Volunteers Portal
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
Volunteers Portal Contact Us
Menu

Rethinking Cataloguing

Museum Development East Midlands and West Midlands Museum Development are running three Midlands-wide workshops with Collections Trust.

This first session will explore the Spectrum Cataloguing procedure and discuss Collection Trust’s recent changes to the procedure, including the reasons for change, process of consultation and outcomes.

We will be considering themes that include: how we gather, record and prioritise information; who contributes and is responsible for information; access and users; capturing alternative perspectives; building documentation histories.

There will be opportunities to discuss with colleagues and ask questions throughout, as well as signposting to further guidance and examples online.

Attendees will learn:

Before the session attendees should look at:

Who should attend?

Those responsible for cataloguing and/ or decision making. This session will be particularly helpful for beginners or those looking for a refresher.

Maximum 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.

If you would benefit from live captioning or any other form of access support, 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.

Rethinking Cataloguing
Wednesday 18 January, 2pm-4pm
Online

If you can’t see the booking button this event is fully booked. To join the waiting list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk

Coffee and Chatter

Grab your morning cuppa…

Join WMMD and Aidan McNeill, Head of Copyright and Licensing at Art UK. Aidan will be providing a brief introduction about the Art UK project and how copyright and licensing is managed by the charity. She will present a short presentation that will provide a short introduction about copyright, licensing, rights clearance, risk assessment and how Art UK can support collections, with time for questions and chatter.

It’s 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.

Coming up…

Coffee and Chatter

Grab your morning cuppa, hear from WMMD team and our guest speaker Julie Brown.

Julie, Collections Curator will speak about The New Art Gallery Walsall’s Here&Queer project.

Here&Queer has been co-produced with members of the LGBTQ+ community. Community members have had the opportunity to take ownership of the Collections and the stories they tell, re-interpreting works from a queer perspective, and increasing the visibility of queer lives. The steering group explored both the Garman Ryan Collection permanent displays, and also delved into the Collections Store and found works they connected with in the Permanent Collection.

Here&Queer will be on display in The New Art Gallery Walsall until 28 May 2023.

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.

Coming up…

Coffee and Chatter

Join the WMMD team for an end of year catch up.

Bring your favourite hot drink and maybe a mince pie, for a chance to network with colleagues in the sector.

Zoom details:

https://zoom.us/j/99254865285?pwd=R2xiUlUzOFdWMGJFQXpyL0E4cHpNQT09

Meeting ID: 992 5486 5285
Password: 579046

Coffee and Chatter will be auto-captioned.

Coming up…

In the New Year we will return to an hour of Coffee and Chatter, usually with a theme and a guest speaker.

It’s 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.

Roots & Branches: Seeds For Action Sharing Event

Earlier this year, the Carbon Literacy for Museums Toolkit was launched as part of the Roots & Branches Project, a collaboration between The Carbon Literacy Project, Museum Development England, and Manchester Museum supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. As a result, hundreds of museum staff, volunteers, and freelancers have become Carbon Literate.

During this online event, we’ll hear from some of these learners about how their Carbon Literacy actions are progressing and what’s next for their museums’ climate action journeys. We’ll be launching the updated, new-look Carbon Literacy for Museums Toolkit, which contains loads of new content and can now be used to train staff online or in person.

You’ll also hear about Museum Development England’s upcoming Seeds for Action Programme. The Programme will include a series of live online workshops and networking sessions and the creation and dissemination of digital resources – designed to support and inspire museums to build on their carbon reduction strategies and approaches to climate action.

There will be an update on the development of the ‘Roots’ of the Roots & Branches Project – Manchester Museum’s 3rd-floor environmental action hub, including information about how to get involved.

Finally, there will also be an optional opportunity at the end of the session to network with others from across the museum sector who are interested in environmental action.

This event will run from 1.30pm to 3pm, with the optional 30 minute networking opportunity running between 3pm-3.30pm.

Book your place on Roots & Branches: Seeds For Action Sharing Event

 

Web and social media content accessibility for blind and visually impaired visitors

This virtual training session delivered by Vocal Eyes will support attendees to develop accessible practice when creating digital content, covering text, images and video.

By the end of the session you will better understand:

The session will be delivered by two trainers – a VocalEyes team member with digital accessibility expertise, and a blind or visually impaired visual awareness trainer.

Please note – the session does not cover technical aspects of website development; the focus is on content.

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.

Web and social media content accessibility for blind and visually impaired visitors

Wednesday 18 January 2023, 10am-12noon
Online

Introduction to the Accreditation Standard

This practical workshop is an introduction to the Museum Accreditation Standard and is aimed at museums who are considering applying for Accreditation for the first time seeking to refresh their understanding of the scheme.

Participants will gain an overview of:

The workshop also has practical exercises that will help participants plan their application. There will be a break in the middle of the workshop to allow delegates to step away from computer screens.

This workshop is delivered on behalf of West Midlands Museum Development by Jennie Pitceathly. Jennie is a freelance consultant in the museum and heritage sector. She has extensive knowledge of the museum Accreditation Standard having worked as an Accreditation Adviser with Arts Council England and Museum Development North West.

Maximum two delegates per organisation. 

The presentation for this event will be live captioned through MyClearText. If you would benefit from any other form of access support, 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.

Introduction to the Accreditation Standard
Friday 14 October, 10am-12noon
Online

If the booking button isn’t visible this event is fully booked, to join the waiting list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk

Leading a Digitally Literate Museum

Bookings now open!

