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MUSEUMS  Museums   Arts  
Museums   Arts  FORWARD
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PLAN
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2010-2015
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Arts and Museums
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INDEX
1. OVERVIEW
WHY MUSEUMS? .................................................................3
2. STATUTORY FRAMEWORK .......................................................................6
3. CORPORATE FRAMEWORK.......................................................................6
4. SERVICE PROFILE ........................................................................................9
5. THE AIM OF DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY MUSEUM SERVICE ...14
6. COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT ..............................................................15
7. ACCESS ...........................................................................................................19
8. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT .....................................................................25
9. THE FUTURE OF THE MUSEUMS SERVICE .........................................27
10. STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES........................................................................31
11. PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND MONITORING .............................32
APPENDIX 1
SUMMARY AND ACTION PLAN
APPENDIX 2 ACQUISITION AND DISPOSAL POLICY
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
1.
OVERVIEW
WHY MUSEUMS?
1.1.
Museums and Galleries hold in trust for the future the material evidence of
people and their environment. They provide comparisons which illuminate our
experience of the present as well as our understanding of the past. A fuller
understanding of our heritage allows us to place our lives in context and gives
us a groundbase to plan the shape of our future. Dumfries Museum, founded
in the early 19th century and one of the oldest in Britain, formed part of the
original movement to create museums for the enlightenment and enjoyment of
the community. These early objectives remain fundamental to Dumfries and
Galloway Arts and Museums Service. Throughout this document the word
‘museums’ is used for both museums and galleries as per the Museums
Association definition. The topic of arts development will be dealt with in a
separate document.
1.2.
In recent years rapid changes in society and the growth of technology have
affected many traditional patterns of economic and social life. This has served
to reinforce the role of museums in affirming the identity of local communities
and creating opportunities to engage and celebrate diversity. There was a huge
growth in the number of museums in the last decades of the 20th century
reflecting peoples’ need to record and celebrate those aspects of their heritage
which they regard as important. There are many local examples of
communities developing museums to preserve and present what they consider
unique about their shared identity. This need appears as fundamental to the
human psyche as artistic expression and will not diminish in the coming
centuries. The establishment of a Scottish Parliament has encouraged Scotland
to take stock of its heritage and cultural identity.
1.3.
The increase in leisure time has created new user groups for museums, as has
the overall rise in disposable income and mobility. Visits to museums and
galleries are the single most frequent experience of the arts in Scotland. The
gross total of 25 million visits per year exceeds attendance at football league
matches in a nation where football is the national sport! Museums are able to
provide the context and skills for the preservation of the natural and human
history of their locality.
1.4.
Museums provide to their users and non-users alike a sense of continuity and
pride in the place and traditions of the communities which they serve. As the
pace of change increases this sense of identity and celebration of diversity
provided by museums becomes more important.
1.5.
Museums are partners in the provision of both formal and informal education
by providing important resources for learning. This is reflected in the
Curriculum For Excellence, the purpose of which to enable all children and
young people to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible
citizens and effective contributors to society. This emphasises the role of the
child’s direct environment in teaching strategies and recommend the use of
local sources such as museum collections.
3
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
1.6.
Investment in the Arts and Museums Service has tangible as well as intangible
benefits, particularly in Scotland where tourism is such an important industry.
Investment in the tourism infrastructure is vital if our nation is to attract
visitors who will make a real contribution to the local economy by using local
accommodation and services and by making repeat visits. The quality of
attractions available is a major factor in attracting visitors to Scotland and
encouraging them to extend their stay beyond the traditional high summer
season.
1.7.
Museums now play a key role in the tourism industry, which is central to the
regional economy of many areas. Museums contribute to the local economy
both directly, by creating employment and indirectly by attracting visitors who
then become customers of many other local businesses. In the Scottish
climate the all-weather facilities provided by museums are of particular
importance. Museums are also a factor in the quality of life of the local area
and are perceived as raising its attractiveness to potential incoming investment.
1.8.
A Museums Forward Plan, addressing the future of a museum service over a
period of say five years and considering a policy which provides a coherent
plan for dealing with collections is an important tool for a Local Authority to
assess the adequacy of existing provision and plan for future commitments.
Furthermore, most funding bodies including the Museums Galleries Scotland
and the Heritage Lottery Fund require applicants for grant aid to demonstrate
that a particular funding application is firmly embedded in the Authority’s own
strategy.
1.9.
Without such a plan, it is impossible for those advising the grant awarding
body to feel assured that management have fully addressed all the relevant
issues. Unless an Authority can evidence a coherent plan, it is unlikely to
succeed in competitive funding applications. It charts the development and
assesses the present position of the museums service. It identifies objectives
and priorities for the future and seeks to provide a way forward for the
development of museums in Dumfries and Galloway for the years 2010-2015.
1.10. Here in Dumfries and Galloway the Arts and Museums Service faces many
challenges. The past 15 years has seen the development of a lively business
based independent visitor attraction market. This has augmented existing third
sector heritage organisations. This has generated an ongoing need for
museums to provide a regularly refreshed and exciting product to maintain its
profile and market share. Additionally there has developed increased public
expectation in levels and quality of service. This has come at a time when
Dumfries and Galloway Council has faced and continues to face severe
financial restrictions and has sought to reduce costs. The Arts and Museums
service has traditionally come from a low budget base and budget reductions
that have occurred in recent years have necessarily had an impact on direct
services delivered. A number of the independent museums which have in the
past enjoyed generous local authority funding face a constant struggle to
survive in the face of rising costs and a Council which finds it increasingly
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
difficult to provide revenue funding support. For the Arts and Museums
Service the Council’s introduction of the Audit Commission’s ‘Following The
Public Pound’ Code in its funding of external organisations has produced
significant additional workload. This, however, is necessary to deliver proper
accountability for public funds. The Council has recently restructured itself
and has combined the Arts Service and the Museums Service. The new
Community and Support Services Department of which the Arts and Museum
Service is part offers the opportunity for strengthening links within a range of
compatible customer focussed services. The department has adopted the
‘Enhanced Area Management Model’ for the delivery of its services. The
daily line management of museums is now part of each of four district area
management structures. These are Annandale and Eskdale, Nithsdale,
Stewartry and Wigtown. It is the duty of an Arts and Museums Principal
Policy Officer to deal with issues of commissioning, strategy and quality
assurance, including appropriate regional projects and services.
1.11. This forward plan attempts to address these and other issues.
5
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
2.
STATUTORY FRAMEWORK
2.1.
The duties and powers of Dumfries and Galloway Council to make provision
for cultural facilities and activities including museums and galleries are set out
in section 4(1) of the Local Government and Planning (Scotland) Act 1982.
The Act imposes a duty to ensure adequate provision in this area and
gives the Council a range of relevant powers, including an explicit power to
contribute financially to organisations which provide or promote cultural
activities or facilities, whether such organisations operate inside or outside the
area of the local authority concerned.
3.
CORPORATE FRAMEWORK
The vision of the Council is to make Dumfries and Galloway the best place in
Scotland to live, learn, work, visit and grow and to this end a Cultural Strategy
has been approved in 2009. Also recently developed is a Community and
Customer Services Plan and this document will inform the implementation of
these strategies.
3.1.
Within that context our Arts and Museums Service Aim is to provide
enjoyment and increase appreciation of the unique heritage of Dumfries and
Galloway through the care of and access to local collections for the widest
possible audience in order that we can meet the needs and expectations of
local people and visitors alike.
3.2.
Dumfries and Galloway Council is a key partner in the Dumfries and Galloway
Community Plan and the Single Outcome Agreement. It has identified five
themes, Wealthier and Fairer, Healthier, Safer and Stronger, Smarter and
Greener where it wishes to play an active role in sustaining the well being of
communities and the individuals within them. By identifying these areas of
focused activity museum services are directed towards making a contribution
to these themes for the enhancement of our society and quality of life in
Dumfries and Galloway.
3.2.1. Wealthier and Fairer. Museums have a key role in the tourism industry,
which is central to the regional economy of Dumfries and Galloway.
Museums contribute to the local economy both directly, by creating
employment and indirectly by attracting visitors who then become customers
of many other local businesses. In Scotland all-weather facilities provided by
museums are of particular importance. Investment in the museums has
tangible as well as intangible benefits, particularly in Scotland where tourism
is such an important industry. Investment in the tourism infrastructure is vital
if our region is to attract visitors who will make a real contribution to the local
economy by using local accommodation and services and by making repeat
visits. The quality of attractions available is a major factor in attracting
visitors to Dumfries and Galloway and encouraging them to extend their stay
beyond the traditional high summer season.
6
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
3.2.2. Access to original sources and information on cultural and natural heritage is
available to individuals, community organisations and local businesses and can
be useful to local regeneration and business initiatives. Museums take a lead
role in their local tourism economy. All of this supports the economic
sustainability and vitality of communities. Museums are also a factor in the
quality of life of the local area and are perceived as raising its attractiveness to
potential incoming investment.
3.2.3. Additionally Museums offer opportunities for voluntary work which can be
crucially important to people on the road back into social involvement. As well
encouraging volunteering directly, museum volunteers are referred from
agencies working with people recovering from mental health issues, substance
abuse or bereavement. The chance to take part in activities which preserve and
present aspects of local cultural and natural heritage is useful in building
confidence and self esteem. Museum volunteers also have their own network,
with social events and meetings. Museums are also able to provide very
appropriate work experience placements for students in further and higher
education. Placements are also organised through a range of local agencies
(Apex, Alzheimer’s Scotland, Turning Point, Hope Service) which support
disabled or disadvantaged people into employment. By contributing to the
quality of people’s lives, museums and galleries have a beneficial effect on
individuals which can reduce levels of ill health and promote mental and
physical well being. More directly work with people with special needs and
reminiscence work with the elderly and out patient groups provide a valuable
role in the health of the community. We are continuing to develop new
approaches to customer consultation and are committed to equality of access.
