WMMD Newsletter November 2017Contents:
West Midlands Museum Development UpdateA is for Arts Council England, B is for Borrowing, C is for Capital Funding!Getting ready to borrow is as simple as ABC with the Ready to Borrow Capital Grant Scheme.WMMD is delighted to announce the final round of the Arts Council Ready to Borrow Capital Grant Scheme. Museums are invited to apply for up to £50,000 to support them in meeting the collections care and security standards required to borrow from National Museums and Major Partner Museums. Your museum could join the 11 museums from the region which have already benefitted from this scheme. £56.3k is available and typically museums bid for between £12k and £50k. Successful applicants to date include:
Next steps:
Successful applicants will be notified by 14 February 2018 Salvage Disaster and RecoveryWest Midland Museum Development is pleased to offer two places on Historic England’s Salvage Disaster and Recovery Course running 6 - 8 February 2018 at Handsworth Community Fire Station B21 9QU. With contributions from English Heritage, Historic England, The National Trust, West Midlands Fire Service and an independent conservator, the course is suitable for anybody that might be involved in dealing with an emergency incident affecting a heritage asset. It includes practical work as well as classroom-style learning, with lots of opportunities to network with other heritage professionals. This three day residential course will help you:
Overnight stays are compulsory and essential. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is provided for the practical sessions and training is held at Handsworth Community Fire Station. The course includes three days of expert teaching, buffet lunches and two nights B&B at a hotel. To apply please complete the application form and return it to wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk no later than 5pm, Monday 27 November. This unique opportunity is open to staff, Trustees and volunteers from Accredited museums and those officially Working Towards Accreditation in the West Midlands. Good HousekeepingThree of the region's museums are hosting Good Housekeeping courses this winter. Each of the sessions will be led by Jane Thompson-Webb, Conservation Team Leader at Birmingham Museum Trust.
There are a few remaining places on each of the courses which are offered on a first come first served basis. If you are interested in attending please email Helen Johnson. Places are free and the courses directly support Section 2.6 (Collections: Care and Conservation Plan) of the Accreditation Standard. They are suitable for any member of your team who wishes to find out more about directly managing and caring for collections. This opportunity is open to Accredited museums and those officially Working Towards Accreditation in the West Midlands. Documentation Backlog PlanningResponsible collecting relies on accurate documentation.Accurate collections documentation is vital to lawful practice and to enable access to objects and associated information. Many museums do not have a comprehensive inventory of their collections, leaving themselves open to security risks and uncertain ownership, and struggle to understand the minimum information required when tackling their documentation backlogs. This intervention is designed to help museums create or improve an action plan to tackle their documentation backlog. Sarah Brown, Engagement Officer, Collections Trust will provide support to help your museum better understand its’ duties and create an action plan to tackle existing documentation backlogs. Successful museums will receive one day's on-site support and follow-up phone calls and emails to help progress their documentation action plan. How to apply and timescale: WMMD EventsSee the WMMD events section below for information about all our events including the new events: 14 December 2017 - How to Win More Meeting and Event Business25 January 2018 - Need to Know: GDPR and Finance8 February 2018 - Setting the Standard: Managing Equality and Diversity in the WorkplaceWest Midlands Museum Development EventsAll WMMD events are free22 November - Collections Knowledge Café: Caring for Works on Paper10am - 4pm, Wolverhampton City Archives WV1 1SFFULLY BOOKEDIf you would like to be added to the waiting list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk. 28 November - Open to Interpretation10am - 4pm, Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, Coalbrookdale TF8 7DQFULLY BOOKEDIf you would like to be added to the waiting list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk. 1 December - Museum Project Funding and Management Workshop10am - 3pm - Digital Humanities Hub, European Research Institute, University of Birmingham B15 2TTThis workshop will consider the museum project funding process and the management skills needed to deliver a successful project. Through presentations by speakers from funding bodies, consultancies and museums, this workshop aims to identify the practical steps within the museum project funding management process. Building on the success of the recent Entrepreneurship in Cultural Heritage workshop, the day will provide a space for museum professionals, volunteers and early career researchers and emerging professionals to discuss the day’s theme, network and identify opportunities for future collaboration including placements. Staff and volunteers from Accredited Museums and those officially Working Towards Accreditation are eligible for free places at this event along with lunch and refreshments. Organised by the Ironbridge International Institute for Cultural Heritage, University of Birmingham in association with West Midlands Museum Development. 