened! This session has been programmed following feedback from participants at our grant focused Coffee and Chatter on 7 January. A huge thank you to everyone who attended the session for your insight and honesty.
About Christina
Christina Lister is an award-winning marketing and audience development consultant, empowering cultural organisations to connect with their audiences. She undertakes strategy, training, facilitation and research work for her clients, which have included the Science Museum Group, the Museum of London, Jane Austen’s House, the Museum of Cambridge and the Association for Independent Museums.
She co-founded Museum Freelance in 2015. Christina is a former National Freelancer of the Year Runner-Up, a member of the Arts Marketing Association and Visitor Studies Group, and a school governor. www.christinalister.co.uk @christinalister
No more than two delegates per organisation. Priority will be given to delegates from non-NPO and non-National museums in the West Midlands which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation.
The sessions will be live captioned by MyClearText and StageText.
All participants will receive an email containing a Zoom link prior to the event. The email will be sent to the email address used for booking. If you have not received an email by the day before the event please contact us.
If the booking button isn’t visible, this event is fully booked. Please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk to join the waiting list.
Working with Freelancers
Wednesday 20 October, 10am-12noon
Online
Heritage Volunteering Group West Midlands
Heritage Volunteering Group (HVG) West Midlands is a regional networking group covering Birmingham, Black Country, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Telford and Wrekin, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. The group is for anyone who works with volunteers in the heritage sector in the West Midlands.
HVG West Midlands meet quarterly to problem solve together, share best practice and learn from each other. To attend the next Zoom event or stay in the loop with future meetings please email Becky Benson.
This regional networking group is part of the national Heritage Volunteering Group (HVG) who’s mission is to help you unlock the power of volunteering through collaboration and sharing best practice. You can find out more about HVG on the website http://www.heritagevolunteeringgroup.org.uk.
Every Object Tells a Story: Developing Confidence in Talking about our Collections Online
We use our collections to tell stories every day but how confident are we in speaking publicly about our wonderful objects to different audiences online?
This workshop will be led by collaborative theatre maker, project coordinator and writer Tom England. Museum staff and volunteers will be supported to build their confidence in talking about objects and collections online, giving them the skills to speak effectively and imaginatively about their museum’s part of the region’s collections story.
The morning session will concentrate on the different tools and techniques that can be used and will include case studies from other museums. During the afternoon we will look at practical delivery. It will include the opportunity for participants to put into practice what they have learned.
This workshop will be useful to anyone who wants to build confidence in talking to visitors and audiences about objects and collections, whatever their role within the museum. The skills and tools that will be shared by Tom will be of use for both online delivery and in-person sessions in our museums.
Delegates must be able to attend both sessions. Priority will be given to delegates from non-NPO and non-National museums in the West Midlands which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation.
These sessions will be auto captioned.
All participants will receive an email containing a Zoom link prior to the event. The email will be sent to the email address used for booking. If you have not received an email by the day before the event please contact us.
Every Object Tells a Story: Developing Confidence in Talking about Our Collections Online
Tuesday 14 September, 10am-12noon and 2pm-4pm
Online
If the booking button isn’t visible this event is now fully booked. To join the waiting list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk.
Getting (re)Started with Accreditation: Business Planning
Join West Midlands Museums Development (WMMD) and Dr Dawn Langley for a programme of Accreditation and business planning support. A mix of webinars and one to one surgeries will help you embed the Accreditation requirements and ensure your plans are fit for purpose.
As we navigate this new period of the pandemic, and with the Accreditation Scheme reopening to new and returning applicants, it’s important to ensure your business plans are robust, adaptable and Accreditation-compliant.
Getting (re)Started with Accreditation (10am-12noon)
The morning session with Olivia Basterfield will provide an overview of the 2018 Accreditation Standard, discuss the Scheme’s phased reopening, and provide advice and support to help you get on top of your Accreditation work.
There’ll be a focused look at the Accreditation requirements for business plans, including Olivia’s top tips from her experience as an Accreditation Assessor.
Business planning in challenging times (2pm-4pm)
Dawn Langley will lead this afternoon session looking at how to write an effective business plan during periods of uncertainty. The session will take you through the business planning process, including:
- an overview of the development of an appropriate and relevant business plan
- exploring the difference between a business plan and a business case, and which is most appropriate for you
- how you balance the knowns with the unknowns and what that means for how your work may need to change
One to one surgeries
Dawn is offering eight, half hour one to one surgeries to provide more tailored business planning advice. These will be held on Thursday 23 September, a week after the webinars, to give you some time to reflect on the sessions and revisit your existing plans.
Once you have booked a place on the webinars, a member of the team will be in touch to arrange a one-to-one surgery.
About Dawn
Dr Dawn Langley is co-author of Business Planning Guidance for Arts and Cultural Organisations and regular blogger on organisational development for arts and cultural organisations at Alchemy Research & Consultancy.
About Olivia
Olivia is the Museum Development Officer (MDO) for Birmingham and the Black County, leading on the Accreditation and Resilience strands of the programme. She joined WMMD in May 2020 after eight years at ACE, including over three years as an Assessor with the Accreditation Team. In this role she completed 250+ Accreditation assessments for museums of all shapes and sizes across England.
No more than two delegates per organisation.
The sessions will be captioned.
If the booking button isn’t visible the webinars are fully booked. To join the waiting list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk.
Getting (re)Started with Accreditation: Business Planning
Thursday 16 September, 10am-12noon and 2pm-4pm