3.2.4. Healthier. Museums are friendly and neutral public spaces which are generally
perceived positively and to which access is free. As such they offer many
opportunities for personal engagement, social interaction and community
involvement in the most general sense. Museums also inspire creativity and
are widely used by those engaged in writing and making art, either as
individuals or as part of a group. This brings personal growth and happiness to
those involved.
7
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
3.2.5. Safer and Stronger. Museums and their services are a concrete
demonstration that the cultural, social and natural heritage of communities are
valued. As such they can contribute to social cohesion and develop a pride of
place - a well maintained and cared for public realm. Additionally museums
have taken part in diversionary projects designed to combat anti-social
behaviour.
3.2.6. Smarter. Museums exhibitions and events programmes and other services
offered to individuals and organisations with a pre-existing interest in local
studies, family history and archaeology support life long learning and the
development of transferable skills. Museums are partners in the provision of
both formal and informal education by providing important resources for
learning.
3.3.
Greener. Museums showcase the green agenda by awareness raising through
exhibitions and resource packs on relevant issues. Through these we aim to
assist in the improvement of Scotland's natural and built environment and the
sustainable use and enjoyment of it..
3.4.
The Authority makes direct provision by assuming the running of the 12
museums in the four districts, Annandale and Eskdale, Nithsdale, Stewartry
and Wigtown, and provides financial assistance and access to professional
advice and support for local independent museums.
3.5.
Services include: exhibitions and activities, enquiries and research,
services to schools and local community groups, care of extensive and
important collections and assistance to independent museums.
8
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
4.
SERVICE PROFILE
4.1.
DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY MUSEUMS
4.1.1. ANNAN MUSEUM
In 1955 Annan Town Council took over responsibility for a small collection of
local history objects and paintings which had been gathered together by Annan
Rotary Club. The Annan Museum was on display in Annan Library in Bank
Street. The museum collection was moved to Moat House, Bruce Street and
administered by an Honorary Curator until 1979 when it was moved to
Dumfries Museum for safe-keeping. In 1991 this collection was returned to
Annan Council Chambers and stored in the attic and a basement room. In
1992 a Museums Curator was appointed. In 1993 the District Council agreed
to amend plans for the renovation of the former Library in Bank Street to allow
for the creation of a museum with permanent and temporary exhibitions.
4.1.2. The building was formally opened in February 1995. A programme of
temporary exhibitions has been carried out during the summer and autumn
months relying on the aid of volunteers. Basic cataloguing of the collections
has been undertaken during the winter. Annan Museum is located on the
ground, first and second floors of a listed building originally built in 1906 as
the Annan Library. The premises are linked with Victoria Halls complex and
share services such as heating, security alarm and an hydraulic lift. In 2008 the
building and exhibitions were extensively renovated. Visitor figures in 2008:
5,000.
4.1.3. DUMFRIES MUSEUM
Dumfries Museum is one of the oldest museums in Scotland, being founded in
1836. Its collections have been carefully developed over the years and now
cover the archaeology, geology, botany, wildlife and history of the region. The
core collections are now large and impressive, in certain areas they are of
national significance. These collections are a major resource in the research
and interpretation of a wide range of local studies. Its Camera Obscura is the
oldest of its type in existence and attracts visitors from throughout the United
Kingdom and overseas. It is the operational base of the professional staff for
Dumfries who have considerable subject expertise and local knowledge. Its
buildings had reached full capacity by the mid 1970's and in 1981 an extension
was built which added an exhibition gallery, storage, laboratory and workshop
facilities, a darkroom and office and library space. It also greatly improved
accessibility to the building for people with disabilities. Visitor figures in
2008: 18,000.
9
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
4.1.4. OLD BRIDGE HOUSE MUSEUM, DUMFRIES
The Old Bridge House, the oldest domestic building in Dumfries town, opened
as a museum in 1959. It is built into the structure of Devorgilla's Bridge, one
of Dumfries' oldest and most notable landmarks. It is a museum of social
history with period room settings and everyday objects from the life of the
town over the last two centuries. Visitor figures in 2008: 12,000.
4.1.5. ROBERT BURNS CENTRE, DUMFRIES
The Robert Burns Centre which opened in 1986 was developed as the main
focus for the southern part of the Burns Heritage Trail. Its purpose is to
present the story of Robert Burns and his life in South West Scotland and to
direct the visitor to other locations in the area with Burns connections, through
an exhibition and audio visual presentation. Another audio visual presentation
covers the history of Dumfries. There is also a cafe and a bookshop reflecting
Scottish interest and film culture. It has won several national awards.
Following discussions with the Scottish Film Council, a regional film theatre
was opened in the Centre in 1987. It presents bi- monthly programmes of
quality feature films many of which would not otherwise be seen in this area.
On average two or three films per week are shown and other film related
events such as special seasons, film culture lectures and late night showings
are promoted. The concept of a film theatre integrated into museum premises
has been much praised and the premises have been visited on numerous
occasions by interested groups from other parts of Britain. Visitor figures in
2008: 40,000.
4.1.6. BURNS HOUSE
This is the mid 18th century house where Robert Burns spent the last 3 years
of his life and where he died in 1796. It is presented as a period house and is
furnished as it would have been when Burns and his family were in residence.
There is an exhibition of relics of the poet and a bibliographic collection. It is
a place of pilgrimage for Burns enthusiasts from all over the world. Visitor
figures in 2007: 14,000.
4.1.7. BURNS MAUSOLEUM
Burns Mausoleum where Robert Burns is buried was built by public
subscription in 1815. It was restored in 1995/96 and is cared for by the Arts
and Museums Service which provides access to the public to the building.
10
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
4.1.8. GRACEFIELD ARTS CENTRE, DUMFRIES
Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries, is home to a permanent collection of over
450 works of Scottish Art dating from the 1890’s to the present day. The Arts
Centre comprises of a Victorian Villa opened in 1951, to house the collection
and the Studios, opened in 1989. Both buildings present temporary exhibitions
of international, national and local contemporary visual art and craft. The
Studios also offer meeting rooms, artists’ studio space, a darkroom, craft shop
and café/bar facilities. The “Kilncraft Workshops” within the grounds of the
Centre offers studio space to Glass and Ceramic makers. Visitor figures in
2007: 28,000.
4.1.9. SANQUHAR TOLBOOTH
Sanquhar Museum was founded in 1975 in the 1735 Tolbooth built by William
Adam. By the mid 1980's the fabric of the building required substantial
refurbishment and in 1987 the museum was closed while the works were
carried out supported by European Union finance. The premises re-opened in
1990 with completely new displays and a room for storage. The former cells
also were opened for exhibition. Visitor figures in 2008: 3,000.
4.1.10. STEWARTRY MUSEUM, KIRKCUDBRIGHT
The Stewartry Museum opened to the public in 1881 as the County Museum,
moving to its present purpose built building in 1893, and was managed by the
Stewartry Museum Association until 1990 when the Association gifted the
museum building and its collections to Stewartry District Council, at which
time the Museum Service was established. The museum is the operational
base, where most of the collections are held either on display or in store, and
from which an information service is provided to the public. An advisory
service to independent museums and heritage centres is provided and joint
exhibitions have been arranged in the past. The museum was upgraded and
refurbished in the 1990s. Visitor figures in 2008: 11,000
4.1.11. TOLBOOTH ART CENTRE KIRKCUDBRIGHT
The Tolbooth Art Centre opened in 1993, as a conversion of Kirkcudbright’s
historic 17th century Tolbooth. It operates as a branch of the Stewartry
Museum, and serves primarily as an interpretive centre for Kirkcudbright’s
important artistic heritage, as well as running a programme of exhibitions by
contemporary artists, both from the region and further afield. Visitor figures in
2008: 28,000
11
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
4.1.12. CASTLE DOUGLAS ART GALLERY
Castle Douglas Art Gallery is a temporary exhibition venue regularly used by
local art/craft groups, individual artists and for exhibitions arranged by the Arts
and Museums Service. The physical access to the gallery was improved and
major refurbishment work carried out in the late 1990s. Visitor figures in
2008: 9,000
4.1.13. STRANRAER MUSEUM
A County Museum was established as part of Stranraer library in 1939 and the
first displays were mounted immediately after the War. After local
government reorganisation in 1975 Wigtown District Council assumed
responsibility for the museum service. The collections, which cover the whole
of Wigtownshire, were transferred to the Old Town Hall in Stranraer in 1984
and the use of the whole building for museum purposes was achieved in 1996.
A separate building was acquired in 1993 as a dedicated store for the
Wigtownshire collection. Public access is currently by appointment only to the
store. Visitor figures in 2007: 10,000.
4.1.14. CASTLE OF ST. JOHN, STRANRAER
This medieval tower house, opened as a visitor centre in 1990. Interpretative
displays look at the changing use of the building over the centuries. The
premises are currently closed and undergoing major refurbishment. Visitor
figures in 2007: 11,000.
4.1.15. WIGTOWN COUNTY BUILDINGS
The museum has an exhibition area in Wigtown County Buildings, which was
refurbished in 2003. Visitor figures in 2008: 10,000
12
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
4.2.
THE OTHER MUSEUMS IN DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY
4.2.1. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND MANAGED
Museum of Costume-Shambellie House, New Abbey
4.2.2. HISTORIC SCOTLAND MANAGED
New Abbey Corn Mill; Sweetheart Abbey; Caerlaverock Castle; Threave
Castle; Whithorn Cathedral Priory Museum; Dundrennan Abbey; Glenluce
Abbey.
4.2.3. NATIONAL TRUST FOR SCOTLAND
Broughton House, Kirkcudbright; Thomas Carlyle’s House, Ecclefechan;
Threave House, Castle Douglas.