7 December - Setting the Standard: Recruitment and Selection10am - 4pm, Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery SY1 1LHRoots HR CIC will be exploring the role of museums to embed Equality and Diversity within their workplace, including their legal responsibilities. Roots HR specialise in working with social sector organisations such as charities and voluntary organisations. This event is suitable for anyone involved in the management or recruitment of staff. This workshop will explore best practice in recruitment and selection processes to ensure that your organisation appoints the best applicants. By the end of this workshop delegates will:
In addition you will receive access to free online resources published after the training including:
Refreshments and lunch will be provided at this free event. 14 December - How to Win More Meeting and Event Business10am - 4.30pm Middleport Pottery, Stoke on Trent ST6 3PEAre you equipped to maximise the potential of your unique venue? A growing number of venues are competing to host conferences, events and meetings. In the drive to increase revenue, museums and galleries have joined this very competitive field. Amy Kirkland, Welcome to Excellence, will provide participants with the secrets of sales success, including customer targeting, building a customer-focused team and competitive marketing strategies. Her guidance applies to venues large and small. Participants will learn how to:
'This course is a gold mine of practical tips and information that has set us on a winning path.'Free event with lunch and refreshments provided. Open to staff, trustees and volunteers of Accredited Museums and those officially Working Towards Accreditation in the West Midlands. 25 January 2018 - Need to Know: GDPR and Finance10am – 4.30pm - venue tbc, central BirminghamA day of essential learning suitable for all museum staff, trustees and volunteers of Accredited Museums and those officially Working Towards Accreditation in the West Midlands. GDPR The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into effect on 25 May 2018 to replace the current Data Protection Act. It’s the biggest overhaul of data protection legislation for over 25 years, and will introduce new requirements for how organisations process personal data. Every organisation, no matter their scale, handles data and employees and volunteers alike must be equipped to protect data. Matt Jarvis, ICARIS Ltd will give an introduction to GDPR, its impact and implications and how to prepare your organisation to comply with the new legislation. Essential information for staff, trustees and volunteers alike. Magic Numbers Richard Hemmings, Insight Training will help delegates gain a better understanding of financial statements, budgets, how to prepare for audit or independent examination and how to spot and prevent discrepancies. An essential afternoon for everyone, from those handling admission fees, managing a budget or even reporting back to the Charity Commission. Lunch and refreshments are included at this free event. 6 to 8 February 2018 - Salvage Disaster and RecoveryHandsworth Community Fire Station B21 9QUWest Midland Museum Development is delighted to offer two places on Historic England’s Salvage Disaster and Recovery Course. Full details can be found in the earlier Update section of this newsletter This unique opportunity is open to staff, Trustees and volunteers from Accredited museums and those officially Working Towards Accreditation in the West Midlands. 8 February 2018 - Setting the Standard: Managing Equality and Diversity in the Workplace10am - 4pm, The Hive, Worcester WR1 3PDRoots HR CIC will be exploring the role of museums to embed Equality and Diversity within their workplace, including their legal responsibilities. Roots HR specialise in working with social sector organisations such as charities and voluntary organisations. This event is suitable for anyone involved in the management of staff. Through this workshop delegates will gain greater understanding of how they can effectively support all members of their team, throughout their employment in relation to Equality and Diversity. The workshop will explore many aspects of employment including professional development, pay and benefits, performance management, disputes, bullying, harassment and retirement. By the end of this workshop delegates will:
In addition you will receive access to free online resources published after the training including:
Refreshments and lunch will be provided. Other Events16 - 18 November - Museums Association Conference and ExhibitionManchester Central Convention ComplexThis year the MA conference is packed with content - including three fantastic themes on audiences, collections and workforce. There are a host of sessions, practical workshops and training - all developed to facilitate fresh thinking. Special events and tours will also give you the opportunity to see more of
Manchester.