Is your museum leadership team confident when it comes to digital? Are they as digitally literate as our fast-changing world requires? The opportunities around digital culture can be huge but it is a multi-layered environment that is a challenge for many museums to exploit, particularly in the current climate.

In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, museums more than ever need a digitally literate workforce that understands the ways in which digital technologies, content and culture can best serve their mission. It is down to museum leadership to create the right conditions to meet those challenges. This three part workshop from Culture24 will combine strategy, theory and expert insight with practical advice and peer support.

Who should attend?
This course is specifically designed for museum leaders at executive and board-level with responsibilities across the museum’s strategy and operations (i.e., not the digital team leaders). This includes chief executives, directors, board members and senior leaders.

Two members from each participating museum should attend to ensure that they are able to enact and embed change more effectively within their organisation.

Participants must be working or volunteering in a non-NPO, Accredited museum in the West Midlands region.

Schedule
This online course will encourage active learning and plenty of discussion for a small group of up to 18 delegates from nine museums across the Midlands and South West. You will join three online sessions, each lasting two hours and spread across a period of one month. You will be asked to undertake a small piece of self-led coursework in between sessions.

Learning objectives
By the end of this course, you will have:

Course leads
Anra Kennedy is Culture24’s Partnerships Director. Anra works with museums, galleries and heritage organisations across the UK and internationally. She specialises in digital literacy and skills development, digital publishing and cultural education, all with a view to supporting organisations’ resilience, impact and social purpose. She brings extensive experience of training and mentoring museum leaders and practitioners, to build their confidence and empower change in their working practice.

Jane Finnis is CEO of Culture24. She is a cultural entrepreneur with a highly successful track record of dynamic leadership, cross sector partnership building and creative production work. Jane brings her recent experience as part of #CultureisDigital – a conversation between Government, the cultural sector and tech companies in order to better understand the creative potential of technology and boost the capability of cultural organisations.

This course is provided as part of Culture24’s Arts Council England-funded Sector Support programme.

Support towards Museum Accreditation
Organisational Health:
2.1 An approved forward or business plan which covers the current and subsequent planning year

Book now

Once you have booked on and it is confirmed that your museum is eligible, you will be sent a link for the second delegate to book their place.

Two delegates per organisation. Delegates must be from non-NPO and non-National museums in the West Midlands which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation.

Digital Access
These events will be auto captioned. If you would benefit from any other form of access support, please 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 events. 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.

Leading a Digitally Literate Museum
Wednesday 22 February, Wednesday 1 and Wednesday 8 March 2023, 10am-12noon

WM Trustees Network Catch-Up: Energy and Cost of Living Crisis

The WM Trustee Network Catch-Up this autumn will focus on the energy and cost of living crisis. It’s an opportunity to share your experiences with other trustees from across the region, and hear how other museums are responding to the challenges we face.

Feedback from the meeting will help shape further WMMD trustee support.

This session is open to all Trustees who have joined our WM Trustee Network. To join the network please complete the expression of interest form. You will then be sent details of how to join the meeting.

WM Trustees Network Catch-Up: Energy and Cost of Living Crisis
Monday 26 September, 1pm-2pm
Online

Digital Storytelling with a Collections Focus

Is your museum making the most of its digitised collections content online?

Finding the right channel, tone, voice, and techniques to reach and connect with audiences online isn’t easy. This course will explore the specific tensions and challenges that digital storytelling can pose. It will focus on the many advantages that museums and collections offer in this space.

In this three part workshop from Culture24, participants will explore both the practicalities and strategic considerations of digital storytelling using collections content, looking at content on websites and social channels. There will be examples from museums, galleries and beyond, giving you plenty of food for thought, practical tips, and ideas to take away and try.

Who should attend?
This online course is aimed at anyone based in a small or medium-sized museum who is tasked with creating content for online platforms yet isn’t a digital content specialist.

Two members of staff from each participating museum should attend to ensure that they are able to enact and embed change more effectively within their organisation.

Participants must be working or volunteering in a non-NPO, Accredited museum in the West Midlands region.

Schedule
This online course will encourage active learning and plenty of discussion for a small group of up to 18 delegates from nine museums across the Midlands and South West. You will join three online sessions, each lasting two hours and spread across a period of one month. You will be asked to undertake a small piece of self-led ‘homework’, designed to help you experiment with digital storytelling ideas in your own unique setting.

Learning objectives
By the end of this course, you will:

Course leads
Richard Moss is editor of the award-winning Museum Crush and brings hard-learned and current practical experience of digital storytelling with collections. He also teaches and mentors museum colleagues around the UK, supporting them with digital content creation and reach.

Alec Ward is the Digital Skills Manager at Culture24. Alec’s career has focused on building capacity and confidence for smaller cultural organisations by providing digital skills and literacy support. He has extensive experience of developing training around practical digital skills development, from video editing to creating 3D digital models, and focuses that training through a wider organisational strategic context.

This course is provided as part of Culture24’s Arts Council England-funded Sector Support programme.

Support towards Museum Accreditation:
Users and their experience:

Book here

Two delegates per organisation. Delegates must be from non-NPO and non-National museums in the West Midlands which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation.

Digital Access
These events will be auto captioned. If you would benefit from any other form of access support, please 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 events. 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.

Digital Storytelling with a Collections Focus
Tuesday 8, Tuesday 15 and Tuesday 22 November, 2pm-4pm
Online