4.2.4. INDEPENDENT TRUSTS
Moffat Museum; Museum of Leadmining, Wanlockhead; John Paul Jones
Cottage, Arbigland; Ellisland Farm; Dalbeattie Museum; Mill on the Fleet,
Gatehouse; Carsphairn Heritage Centre; Newton Stewart Museum; Whithorn
Trust; Creetown Heritage Trust: Devil’s Porridge, Eastriggs; Dumfries
Aviation Museum; Dryfesdale Cemetery Lodge, Lockerbie; Catstrand, New
Galloway; Clan Armstrong Museum, Langholm.
4.2.5. PRIVATELY MANAGED
Blacksmith’s Shop, Gretna; Drumlanrig Castle and Cycle Museum; Henry
Duncan’s Savings Bank Museum, Ruthwell; Creetown Gem Rock Museum;
4.2.6. There are many local heritage groups but in particular Dumfriesshire and
Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society and Wigtownshire
Antiquarian and Natural History Society also have a strong interest in the
history of the area.
13
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
5.
THE AIM OF DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY ARTS
AND MUSEUMS SERVICE.
5.1.
The Arts and Museums Service Aim is to provide enjoyment and increase
appreciation of the unique heritage of Dumfries and Galloway through the
care of and access to local collections for the widest possible audience in
order that we can meet the needs and expectations of local people and
visitors alike.
5.2.
To achieve this statement the following key areas of activity have been
determined:
5.2.1. To preserve the museums’ collections of objects and archives through
systematic storage, active and passive conservation, buildings
maintenance and security.
5.2.2. To collect material culture relevant to the human and natural history of
Dumfries and Galloway, according to the adopted collecting policy.
5.2.3. To research the background of objects and to maintain documentation
systems to ensure the accessibility of the collection and the information
relating to it. To provide a service offering assistance with local studies
and the identification of objects.
5.2.4. To interpret the collections to educate, entertain and enthuse the public
by the production of permanent and temporary exhibitions, by their
application to formal and informal education, and by a variety of
promotions, events, publications and community involvement. Also to use
the interpretive capacity of the museums on topics of significant interest
not represented within the collections.
5.2.5. To promote access to the collections by all available means in order to
bring the services provided by the museums to the widest possible
audience.
5.2.6. To provide advice and support to independent museums within Dumfries
and Galloway to engender good practice.
5.2.7. To build on the existing Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
Registered status for the Council’s directly provided museums by gaining
MLA Accredited status and to assist other local museums to reach that
standard.
5.2.8. To promote joint initiatives and partnership working with other sections
of Dumfries and Galloway Council, other local authorities and related
organisations.
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
6.
COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT
6.1.
The standard of collections management works towards those required by the
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council Accreditation Scheme.
Accreditation is a minimum standards scheme which measures museum
performance against accepted professional standards. Its primary aim is to
foster confidence in museums as repositories of our common heritage and as
managers of public resources. The Principal Policy Officer Arts and Museums
has responsibility for museum standards within the directly provided service
and provides advice on this matter to local independent museums. In general
for our museums more staff time should be devoted to the organisation of the
core collections. This would ensure their physical preservation, improve
accessibility and generate information which would be useful in all other
aspects of the museums' work. Extra time spent by permanent staff on this task
would almost certainly be at the expense of other duties and appropriate use
should be made of volunteers and grant aided projects.
6.2.
Collections Policy.
6.2.1. Museums’ collections are their greatest assets. Following the adoption of
various collecting policies our collections now relate mainly to the natural and
human history of Dumfries and Galloway. Of particular mention it has an
extensive and fully representative archaeology collection covering all periods
of Dumfries and Galloway’s human history from the Mesolithic to the
seventeenth century and a collection of material relating to Scotland's National
Poet Robert Burns. Both of these collections have been awarded the status of
Recognised Collections of National Significance. Items are still mostly
received by donation although with the greater awareness of the monetary
value of objects by the public, a greater number of objects have to be acquired
by purchase. The quality and relevance of any potential acquisition is now
much more closely considered and this will certainly be to the long term
benefit of the collections.
6.2.2. Due regard must also be given to conservation and storage requirements in
considering a potential acquisition. It is no longer possible to accept artefacts
over a certain size into the collections. This must be weighed against the fact
that the opportunity of making many acquisitions will not re-occur and will be
lost to the area forever if no action is taken. Although there has been targeting
on specific areas of the collection such as local silversmithing and works by
Kirkcudbright artists, valuable tasks such as oral history recording and the
systematic photographic recording of constructions and demolitions have not
been attempted.
6.2.3. The historical collections of Dumfries and Galloway Museums are discrete and
specific to the institutions which collected them. Almost all items have been
gifted by donors whose intentions were that their artefacts form part of the
collection of a particular museum, which is accountable for their safekeeping.
Respecting these intentions has the effect of maintaining credibility and
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
encouraging future donations. This suggests an approach whereby the
collections are the responsibility of individual museums but they are held in
common by sharing information on an integrated collections database and
made accessible throughout Dumfries and Galloway for the purpose of
exhibitions.
6.2.4. An acquisitions sinking fund should be re-established which would enable
major new purchases to be made which exceed the annual revenue allocation
for acquisitions. This unfortunately ceased a number of years ago. All
possible sources of external funding should be explored including public
appeals. The collecting policy should be reviewed every five years. As a
general rule where an item is being considered for acquisition by various
museums the principal consideration should be into which museums collection
does it fit most appropriately in terms of strengths and weaknesses of that
collection. An acquisition policy is helpful but it cannot be a final arbiter for
every acquisition and each decision should be based on professional judgement
of the individual case. This will also take into account conflicts of interest
with other museums both national and local which will become an increasing
problem given their continuing growth in numbers.
6.2.5. A revised acquisition policy, acceptable to the Museums, Libraries and
Archives Council as part of their Accreditation Scheme is detailed at Appendix
2.
6.3.
Documentation
6.3.1. The Arts and Museum Service has a collections database. This task has
revolutionised approaches to documentation and is becoming a major tool for
collections management, the handling of enquiries and access to the
collections. This system should continue to be developed with full multimedia
capabilities and public information in revised format being made available in
due course onto the Internet. See Para. 7.5 Information Technology.
6.3.2. The success of documentation systems and the museums’ collections database
has generated considerable public demand and expectation for information.
This is the inevitable outcome of providing enhanced public access. This is
currently managed by existing staff but requires to be monitored but as a
longer term aim a permanent position of Museums Information Officer should
be established to address increasing public demand and expectation for
information.
6.4.
Care of Collections
6.4.1. A Museums Assistant – Collections Care based in Nithsdale is employed as a
general conservator and specialised conservation such as paper, textiles,
paintings, stonework and waterlogged wood are agented out. Even though the
collections in Dumfries and Galloway Museums are large and there is an
ongoing workload for their conservation, nevertheless time should be spent
formulating an overall conservation needs survey and implementing its
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
findings. Advice on environmental monitoring and control and on preventative
conservation measures should be made available to third sector museums.
There has been a considerable financial investment in equipping museums
with environmental recording and monitoring equipment.
6.4.2. All museums should undertake environmental monitoring and keep
appropriate records. Collections should be surveyed on a routine basis and a
action plan implemented. The main priority should continue to be first aid
conservation coupled with preventative conservation.
6.4.3. The maintenance of the fabric of museum buildings is an important aspect of
the conservation of the collection and in the past effort has been devoted to
raising the standard of maintenance from previously poor levels. Most of the
museums are located in important historical buildings and require special
attention. It has proved increasingly difficult in recent years to maintain the
properties to an appropriate standard. This not only compromises the
buildings themselves but can also place the collections within them at risk.
Maintenance of that standard is an ongoing task and a planned programme of
maintenance should be implemented which would reduce the need for museum
staff to be responsible for implementing routine maintenance tasks.
6.5.
Security
6.5.1. It is a sad fact that vandalism and theft from museums is increasing and there
have been thefts from nearly all of the museums in the area. In the past ten
years, security of the museum premises has been a high priority and most
buildings now have automatic fire and intruder alarms which also afford
protection to staff. All premises have been the subject of reports by the
National Security Adviser of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council or
the Police. Staff awareness of security issues is now at a high level and
security must continue to have a high priority.
6.5.2. The physical and electronic security of all premises should be regularly
reviewed with regard to the nature of the collections, the location of the
premises and accordingly, the level of the risk. The security of some premises
is inadequate and a priority action plan should be implemented. Where it is
merited by the value of potential loan material the standard of security should
be that required by government indemnity. Free independent advice on
premises should continue to be sought from experts such as the National
Security Advisor.
6.5.3. Security systems should be improved in line with technological advances.
Staff training and awareness should be maintained at a high level and the
security implications of any proposed staffing readjustments should be
considered.
6.6.
Storage
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
6.6.1. Reserve collections are not a static repository of material considered unworthy
of exhibition. They perform an important role in the interpretative and
educational functions of any museum. In order to fulfil this role reserve
collections must be well organised and easily accessible.
6.6.2. The Service cannot collect large objects such as locally produced cars without
a storage area specifically designed for large objects. Generally storage
facilities are inadequate and this curtails acquisition and makes important
reserve collections difficult to access, preventing their full potential from being
realised. Social history collections require particular attention. The Arts and
Museum service is eligible to receive excavation material under the Treasure
Trove system. This will place increasing demands on storage space for low
grade material. Appropriate storage facilities for this material should be
investigated.
6.6.3. The archive and historic records collections of Dumfries and Galloway
Council is vested in the Department for Community and Support Services
through its Libraries, Information, Registration and Archives section.
Museums at Dumfries, Annan, Kirkcudbright and Stranraer hold collections of
archives which are an integral part of the Council’s collections. A policy has
been adopted by the Council to ensure consistency of care and access for its
archives and historic records.
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
7.
ACCESS
7.1.
Interpretation and Presentation.