Keynote speakers include:
Attendees at the Conference can also access a variety of events, launches and international networking opportunities. These include Touring Exhibitions Group (TEG) launching its Lending and Borrowing Experiences Report, ICOM UK networking lunch, Department for International Trade (DIT) networking event and Volunteer Makers will be hosting the Pioneering Volunteer Makers conference. 17 November - Pioneering Volunteer Makers – A New Era for Engaging Audiences1.30pm - 4.20pm, Manchester Central Convention ComplexVolunteer Makers is a national programme of volunteer engagement training and a digital application for museums. A third of people in the UK are volunteering and the value of volunteering is worth billions. With shifts in demographics, digital and funding models a new way of thinking is necessary if museums are to engage volunteers in a way to sustain and diversify their audiences. Volunteer Makers is a different model for engaging and inspiring volunteers which grows a museum’s community of active supporters, providing a measurable value exchange. This is a chance for museums to further participate in Volunteer Makers and understand the benefits of Blended and Micro-Volunteering and how this affects the workforce now and into the future. Volunteer Makers National Conference is a FREE fringe event for visitors and delegates at the Museums Association Conference and includes lunch and refreshments. Please register here for the Volunteer Makers event as places are limited. 22 November - Family Friendly Conference9am - 4.30pm, Coventry Transport Museum CV1 1JDCulture Coventry invites you to join them at their first Family Friendly Conference.
Case studies speakers include:
Lunch and refreshments are provided throughout the day. 30 November - 1 December - Researching Digital Cultural Heritage International ConferenceManchester MuseumMore than 50 speakers will offer a critical examination of established and emerging theoretical, methodological and analytical frameworks in researching cultural heritage spaces, objects, audiences and practices in the digital realm. Keynotes by: For more information and to book a place click here. 1 December - Islamic Coins Study Day11am - 3.30pm - Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford OX1 2PHAn Islamic coins study day is being held by the Subject Specialist Network for Islamic Art and Material Culture in collaboration with the Money and Medals Network. This event will feature sessions on the identification of Islamic coins as well as more general numismatic subjects, plus a chance to handle some Islamic coins. This event is FREE to attend but spaces are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. Full details of the event, including how to book, can be found here. For those seeking support to attend this event, travel bursaries are available. Details can be found here. 5 December - Age Confident Museums12.45pm - 4.30pm, New Place, 22 Chapel Street, Stratford upon Avon CV37 6EPAge Confident Museums - creating great cultural places for older people. Join Kingswood Consulting as they discuss how to make venues more age-friendly. 'Try out’ visiting the New Place as an older adult to experience the physical, sensory, and intellectual changes that happen with age. This is a free event. To book please phone 0121 348 1803 or email Rosie Barker. 24 January 2018 - All Inclusive: Championing Diversity in MuseumsThinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, BirminghamAn interactive day addressing the essential issue of how museums can diversify their audiences and workforce. 13 March 2018 - Museums for Health and Wellbeing ConferenceThinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, BirminghamTaking place during Museums and Wellbeing Week, 12 - 18 March 2018. Details to follow later in the year. NewsMuseums + Heritage Awards 2018The annual Museums + Heritage Awards, now in its sixteenth year, recognises projects of excellence - innovative and ground-breaking exhibitions from galleries and visitor attractions across the UK and Europe. These range from remarkable achievements of national institutions to projects crafted with limited resources and those championing their staff and volunteers who work hard to deliver inspiring visitor experiences. The Awards are judged by a panel of the sector’s leading lights. There are 11 categories to choose from, including the new Best Shop Award. The highly anticipated Temporary or Touring Exhibition, sponsored by Displayways, will once again be championing the incredible achievements in design and interpretation of teams across the UK. Also returning for 2018 is the ever popular and free to enter Volunteer(s) of the Year Award, in partnership with AIM. With these Awards open to all museums, galleries, cultural and heritage visitor attractions and their suppliers, no matter what size or budget, this is an unrivalled opportunity for everyone! To find out more visit the Awards page on their website. Getting Loan ReadyColleagues are invited to register their interest for this free four-day residential course of in-depth training on borrowing at the British Museum from 23-26 January 2018. The training is designed for people working or volunteering within the museum and heritage sector