Surprisingly I recent hear that the Museum of Cambridge (UK) was going from a supported museum to a volunteer led museum (and all staff were let go right before Christmas…).  Having seen this for years in the library sector, and reading yet another article on Museum of Cambridge I decided to ask the following question on Facebook and Twitter:

https://twitter.com/MarDixon/status/944200337921138688

This brought a few conversations around the use of volunteers (which also relates to libraries), the responsibility of the council/government all the way to the future of museums.

With Storify closing, I wanted to capture the conversations so here are the tweets:

NB:  There were only 7 votes on Facebook – all saying it was a bad idea.

Is only a good idea if volunteers aren’t taken for granted and taken advantage of. Sometimes the volunteer led model really works but it depends on the site and the plans!

— Rachel Cooper (@CrackleSays) December 22, 2017

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Today is National Libraries Day in the UK.  I’m sure you noticed all the #lovelibraries and #NLD13 talk on Twitter – everyone expressing the positives of what libraries means to them.

My story with libraries, like so many others, is very personal.  Like so many people, we couldn’t afford books growing up.  I remember several independent book shops that used to be very welcoming but always had an air of elitism about them (looking back, it was my prejudice and stereotyping).  Maybe it’s because the owners always had cats and typical arm chairs that were associated with ‘rich’ people. Read the rest of this entry »

Guest blog by Peter Davies, Cultural Policy Advisor on Big Society, Private vs Public Sector and where he sees it going. 

Despite what some people and commentators may say, the museum sector as a whole is relatively resilient, as a sector it has survived largely unscathed and unchanged through several recessions, world wars and political swings.  In fact, it is fair to say that the museum sector has been one of the more steady sectors, at least in the UK, over the last century or so.

Maintaining this status quo of core values and beliefs that form the museum sector has long been the heart and soul of our institutions, and this is pretty much summed up in the 1998 Museum Association’s definition of a ‘museum’:

Museums enable people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. They are institutions that collect, safeguard and make accessible artefacts and specimens, which they hold in trust for society

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