7.1.1. The Arts and Museums service has an excellent record of producing interesting
and varied programmes of temporary exhibitions. In particular the response to
decreasing touring exhibition ‘product’ in Scotland has been to embark on an
ambitious series of high quality temporary exhibitions produced in-house and
in partnership with other museum services and other bodies. For example the
Future Museum partnership led by East Ayrshire Museum Service has
produced a variety of exhibitions on local themes which toured regionally and
which were much praised. These have served to raise and maintain the
museums’ public profile. The implications of a commitment to large scale inhouse temporary exhibitions are considerable for the museums service and its
ability to carry out other functions. The exhibition of core collections should
be regularly reviewed in order to present new perspectives. This should be
approached in a way which generates public interest, and being less ephemeral
than temporary exhibitions, has greater long term benefits to the museum.
7.1.2. Interpretation covers all methods by which information and appreciation is
communicated to the museum user. In its simplest form it is the text which
explains the object, but this communication can take place in a wide variety of
ways. The interpretation of the collections held by Dumfries and Galloway
Arts and Museums relies heavily on this text based approach and this is only
realistic given the resources available. To increase and improve the experience
of the museum user by association, interaction and activity should be the
theoretical aim of all progressive museum services. This can be approached in
two principal ways.
7.1.3. Firstly by a high level of investment in gallery technology; this includes audiovisual installations; static and kinetic models; reconstructions and working
replicas; and computer catalogues and other information which can be
accessed by the visitor. Many recent developments elsewhere have relied
heavily on these techniques, sometimes with mixed success.
7.1.4. Secondly, by increasing the level of person-to-person contact between the
museum establishment and the user, with a concomitant increase in
expenditure on staffing. This approach includes activities and events in which
the museum user can participate; museum guides rather than attendants,
sometimes using historical personae; and enquiry desks in the galleries.
Museums in Nithsdale benefited greatly in recent years from the HLF funded
Access All Areas Project which developed new audiences within three target
groups; people with a pre-existing interest in local heritage; families with
children and young people; groups of people and communities that experience
barriers to their participation in museum activities and events. This was made
possible by the employment of an Access Officer. The project was highly
successful and regarded as an exemplary model for such a scheme by HLF
Scotland. At the time the project was initiated it was agreed that it would be
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
continued by core funding but this proved not to be possible due to funding
limitations. The best aspects of these two approaches will be maximised
within available resources but it should be an objective to address this area of
service by establishing a post of museums access and exhibitions officer.
7.1.5. The core exhibitions in each museum should be upgraded. The quality of
museum visits should be improved by original and inventive interpretation.
7.1.6. The work undertaken for large scale temporary exhibitions is rewarded by their
educational value and increased public awareness of the museums service but
they are essentially ephemeral events and the amount of staff time devoted to
them should be carefully assessed. At least one major in-house temporary
exhibition per year should be produced with the aim of touring such
exhibitions round the main Council museums. This would draw upon
resources from throughout the Arts and Museums Service and the Department
of Community and Support Services. Wherever possible these major in house
productions should be designed with a view to touring in other locations in
Dumfries and Galloway and beyond. Other more modest temporary
exhibitions and events can create added interest in museum collections and
cater for local community interests. There should also be a commitment to
buy-in touring exhibitions in a co-ordinated manner to reduce total costs.
7.1.7. Archaeology should develop into areas such as assistance with site
interpretation and the good links which exist between museums as the
principal local resource for archaeological collections and research materials
and the regional Archaeology Service should be continued.
7.1.8. Links with the Planning. Housing and Environment Department Ranger
Service should be maintained with regard to the natural environment.
7.1.9. Programmes of exhibitions and other access projects which integrate the
resources of the Department of Community and Support Services including
museums, libraries, galleries, arts promotions, sports, entertainments and
community learning development should be developed.
7.2.
Physical and Intellectual Access
7.2.1. In recent years considerable attention has been given to maximising physical
access to museum premises for people with mobility difficulties. This has
limitations due to the particular nature of historical buildings but the Disability
Discrimination Act has reinforced the need for this. Particular exhibition
projects have addressed the needs of visitors with sensory disabilities. The
auditorium at the Robert Burns Centre is fitted with an induction loop hearing
system. We recognise the needs of people with learning or communication
disabilities alongside those of people with other disabilities.
7.2.2. The Arts and Museum Service will continue to conduct access audit exercises,
which embrace the buildings, the collections, the services and the publicity
materials. All museums staff should be made aware of the needs of people
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
with disabilities through disability awareness training. This will include help
and advice for front of house staff in making visitors with disabilities welcome
and in assisting them if problems arise, encouraging curatorial staff to be
aware of the needs of people with disabilities when planning exhibitions or
updating existing displays and to include people with disabilities in activities
and events.
7.2.3. Efforts should be made to improve links between museums staff and
organisations for people with disabilities. When issues of physical and
intellectual access are considered in the planning of new projects advice will
be sought and best practice adopted. The possibility of increasing access by
upgrading premises should be considered and potential external funding for
this should be investigated.
7.2.4. Adequate coach and car parking is an essential element to the success of
museum premises in Dumfries and Galloway. Changes in local parking
restrictions and public transport should be carefully monitored for their impact
on all museum visitors and visitor car and coach parking areas to serve
particular museums should be developed.
7.3.
Customer Focus
7.3.1. Museums need to keep pace with changing public perceptions and interests
and a programme of consultation involving customers and non customers will
continue to be undertaken. The purpose is to extend local awareness of
museums leading to increased visitor numbers.
7.4.
Education and Outreach
7.4.1. It has been argued that the most important function of museums is to educate.
Education is a process which happens by a variety of methods, some informal,
and continues throughout life. Museums also have an important part to play in
the formal and informal education system. This is increasing in the light of
changes in the new curriculum which emphasise the child's environment in the
learning process. There has been a long established relationship between
Dumfries and Galloway Arts and Museums and schools in the area. School
classes use all museums for class visits; there is a school loans collection
consisting of boxed sets of objects with accompanying illustrations and
teaching notes; and museum staff regularly assist class teachers in preparing
project work. This work is carried out by a full time officer based in
Wigtownshire who also provides outreach workshops for schools, offers in
service training for teachers and liaises with other staff on the delivery of
educational services.
7.4.2. The introduction of the Curriculum for Excellence which emphasise the child’s
environment in the learning process and formally encourage investigative
learning and the use of wide ranging primary information sources have
confirmed museums as an invaluable resource for delivery of this curriculum.
At secondary level there is also a strong contribution by museums, especially
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
in assisting students with Standard Grade investigations. This has greatly
increased demands on museum services and the potential for involvement in
primary and secondary education is only restricted by the staff time required to
respond to this new level of interest. At present outwith Wigtownshire,
museums continue to meet the demands of local schools for educational
services within their existing staff resources and this necessarily limits the
extent to which this can be accomplished. In Nithsdale and Annandale, after
the ending of the HLF ‘Access All Areas’ Access Officer post (see para 7.1.4)
realistically it will not be possible to equalise the level of service in this area of
activity between the East and West of the region without the appointment of
another Museums Education/Access Officer. It should be an aim to try to
establish this.
7.4.3. Education is a life-long process and therefore everything that a visitor to a
museum receives is educational. There are many ways in which museums
should promote and capitalise upon this process. These include facilities for
individual researchers and interactive workshops. The most obvious
contribution presently made to continuing education is by giving lectures and
talks. Most professional staff are involved in this activity and the rewards to
the museums service in terms of goodwill and local profile are great. Some
work has also been done with local newspapers, radio and television.
7.4.4. Informal education opportunities include: holiday and club activities for
children and families, workshops for community groups and people with
special needs, oral history projects and reminiscence work with the elderly and
out patient groups; landscape and townscape surveys; village or parish history
groups . The benefit of this type of work is twofold as the museum can use the
voluntary efforts of the participants to build up its historical resources, and the
museum service is seen as being involved with and owned by the community.
The participants themselves receive enjoyment and education in their heritage.
Outreach activities are often the only way to deliver museum services to
certain groups within society and have been particularly successful in
involving women, the elderly and other people who are not traditionally
museum users.
7.4.5. Partnerships with local schools, the Education Department, ‘Create’ and other
agencies should be developed, a review of educational services and a revised
plan for museums education prepared. Cost effective projects involving the
community should be devised to deliver the educational potential of our
museums.
7.4.6. The Museum Service will continue to develop partnerships with the Crichton
Campus of the University of Glasgow.
7.5.
Information Technology
7.5.1. Developments in Information Technology offer exciting opportunities for
access to museum collections. Future Museum is a major online collections
partnership between East and South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
Council’s and all the independent museums in the region. The project was
funded through the Regional Development Challenge Fund and provides the
public with free access to the museum collections of Dumfries and Galloway
and Ayrshire; creating a valuable resource for people of all ages, but adults in
particular. Future Museum was built around the key areas that make the southwest so distinctive from the rest of Scotland – its people, industries and arts.
Central to the project was the ability to digitise and ‘make sense’ of the
collections of the region. Over 5,000 objects were digitised. The website itself
has become increasingly popular with over 49,000 unique visitors using the
site in its first year, generating over 3.8m hits and viewing on average 23 pages
per visit. The level of enquiries to do with collection based issues continues to
grow. Future Museum was an enormous success in terms of the partnership
development work and the high quality end products that have helped partners
to pool resources and create a ground breaking way of making accessible
collections to a wide audience.
7.5.2. The Museum Service already features on Internet sites providing information
on the many museums and galleries in Dumfries and Galloway and it is
intended that this web presence will be maintained and extended in the future
in order to maximise the use of this medium.
7.6.
Research and Publication
7.6.1. At present public enquiries, by letter, telephone and in person are dealt with by
museum staff as they arise. An enquiry may relate to the collection, to local or
family history or to a wide range of related topics. They can take up
considerable amounts of time. Exhibition work also requires considerable
research, the benefits of which tend to reach a much wider range of people
than other forms of research. Most members of curatorial staff have relevant
research interests but these are generally pursued outwith working hours. The
database project is already proving to be a useful tool in dealing with enquiries
and in assisting collections based research. In the long term it will enable the
publication of lists of recent finds and acquisitions, source lists, catalogues to
sections of the collection and bibliographies on local topics. Once these
finding aids are prepared the time required to deal with individual enquiries
will decrease. For many years the Arts and Museums Service has produced a
range of publications from postcards and information leaflets to museum
guides and books on local topics. These make the museum collections
accessible to a wider audience and will be continued.