who would like to develop their knowledge and understanding of the loans process so that their organisations will be better able to borrow from national collections in future. Generously supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, there are travel and accommodation bursaries available for all delegates. Places are limited to 10 delegates, and will be allocated by the British Museum. As the training has so far only been delivered in England, museum colleagues applying from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be prioritised. All expressions of interest must be received by 15 November 2017 via the Eventbrite booking form here. Museums SurveyThe Museums Association (MA) has launched a new UK-wide Museums Survey. Museums of all sizes and types are urged to complete the survey in order to build a comprehensive picture of current state of the museum sector across the UK. The survey comes at an important moment for museums, with a wide range of sector reviews ongoing across the UK. The survey is short and will be easy to complete by a member of staff with a good overview of their museum’s work, ideally a manager, director or someone who gathers information for an annual report. The questions cover: type of museum; visitor numbers and engagement; museum finances; volunteers and staff; education work; and challenges and opportunities for the future including Brexit. Complete the survey here. The deadline is 24 November. The survey will provide national level data on the museums sector that all museums can use in their advocacy work. It will also be used to inform national and regional policy and advocacy work by the MA, including the MA annual Museum Report. Collections Skills Sharing SessionsBooking is now open for the final round of free collections skills sharing sessions at the British Museum. Designed for people working or volunteering within the museum and heritage sector, there are travel bursaries available thanks to the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund. Tickets are free, but booking is essential via Eventbrite using the links below: BBC Civilisation FestivalThe festival runs from Friday 2 March to Sunday 11 March. Sign up your organisation as a Civilisations Festival Partner. It’ll give you access to the Civilisations branding so that you can tell your visitors and audiences about events that will be part of the Festival. Being a Civilisations Festival Partner will also unlock exciting opportunities using digital tools and the BBC’s archive. Sign-up here to become a Civilisations Festival Partner and to receive newsletters. Takeover Day - 17 NovemberDon't forget to register your Kids in Museums Takeover Day events on the website. Kids in Museums would love to know your plans so they can try to direct press or VIP opportunities your way. Also you can receive their free packs for the young people taking part. To register, simply fill in the online form here. Palaeo Network UK (PALNETUK)Colleagues are invited to join a new a forum for the archaeological and scientific understanding of the Pleistocene and Palaeolithic record in the United Kingdom: PALNETUK. It aims to support communication and networking across the sector to improve our approach to the human and environmental records of the Ice Age. As a first step in developing this network you are invited to join the mailing list, hosted by JISCMAIL. To subscribe, please email the words “Subscribe PALNETUK” to PALNETUK-REQUEST@JISCMAIL.AC.UK. Subject Specialist NetworksThe new Subject Specialist Networks website can be found at https://subjectspecialistnetworks.org.uk/. OpportunitiesLooking ahead: First World War CentenaryAre you thinking of activities to commemorate the Centenary of the end of the First World War (11 November 2018)? If you are planning to apply for a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund then please get in touch sooner rather than later. Grants of £3,000 or more are currently available for museums, and their friends of groups, to uncover and explain the war’s hidden stories, thanks to National Lottery players. You can find out more on the dedicated HLF First World War webpage and you can get feedback on any specific ideas by sending in a project enquiry on the HLF website before you apply. Want to chat an idea through or get support from a university? Book a 30-minute slot on Tuesday 14 November between 4pm and 6pm at the Library of Birmingham by emailing Nicola Gauld. Looking to do something a bit different next year? Be inspired by some of the museums that have already received First World War: Then and Now funding including: Brampton Museum: Newcastle remembers: Collection events invited local people to bring in from their attics wartime photographs, artifacts and documents to ensure they would be preserved for the future. These donations formed the centrepiece of a touring exhibition while costumed actors brought to life the letters from soldiers to their families and other documents in a battlefront and home front film. Rugby Art Gallery and Museum: Lady Dorothie’s war: Volunteers and staff were trained to research the remarkable story of Lady Dorothie Fielding, a WW1 ambulance driver who won military medal from UK, France and Belgium. They created an interactive education