7.6.2. Dumfries and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society have for
many years made a major contribution to research into local topics through the
publication of their Transactions. The Arts and Museums Service has and will
continue to support and participate in the important work of this organisation.
Local history and heritage societies also play valuable roles in their own
communities and appropriate support will also be offered to these groups.
7.7.
Marketing and Audience Development
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
7.7.1. The following main elements have been identified in the marketing of
museums in Dumfries and Galloway:
7.7.2. Production and effective distribution of attractive posters and leaflets, (visitor
surveys elsewhere consistently show posters and leaflets as the major source of
information, used by almost half of museum visitors to find out about the
attraction). Operators of local tourism businesses, particularly accommodation
establishments, should be made fully aware of, and enthused about, what the
museums have to offer. This ensures that they recommend them to their guests
as places they must visit when staying in Dumfries and Galloway.
7.7.3. Pricing the charged component of the service at levels which reflect the quality
of the product as well as a need to maximise revenue. Providing a product
which will in itself generate maximum repeat business and word-of-mouth
recommendations. Taking advantage of opportunities for publicity through
PR, editorial coverage, where these can be obtained cost-effectively.
Participating in joint marketing wherever this is cost-effective, both generally
through participation in the Visit Scotland Dumfries and Galloway marketing
package and where there are specific opportunities of marketing jointly with
other related attractions or accommodation establishments. Ensuring that
signposting makes museums “visible” to every visitor travelling in the vicinity,
and encourages them to visit. Visitor signing to all premises should be
upgraded and special exhibitions and events should be promoted by the use of
hanging banners. Adequate parking is becoming an increasingly important
consideration for a successful attraction.
7.7.4. From visitor surveys carried out at museums in recent years it can be seen that
the largest user group (approximately 30%) come from Dumfries and
Galloway with most visitors from outwith the area coming from the Central
Belt of Scotland and the North of England. The largest percentage of visitors
from outwith the UK were from North America. Visitors come from a wide
range of socio-economic groupings with the results being fairly equally
distributed. A typical visitor profile would be a family, on a day trip or a
weeks holiday to the area generally coming from Glasgow, Edinburgh or
Cumbria. Often this is a return visit, both to the area and the museum.
In marketing, the promotional budget should be more closely targeted on
reaching those visitors who are already on holiday in the area.
7.7.5. Visit Scotland is responsible for the role of marketing the area nationally and
internationally. The museums feature as a significant part of the attractions
available. Our principal role is to market to tourists and locals within our area.
Joint marketing with appropriate bodies should be developed where possible
and updated market research undertaken.
7.7.6. Grading and accreditation schemes are a useful tool in marketing premises as
well as providing a benchmark for standards of customer care. The Visit
Scotland Visitor Attraction Grading Scheme is a recognised quality assurance
scheme in this respect and the Arts and Museums Service has adopted this for
its premises.
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8.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
8.1.
Human Resources
8.1.1. The curatorial staff of the Arts and Museum Service have a wide range of
professional skills and experience and there is also a considerable skills base in
within the permanently employed front of house staff. Recent years have seen
a redundancy and the non filling of a vacancy for the service in Nithsdale.
This coupled to the end of the Access Officer post has placed a considerable
burden on remaining staff and has led to issues of capacity. Training courses
have been attended on safety, disability and diversity awareness and customer
care. Due to financial constraints, however, there has been a reduction in
training for staff in recent years. All staff who have attended such courses
have found them of great worth and subject to financial constraints it is
proposed to continue training. Following on from the recent amalgamation of
the Arts and Museums Service there should be a review of staffing in
Nithsdale to ensure effective joint working.
8.1.2. There is a high reliance on seasonal staff for attendant duties and there are
issues of continuity and training where staff are in post for only a few months.
Considerable energies are spent on ensuring a high level of competence among
temporary staff.
8.1.3. Over the years enormous use has been made of volunteers either as individuals
or as part of friends organisations and it is envisaged that this will continue on
a level appropriate to the supervision that can be given.
8.2.
Financial Planning and Income Generation
8.2.1. The operating budget for museums and galleries in Dumfries and Galloway for
2009-10 is £1,246,227. The average annual expenditure per head of
population is £8.41.
8.2.2. In recent years for some museums there has been a considerable increase in
income generation through donations boxes, shop sales and commissions on
art gallery contemporary exhibition sales and in others there is the potential for
further development of the range of material on offer to the public in our sales
areas. Ways should be sought of increasing the Arts and Museum Service’s
earned income through a higher rate of spend per visitor. This could include
original museum merchandise, guides and activity sheets, increased retail
space and improved marketing.
8.2.3. The following factors affecting museums and galleries provision in Dumfries
and Galloway should be considered.
8.2.4. Museum services are provided by a range of small and diverse facilities, rather
than a single large establishment. This prevents many economies of scale.
The majority of museum premises are important historic buildings with
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
particular requirements in terms of maintenance.
8.2.5. Many local authorities and external funders are recognising that there is an
economic case for investment in the arts, culture and heritage. There is an
increasing appreciation that the quality of the civic infrastructure helps to
attract new investment and encourages the retention of skilled and experienced
workforces. This has implications for the Council in terms of the existing
museums provision and should be explored further in discussions with the
Planning, Housing and Environment Dept of the Council.
8.2.6. Sources of external funding are becoming increasingly important for the
development of local museums. Potential sources of funding include the
Heritage Lottery Fund, Interreg, Leader Plus, Museums Galleries Scotland,
National Fund For Acquisitions, The Art Fund, the Recognition Scheme Fund,
the Recognition Scheme Capital Fund and Landfill Tax. The maximum
external funding should be sought for museum services and projects. The
Heritage Lottery Fund is of particular importance and we closely monitor the
objectives of that fund.
8.2.7. Very few of the funders, however, provide grants for core activities and
schemes are generally project based and invariably require matching funding.
In any climate of local authority cuts the matching of grants on offer can prove
to be a most difficult hurdle.
8.2.8. Any forward programme developed from this strategy document should be
costed in terms of resource implications.
8.2.9. The Arts and Museum Service welcomes the application of the principles of
Best Value in local government services and intends to demonstrate Best
Value through its part in the preparation of service plans, the monitoring of
performance indicators, benchmarking and customer consultation.
8.2.10. In Scotland under the terms of section 32 of the 1887 Public Libraries
Consolidation Act local authorities are not allowed to charge admission to the
collections of public museums and galleries. It is generally accepted that
councils may charge for special exhibitions. There are charges for the audio
visuals at the Robert Burns Centre and the Camera Obscura at Dumfries
Museum.
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
9.
THE FUTURE OF THE MUSEUMS SERVICE
9.1.
Museums serve the past, the present and the future. They will survive as
experience shows that they fulfil a basic need in society to preserve and
celebrate our common history. New technologies offer innovative and exciting
ways of presenting the wealth of our heritage to an ever wider audience.
Museums will enthusiastically exploit the full range of new and still to be
discovered information and communications technology to unlock the
potential of the historic collections which they hold in trust for the future. It
should never be forgotten, however, that museums’ principal asset in terms of
fascination and wonderment are its objects. Technology is not a substitute for
the experience of seeing an object or work of art, but can provide information
which will enhance that experience. It is generally recognised that the most
effective interpretation is that delivered on a person to person basis. The
challenge for museums will be to marry the best elements of these approaches.
9.2.
Generally over the past 30 years there has been an explosive growth in the
leisure industry in the UK with many new facilities opening and attracting a
share in this market. With increased affluence shopping has become a
dominant leisure pursuit. There has been a corresponding increase in the
number of museums and standards of exhibition have increased considerably.
The number of heritage attractions such as interpretation centres and visitor
experiences has also mushroomed. The result is that museums now have many
competitors for peoples’ leisure time and have tended to be perceived as
commercial enterprises with their strong educational role given less
prominence. Museums have reacted to this competition by increasing the
quality of experience for visitors through more imaginative exhibitions and
developing additional visitor facilities, particularly retailing and catering.
9.3.
Another thread has been the growth of independent museums, usually founded
through the enthusiasm of small groups of people. In recent years it has
proved possible for these and older museums to receive funding from a variety
of sources for capital works. Most recently the National Lottery has proved to
be a ready source of funds.
9.4.
Historical collections important to an area’s heritage are invaluable to present
and future generations but their care and maintenance is an expensive task and
there are very few museums in the UK which do not require revenue support.
The difficulty for museums is that sources of revenue support funding are
relatively limited, indeed local authorities are the only source of regular
support for regional museums. In any time of financial restraint this places
great pressure on those authorities. This is likely to be an increasing problem.
9.5.
For the directly provided service a review of the suitability of museum
premises needs to be considered. For Annan a plan to relocate the museum
into Bridge House, a large 18th century town house, was abandoned and the
Bank Street premises have recently been upgraded with the assistance of a
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
Heritage Lottery Fund grant.
9.6.
In the Stewartry the Kirkcudbright 2000 group, a local initiative, and Dumfries
and Galloway Council are working together on a project to establish a major
art gallery in Kirkcudbright, which will reflect the historic importance of the
town in the story of Scottish art. From around 1880 the town supported an
artistic community which included many leading names in Scottish art, and the
proposed gallery will have a permanent exhibition telling the story of that
community. There will also be separate galleries dedicated for contemporary
and touring exhibitions, which will provide a year-round and ever-changing
temporary exhibition programme. Earlier in 2009, Dumfries and Galloway
Council agreed to make available the Johnston School building and site in
Kirkcudbright when the school became redundant. However a subsequent
application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the project on this site was
unsuccessful. Currently the Kirkcudbright Art Gallery project is being
considered as part of the Kirkcudbright Community Facilities Review,
undertaken by the Stewartry Area Manager. A report will be submitted to the
Stewartry Area Committee mid-2010 and will present alternative site options
for the project. There is a need for additional display and storage space for
Stewartry Museum and should the art gallery project be successful this might
be achieved by the use of Kirkcudbright Tolbooth for museum purposes.