programme and exhibition. Project Designer for Touring ExhibitionStaffordshire Museum Service are the recipients of Arts Council England Resilience funding to develop a series of activities, including an exhibition to tour Staffordshire during 2018-2019. They are now at the stage of appointing a project designer for this second touring exhibition on the theme of ‘Childhood'. This interactive family friendly exhibition will focus around fantastic objects from the museum’s collection alongside some loaned material. Budget: £16,000 If you are interested in tendering for this role please contact Natalie Heidaripour by email for a copy of the design brief. Alternatively call her on 01889 869139 or by post: Natalie Heidaripour, Museum Resilience Project Officer, Archives & Heritage, Staffordshire County Council, Shugborough, Milford, Stafford ST17 0XB Regional Museums and Galleries FundJohn Ellerman FoundationMuseums and galleries are a means by which people engage with arts and heritage. Many regional institutions hold important collections which have the power to inspire creativity, motivate artistic expression and stimulate local regeneration. In the current climate they face increasing challenges from funding cuts and curatorial under-provision, reducing their scope to research and display collections and create new exhibitions. The Fund aims to help strengthen regional museums and galleries in the UK. They want to help organisations enhance and sustain curatorial development to attract a broader public. They have earmarked £500,000 to be awarded through the Fund in 2018. While the average grant size is ca. £85k higher amounts for exceptional projects will be considered. For more information about the fund and how to apply please click here. Closing date for first stage applications is 5pm, Friday 1 December. You can send your first-stage application by email: applications@ellerman.org.uk. They expect to make decisions in spring 2018, so you should plan for the work funded by a grant to start from or after June 2018. The Bill Pettit Memorial AwardThe Natural Sciences Collections Association (NatSCA) is pleased to invite applications to this year’s Bill Pettit Memorial Award. Up to £2,000 of grant money, is available to NatSCA members this year to support projects including the conservation, access and use of natural science collections. Please contact David Gelsthorpe by email or phone 0161 3061601 for further information or to submit a grant application. The application deadline is: Friday 17 November. Collections Care Skills Sharing ProgrammeDo you have a collections management skill that you could share with colleagues from other museums or are you looking for an opportunity to develop a skill in a particular area of collections care? Perhaps you would like to gain experience in collections care work or just find out more about it?The WMMD Skills Sharing Programme aims to connect staff and volunteers from across the region’s museums with opportunities to develop collections care skills through hands on practical experience. Museums are invited to get in touch with offers of potential activities that could be offered to skills seekers. Alternatively if you are looking for an opportunity to work with collections please let us know and we will try to match you up. If you have a potential skills sharing opportunity to offer, or if you are looking to develop a new collections care skill please click on the links or contact Helen Johnson for more details. Opportunities will be advertised through the WMMD updates and newsletters. Would you like your museum featured on the TV?Does your museum have a story that is visually appealing for TV? A special event or exhibition?If the answer is yes, BBC Midlands Today Presenter/Reporter, Nicola Beckford would love to know about it! This is a great opportunity to draw the attention of a large audience to your projects. Nicola is happy to be contacted on an ongoing basis. When contacting Nicola please include the following information:
Email Nicola at nicola.beckford@bbc.co.uk Volunteer PortalThe regional Volunteer Portal offers Accredited museums and those officially Working Towards Accreditation the opportunity to advertise for volunteers. Please click below if you would like to register your museum. You don't need to have any current opportunities to register. Resourceswww.mdwm.org.uk/resources has a wide range of resources drawn from our programme and workshops which can be accessed by Accredited museums and those officially Working Towards. If you would like to access these resources please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk for a password. Keep up to date with the Leicester University Museum Studies jobs desk site here. Images © Lee Allen Photography Walsall Leather Museum, Breaking Boundaries Conference, Leamington Spa Museum and Art Gallery, Oak House Museum, Lapworth Museum of Geology What we need from you…..There are still many museum staff, volunteers and trustees within the West Midlands who do not receive our newsletter. PLEASE make sure your colleagues don’t miss out and forward this newsletter today! To sign up for our newsletter visit our website and submit your email address at the bottom of our home page or at the bottom of all our web pages. |