9.7.
In Stranraer there are regeneration plans for the town centre and waterfront and
it may be possible to include a museum or elements of heritage interpretation
as part of these developments. Should this be successful the role of the present
museum in the Town Hall needs to be considered.
9.8.
The establishment of a new town centre museum or heritage centre for
Dumfries should also be considered. Museum and gallery services for the
town are generally off regular tourist paths and increasingly restricted parking
for tourists and visitors on the Whitesands in particular has led to problems of
accessibility. The cost of running the service on five separate sites must be
weighed against the historical importance of the buildings involved
particularly the Observatory, the Old Bridge House and Burns House where
there is an expectation that the buildings should be preserved for some form of
relevant public use. The problem of delivering arts from the site at Gracefield
has been described in a previous Arts Strategy. Similarly there are limitations
at the Observatory site in terms of exhibition, storage and study space. A
possible Dumfries Cultural Centre of which a museum element may be a
component has previously been under consideration. This may prove the way
forward for the delivery of museum services.
9.9.
At present in Dumfries and Galloway there is a mixed economy of directly
provided and independent museums. This has occurred in an unprogrammed
manner across the region. The local authority can exercise little control in the
growth of the independent sector if particular groups and individuals are
determined to form museums. It can, however, influence development through
access to professional advice and by encouraging best practice by making
Museum Accreditation mandatory for organisations obtaining support funding.
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
It is probably fair to say that there is over provision in the independent sector
and that the local authority should be stringent in future when considering the
feasibility, sustainability and ongoing support of museum projects.
9.10. The establishment of a museum collection must involve a long term
commitment both financially and in terms of continuity of the care and
management of collections and premises. It may be that in some cases the
aspirations of local groups and individuals can be best met by alternative
methods such as publications, temporary exhibitions, videos, town trails etc.
The emphasis should be on sustainability and self help. The value of local
heritage in terms of community aspirations is recognised and it may be
appropriate to deliver support for this through Community Learning and
Development workers.
9.11. Professional staff have always been willing to provide advice and
encouragement to other museums in the area. It has been the policy of the Arts
and Museums Service to promote good working practices in local independent
museums in Dumfries and Galloway including the use of MLA approved
Curatorial Advisors. The service is a valuable one in terms of increasing both
standards and goodwill. Requests for specialist advice from any member of
museum staff are always considered in terms of their impact on our own
resources and level of service and this should continue to be taken into
account.
9.12. It is the purpose of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
Accreditation Scheme to raise professional standards in the nation's museums
and many national funding bodies have agreed to use Accreditation as the
benchmark in deciding whether to give grant aid to an organisation.
9.13. There is an increasing recognition of the need for investment in improving the
quality of existing visitor attractions such as existing museums rather than
creating new ones in an already crowded market. It is largely the Council’s
own museums which contain the primary resource for the history of Dumfries
and Galloway and it is these collections that should be given priority amongst
those existing museums.
9.14. It is the policy of Dumfries and Galloway Council to provide funding for only
Accredited museums or those museums which are seeking to achieve
Accreditation within a given timescale. Pastoral advice and support for
existing independent museums and new initiatives should be given where the
project is shown to have an historical significance, tourism potential or
community development benefits to warrant such support. The maintenance
and improvement of existing visitor attractions should be a higher priority than
the creation of new facilities in terms of future funding support from the
Council.
9.15. Independent museums seeking assistance must provide meaningful
performance information to allow the Council more objective decision making
with regard to existing and future support. They should consider participating
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
in the Visit Scotland Visitor Attraction Grading Scheme. Where an
independent museum is in receipt of Council funding an appropriate Service
Level Agreement will be implemented detailing targets and how they will be
monitored.
9.16. The proven successes of the Arts and Museums Service in recent years can be
attributed to a small, qualified and committed professional team which has
been able to react to nationally funded targeted initiatives and dedicated
external funding streams. This has enabled the service to draw down
considerable project based funding which has added greatly to the value of the
base revenue budget. This core team has been reduced in size in recent years
and this has reduced our capacity to respond to these opportunities. If this
situation continues the difficulty in taking advantage of targeted funding must
inevitably have a detrimental effect on the long-term development of the
service. This is a serious risk and in the short term can only be lessened by a
general scaling down of aspects of the service. The recent creation of an arts
and museums service, however, provides an opportunity for shared working
and better use of resources. In the medium term, any vacancy must be
scrutinised to see whether it best suits the current needs of the service.
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
10.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
The museum aims of Dumfries and Galloway Arts and Museums Service as
outlined in Section 4 can be achieved by setting these strategic objectives and
delivered by the action plan which follows in Appendix 1.
10.1. Objective 1
Dumfries and Galloway Arts and Museums Service will aim to ensure the
highest level of collections management within its own and other museum
facilities within Dumfries and Galloway.
10.2. Objective 2
Dumfries and Galloway Arts and Museums Service will aim to increase
access to its own and other museum facilities within Dumfries and
Galloway.
10.3. Objective 3
Dumfries and Galloway Arts and Museums Service will aim to develop
the museums within Dumfries and Galloway concentrating on the existing
provision.
10.4. Objective 4
Dumfries and Galloway Arts and Museums Service will aim to maximise
its income from its services whilst retaining its commitment to free access
to core collections and maximising external funding museum services and
projects.
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11.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND MONITORING
The MLA Accreditation Scheme sets nationally agreed standards for museums
in the UK. This benchmark standard supports museums in identifying
opportunities for further improvement and development. The Visit Scotland
Visitor Attraction Grading Scheme grades the standard of customer care
provided for the visitor. The Arts and Museums Service has participated in
these schemes for many years. The museums' delivery of service will also be
monitored and reviewed at appropriate periods as part of the Best Value
process. The Statutory Performance Indicator for museums in Scotland is
visits to and use of museums directly provided by or funded by the Council per
1000 population.
Other museums performance indicators that can provide useful information
subject to appropriate qualification are:
11.1. Collections Management
11.1.1. Collections: number of objects acquired, expenditure on acquisitions including
sponsorship, monitoring of searches of the collection.
11.1.2. Conservation and Security: number of objects and documents conserved,
extent of environmental recording systems, number of building maintenance
items, number of security call-outs.
11.1.3. Documentation: number of objects documented.
11.2. Access
11.2.1. Interpretation: number of exhibitions and other gallery events. Web hits on
collections information.
11.2.2. Education: number of school visits, use of schools loan boxes and resource
material.
11.2.3. Public Services and Research: number of enquiries answered, publications
produced.
11.2.4. Marketing: visitor numbers, visitor surveys, leaflet and poster distribution.
11.3
Resource Management
11.3.1 Training courses attended.
11.3.2 Advice to outside bodies: number of organisations receiving advice.
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APPENDIX 1
SUMMARY AND ACTION PLAN
MEASURE
Collections Management-General principles
1. Collection should be undertaken only according to the agreed collection
policy which has been designed to safeguard the existing collections for
the future and to preserve and develop them into a resource which reflects
the human and natural history of Dumfries and Galloway.
AIM
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
PERFORMANCE
MEASURE + Additional Funding
listed if required above annual
budget
Aim 5.2.1 To preserve the
museums’ collections of objects and
archives through systematic
storage, active and passive
conservation, buildings
maintenance and security.
Aim 5.2.2 To collect material
culture relevant to the human and
natural history of Dumfries and
Galloway, according to the adopted
collecting policy.
Aim 5.2.3 To research the
background of objects and to
maintain documentation systems to
ensure the accessibility of the
collection and the information
relating to it. To provide a service
offering assistance with local
studies and the identification of
objects.
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
Collections Management-Objectives
1. A rolling acquisitions fund should be established. This should not be
subject to year to year budgeting, and any unspent funds should be
carried over into the following financial period.
2. Work on the collections database should continue to expand the
knowledge base about the collections.
Data on aspects of the collection should continue to be made available
online in simplified form to the public. Maintain Future Museum
digitisation programme.
Recognised Collection of National Significance Archaeology project.
Develop strategy for database migration.
Aim 5.2.3
N/A £20k
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
11.1.3 Documentation: number of
objects documented
11.2.1 Interpretation: Web hits on
collections information.
X
X
Annandale
Produce collections inventory including unaccessioned items
Deal with documentation backlog
X
X
Nithsdale
Deal with document backlog 2007 - 2008
Deal with document backlog 2005 – 2006
Deal with document backlog 2003 – 2004
Update inventory of collections at OBH
X
X
X
X
Stewartry
Produce collections inventory including unaccessioned items
Deal with documentation backlog
X
X
Wigtownshire
Produce an inventory of the collections including backlog and
unaccessioned items
Archaeology and Fine Art
History Artefact
Rest of collection
3. A permanent position of Museums Information Officer should be
established to address increasing public demand and expectation for
information.
X
Aim 5.2.2
X
X
X
Aim 5.2.3
X
N/A £30k
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
4. Nithsdale
Upgrade history artefact storage
Aim 5.2.1
5. Appropriate additional object storage should be identified. This should
meet the security and environmental requirements of the collection,
and external funding support should be identified to achieve this.
Stewartry
Stewartry Fine Art and Decorative Art collection
Aim 5.2.1
6. Revised conservation needs surveys for the collections should be carried
out, a priority action list formulated and a programme of remedial
action implemented.
Aim 5.2.1
7. Regular environmental monitoring and record keeping should be
undertaken.
8. Each museum building should continue to maintain its a disaster plan
to safeguard the collections in the event of emergencies.
Aim 5.2.1
Aim 5.2.1
9. A programme of planned building maintenance should be encouraged
and implemented. The starting point for this is an annual inspection of
museum service properties.
Nithsdale
Burns House frontage
Old Bridge House refurbishment
Observatory renovation
Stewartry
Tolbooth steeple repair
Wigtown
External painting of Bellevilla Road Store, Stranraer Museum
Aim 5.2.1
10. The results of security reviews should be prioritised and implemented.
Nithsdale
Dumfries Museum
Robert Burns Centre
Sanquhar Tolbooth
Old Bridge House
Stewartry
Aim 5.2.1
X
X
N/A Costs unknown
X
Costs unknown
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
11.1.2 Conservation and Security:
number of objects and documents
conserved, extent of environmental
recording systems, number of building
maintenance items, number of security
call-outs.
11.1.2
X
X
X
X
X
N/A
X
X
X
X
11.1.2
X
Costs awaited
Costs awaited
£112,000 (possible 100%grant
funded)
X
X
X
£5,000
X
£25,000
11.1.2
X
X
X
£20,000 all projects (possible
100%grant funded)
X
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
X
X
Stewartry Museum
Tolbooth Art Centre
Wigtown
Stranraer Museum Store
Access-General Principles
1. A strong emphasis should be given to making the service relevant and
welcoming to users and potential users. This emphasis should be central to
the service’s image and external communications.
X
Aim 5.2.4 To interpret the
collections to educate, entertain and
excite the public by the production
of permanent and temporary
exhibitions, by their application to
formal and informal education, and
by a variety of promotions, events,
publications and community
involvement. Also to use the
interpretive capacity of the
museums on topics of significant
interest not represented within the
collections.
Aim 5.2.5 To provide access to the
collections by all available means in
order to encourage the use of
services provided by the museums
to the widest possible audience.
2. Educational work should be given a much higher priority.
3. Research on collections based local subjects should be undertaken and
made accessible to the public. Research by interested individuals from the
community should be encouraged.
4. The Service should aim to maintain a high public profile, through its
marketing and particularly through the regional media, as a means of
presenting the range of its functions and services to the community.
Aim 5.2.4
Aim 5.2.5
Aim 5.2.3
Aim 5.2.4
Aim 5.2.5
Aim 5.2.4
Aim 5.2.5
Access-Objectives
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
N/A Costs part of Council DDA work
Aim 5.2.5
X
X
X
X
X
11.2.4 Marketing: visitor numbers,
visitor studies, leaflet and poster
distribution.
4. There should be a co-ordinated programme of temporary exhibitions
and events integrating the Department’s resources. Relevant non local
exhibitions should be hired as appropriate.
INTERREG Project
Aim 5.2.4
Aim 5.2.5
X
X
X
X
X
11.2.1 Interpretation: number of
exhibitions and other gallery events.
X
X
X
5. Partnerships with local schools, the Education Department and other
agencies should be developed and cost effective projects involving
young people and community groups should be devised.
A review of educational services should be undertaken and a plan
prepared re Curriculum for Excellence.
Aim 5.2.4
Aim 5.2.5
X
X
X
X
X
11.2.2
Education: number of school
visits, use of schools loan
boxes and resource material.
11.2.3
£30k.
1. There should be a review of museum premises and an audit undertaken
of core exhibitions in order to establish priorities within a programme
of improvements.
Wigtown
Complete refurbishment of Castle of St John
Aim 5.2.4
2. There should be an ongoing review of museum premises with regard to
physical access and sensory disability provision in order to initiate a
programme of improvements.
Aim 5.2.4
Aim 5.2.5
3. Regular surveys of users and non users should be undertaken and
appropriate integrated marketing and other action taken wherever
possible. Users should be involved in setting objectives.
X
N/A
X
X
X
A permanent position of Museums Education/Access Officer for
Nithsdale/Annandale should be established.
6. An ongoing publications programme should be developed including
books, booklets, cards, postcards and other reproductions.
Aim 5.2.4
Aim 5.2.5
X
X
X
X
X
7. Maintain or improve on Visit Scotland Visitor Attraction Scheme
gradings.
Wigtown
Castle of St John achieve Visitor Attraction grading
Aim 5.2.5
X
X
X
X
X
8. Marketing and publicity material with a corporate identity should
Aim 5.2.5
X
X
X
11.2.3 Public Services and Research:
number of enquiries answered,
publications produced.
X
X
X
11.2.4 Marketing: visitor numbers,
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
visitor studies, leaflet and poster
distribution.
continue to be produced.
9. Other opportunities provided by the Internet for the development of
the service should be examined and appropriate programmes devised.
Resource Management-General Principles
1. The Council’s own collections are the primary resource for the human and
natural history of Dumfries and Galloway and their care and interpretation
should remain the main priority.
Aim 5.2.5
X
X
N/A
Aim 5.2.1
Aim 5.2.4
2. The existing resources of the museum service in relation to staffing and
budgets should be reviewed and maximised in order to provide the best
possible service.
Aim 5.2.1
Aim 5.2.4
3. Partnerships with other sections of the Department, other Departments of
the Council and other agencies including the independent sector should be
formed for joint projects for the delivery of the service.
Aim 5.2.1
Aim 5.2.4
Aim 5.2.8
4. The Council’s policy on Health and Safety must be observed.
Aim 5.2.1
5. Offers of voluntary assistance should be accepted whenever appropriate.
Voluntary work should be deemed an additional benefit.
Aim 5.2.1
Aim 5.2.3
Aim 5.2.4
Aim 5.2.1
Aim 5.2.4
6. Income generation through retailing should be maximised through
improved retail/display areas, extending the range of items on sale
including Museums Service ‘branded’ product, in Museum advertising and
other activities.
7. Funding from external sources should be maximised including funding
from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Museums Galleries Scotland, Leader Plus
and other EU sources, and local sources including Solway Heritage and
Common Good Funds. Private sector sponsorship should be explored.
8. Management advice and support to independent museums should be
provided with a view to encouraging self help. Curatorial advice will also
be provided to encourage good practice and as part of the MLA
Accreditation/Registration Scheme.
X
Aim 5.2.1
Aim 5.2.4
Aim 5.2.6 To provide advice and
support to independent museums
within Dumfries and Galloway to
engender good practice.
Aim 5.2.7 To maintain MLA
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
Commission Accredited/Registered
status for the Council’s directly
provided museums and to gain
Accreditation/Registration status
for the next phase of the scheme
and to assist other local museums to
reach that standard.
9. Funding support should only be provided for MLA Accredited/Registered
museums or those seeking Accreditation/Registration.
Aim 5.2.6
Aim 5.2.7
10. The improvement of existing heritage attractions should be prioritised over
new developments.
Aim 5.2.6
Aim 5.2.7
Resource Management -Objectives
1. A review of Arts and Museums Staffing should be undertaken
Nithsdale
Stewartry
2. As part of the Employee Development Scheme a staff training needs
analysis should be prepared and implemented. A monitor of the time
and expenditure relating to training should be kept.
X
X
Aim 5.2.1
Aim 5.2.4
3. Existing curatorial support staff in conservation, education and
exhibition should develop a region wide role within the service.
Aim 5.2.1
Aim 5.2.4
4. A schedule of appropriate H&S risk assessments and operational plans
for all museum premises and practices should be maintained and acted
upon.
Aim 5.2.1
5. Maintain and develop volunteer team for collections based project
work and improved collections access.
Aim 5.2.1
Aim 5.2.3
Aim 5.2.4
Aim 5.2.1
6. An audit of accommodation needs should be undertaken.
Stewartry
Participation in Stewartry Community Facilities Review
X
11.2.5 Human Resources: monitor of
training courses attended, induction
training programme.
X
X
N/A
X
X
X
X
X
N/A
X
X
X
X
X
N/A
X
X
X
N/A
X
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
7. Effective budget monitoring should be maintained.
8. Where there is a level of support to independent museums or visitor
attractions above the Council’s agreed threshold, Service Level
Agreements should be prepared and monitored.
Aim 5.2.1
Aim 5.2.4
Aim 5.2.4
Aim 5.2.6
Aim 5.2.7
X
X
X
X
X
N/A
X
X
X
X
X
11.2.6 Advice to outside bodies:
number of organisations receiving
advice
Aim 5.2.1
Aim 5.2.4
X
X
X
X
X
N/A
Annandale
Devil’s Porridge Exhibition
Dryfesdale Lodge Visitors Centre
Nithsdale
Wanlockhead Museum
John Paul Jones Museum
Stewartry
Mill on the Fleet
Wigtown
Whithorn Trust
Newton Stewart Museum
9. Meaningful data for service delivery by museums should be collected
and examined. for comparison year by year. Such figures will assist in
identifying trends and adapting service delivery to suit.
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A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
Appendix 2
Acquisition and Disposal Policy
Dumfries and Galloway Arts and Museums Service, Dumfries and Galloway Council
Dates of policy approval: [DGC February 2010 DET February 2010]
Date at which this policy is due for review: within 5 years of date above
1
Museum’s statement of purpose
1.0
Introduction
1.1
Dumfries and Galloway Arts and Museums Service’s purpose is to provide
enjoyment and increase appreciation of the unique heritage of Dumfries and
Galloway through the care of and access to local collections for the widest
possible audience in order to meet the needs and expectations of local
people and visitors alike. More specifically Gracefield Arts Centre's purpose
is: to display and interpret a wide range of the best contemporary art and
encourage interest in and enjoyment of visual art and craft for all sectors of
the community. This includes promoting access to the Gracefield Permanent
Collection, which includes significant works of Scottish Art dating from 1880 to
the present day.
1.2
This Policy Statement regulates the acquisition of items for the collections of
Dumfries and Galloway Arts and Museums Service. The adoption and
implementation of such a policy is a requirement of the MLA Accreditation
Scheme for Museums in the UK. The premises are Gracefield Arts Centre
RD550; Stranraer Museum, RD1106; Castle of St John, Stranraer, RD1107;
Stewartry Museum, RD1130; Castle Douglas Art Gallery, RD1131; Dumfries
Museum and Camera Obscura, RD1138; Robert Burns House, RD1139;
Robert Burns Centre, RD1140; Old Bridge House, RD1141; Sanquhar
Tolbooth Museum, RD1143; Tolbooth Art Centre, Kirkcudbright RD1485;
Annan Museum, Annan, RD1496.
1.3
This Policy Statement will be subject to revision as Dumfries and Galloway
Arts and Museums Service develops. It is intended that it should be
reconsidered at least once every five years and no later than 2015. Museums
Galleries Scotland will be notified of any changes to the Acquisition and
Disposal Policy and the implications of such changes for the future of existing
collections.
1.4
This Policy Statement supersedes all previous and existing practices and
policies, formal or informal, relating to the acquisition of items for the
collections of Dumfries and Galloway Arts and Museums Service.
1.5
The Dumfriesshire Educational Trust Collection is managed by Gracefield
Arts Centre and is subject to a management agreement to which reference
should be made.
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
1.6
The Dumfriesshire Educational Trust shall approve and adopt the Acquisition
and Disposal policy as it applies to Gracefield Arts Centre.
2
The Collection
2.0
Existing collections, including the subjects or themes and the periods of time
and /or geographic areas to which the collections relate.
The prime objective is to collect, document, preserve and conserve, research
and communicate original evidence of the natural and human history of South
West Scotland. The existing collections reflect that this has been the policy of
Dumfries and Galloway Arts and Museums Service museums for several
years.
Archaeology.
The archaeology collections of Dumfries and Galloway Arts and Museums
Service were recognised as being of National Significance in 2007. The
Recognition Scheme celebrates, promotes and invests in nationally significant
collections held outside the nationally run museums and galleries. Funded by
the Scottish Government and managed by Museums Galleries Scotland, the
Recognition Scheme helps to make sure that these important collections are
identified, cared for, protected and promoted to a wider audience.
The Arts and Museums Service has an extensive and fully representative
archaeology collection covering all periods of Dumfries and Galloway’s
human history from the Mesolithic to the seventeenth century. Material
includes the collections assembled by notable early antiquaries such as
Grierson, Selby and Anderson plus the collection of the Dumfries and
Galloway Antiquarian Society, started in 1862 and one of the oldest
archaeological organisations in Scotland. The collection also has a large
number of chance but often spectacular finds acquired over the last 160
years plus important excavation assemblages such as Fox Plantation
(prehistoric), Birrens, Middlebie (Roman), Whithorn (Early Medieval) and
Cruggleton Castle (Medieval). Significant themed groups include Mesolithic
and Neolithic worked flint and stone axes, Bronze Age pottery and metalwork,
late prehistoric log boats, Roman military material, Early Medieval coins,
metalwork, carved stones, pottery and glass and Medieval pottery and
metalwork.
The Museum Service will continue to collect items which complement and
enhance its existing archaeology collections as a result of allocation by the
Treasure Trove Advisory Panel.
Archives.
The archives held by the Arts and Museums Service consist mainly of the
records of the former Royal Burghs (excluding Dumfries) and comprise loose
documents, maps and plans, bound records and books. There is also a
collection of ephemera on local topics and the personal archives of individuals
where there is a mixture of archives and objects.
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
The Arts and Museum Service has a large and important collection of local
photographs, many of them original, including magic lantern slides and glass
plate negatives. There is also a good postcard collection.
The Arts and Museum Service will continue to collect items which
complement and enhance its existing collections.
Specifically it will be the policy for Gracefield Arts Centre to collect
photographic material where that material relates to Scottish Art History.
Many contemporary Scottish artists are now using photography extensively as
an art form, and collecting should, where appropriate, reflect that interest.
Applied and Decorative Art.
The collections include book illustration local horology, silversmithing,
ceramics, civic and ceremonial items, furniture and firearms, most of which
have been made locally or have local associations. Items relate to friendly
societies, co-operatives, occupational associations including trades
incorporations, social and recreational societies, local government including
the patrimony of the Royal Burghs of the area.
The Arts and Museum Service will continue to collect items which
complement and enhance its existing collections which are essentially local in
their nature.
The Arts and Museum Service will develop its collection of Jessie M King
book illustration and ceramics. The collection of contemporary craft work will
also be considered where the artist/maker has established a national
reputation for their products and skills. The collection of Dumfries silver, built
up over the last thirty years and now comprehensive in its makers and marks,
will continue to be developed.
The Gracefield Arts Centre decorative art collection is very small, with only a
few items of furniture and ceramics, and is not inventoried with the fine art
collection. It will be policy for Gracefield Arts Centre to add to the decorative
art collection as appropriate pieces appear. It will not be the intention to
collect a comprehensive series of glass, pottery or silver for the purpose of
holding a typological sequence. Additions to the collection will be made on
the basis of items offered for donation and priority will be given to attempting
to acquire items with specific connections to the region.
Ethnography.
The Arts and Museum Service has a collection of far eastern ethnography
collected by a local family. There is also a certain amount of material
transferred from the Royal Museum of Scotland some thirty years ago for
educational purposes. There are other smaller collections of ethnographic
material. The Arts and Museum Service will not seek to add to this type of
material.
Fine Art.
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
The collection covers oil paintings, watercolours, prints, drawings and
sculptures These are mostly of local scenes or individuals and often by local
artists. Joseph Watson, William Coston Aitken, and the Faed family are
represented. There is a fine collection of paintings of the Kirkcudbright
School. There are also a number of fine paintings and sculptures by artists of
international standing.
Items of local topography, portraiture, or strong local association that
complement existing collections will continue to be collected.
The work of contemporary artists will be considered for collection, where an
artist has achieved a national reputation for the quality and significance of
their work.
The Gracefield Arts Centre’s fine art collection numbers 551 accession
records including 22 items on fixed term loan. The collection features
artworks dating from 1840 to the present day and the media used includes oil,
acrylic and watercolour paintings, original prints such as etching and linocut,
drawings, sculpture and photography.
It will be Gracefield Arts Centre's policy to collect fine art by Scottish artists or
artwork of subjects relating to the Region whether that be landscapes,
portraits or other subject matters.
Gracefield Arts Centre has an extended loan of 5 pieces of outdoor sculpture
and several smaller gallery works. It will be the Gracefield Arts Centre’s
policy to attract further sculpture pieces by Scottish sculptors as they become
available.
Costume.
There is a small but important collection of local costume, accessories and
textiles. In the main this comprises 19th and early 20th century clothing,
occupational costume and uniforms, needlework and banners. There are
also products of local textile industries including examples of Sanquhar
knitting and Ayrshire Whitework.
Items of local association only will be collected. The collection of Sanquhar
Knitting, Ayrshire embroidery and products of local textile industries will be
improved.
Geology.
There is a sizeable collection of rocks, minerals and fossils collected mostly in
South West Scotland. Some are type specimens and parts of the mineral
collection are also particularly significant.
The collection ranges from the Ordovician of some 600 million years ago,
through Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian to the Upper Triassic
of some 170 million years ago. The structural rocks of the area are well
represented as is the area's wide range of minerals. Fossils range from
graptolites of the Ordovician / Silurian to Carboniferous corals, tree trunks and
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
nautiloids. The Permo-Triassic is represented by red sandstone with ripple
marks, raindrops, worm tracks and amphibian and primitive reptile tracks,
several of which are type specimens.
The Arts and Museum Service will seek to extend the geographical range of
its geology collections to material from Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire.
Natural History.
The Natural History collection consists of mounted animals, birds, birds eggs,
fish, butterflies, moths and several significant herbariums, including the
County Collection for Dumfriesshire
Natural history specimens and collections with a local connection will only be
acquired if they are already identified, are well packed and in a good state of
preservation. See also 6.4.
Numismatics.
The Numismatics collection covers coins, medals and tokens, including a
comprehensive collection of local church tokens, coinage of antiquity and
Scottish mediaeval coinage. Most items have local associations including
coins from local excavations. The assemblage of early mediaeval coins from
the Whithorn excavations is of international importance.
The development of the numismatic collection will be restricted to items with a
local connection. Individual coins and hoards will be only be acquired when
the findspot is known and by allocation from the Treasure Trove Advisory
Panel..
Personalia.
The Burns collections of Dumfries and Galloway Arts and Museums Service
were recognised as being of National Significance in 2008. This comprises a
small but important collection of items related to Scotland’s national poet
Robert Burns, some of which are held on loan from Dumfries Burns Club.
The Arts and Museum Service will continue to collect manuscripts written by
the poet or items associated with his life in the area. Burns memorabilia, or
Burnsiana, will not be collected unless it is of considerable interest or
antiquity, However, there is a particular need to collect the original furniture of
Burns House or appropriate contemporary pieces.
This also includes personalia relating to local people such as Thomas Carlyle,
JM Barrie, Robert the Bruce, John Paul Jones and James Hogg. These
collections need to be strengthened.
Social History.
The Arts and Museum Service collections include objects associated with a
wide range of local crafts, trades and professions. They also include
agricultural, medical, scientific and domestic items as well as those
associated with transport, witchcraft, crime and punishment, religion,
recreation and military history.
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
Artefacts of local interest will continue to be collected.
3
Acquisition Policy
3.0
Criteria governing future acquisition policy including the subjects or themes,
periods of time and/or geographic areas and any collections which will not be
subject to further acquisition.
3.1
Specific areas for future collecting, and where collecting will no longer take
place, are detailed in the individual sections above.
3.2
The general principles to consider are:
Artefacts which require considerable conservation or cause severe problems
for display or storage will not be collected.
Large artefacts or collections of artefacts will not be accepted unless suitable
storage can be found.
Archaeological artefacts and coins will only be acquired as a result of
allocation by the Treasure Trove Advisory Panel.
Natural history collections will only be accepted if they are already identified,
are well packed and in a good state of preservation.
Mass manufactured items will not be collected unless they have a significant
local connection, or an immediate use for them (eg display) can be identified.
In general each district service will collect material from its own area, although
there may be exceptions to this, for example when one district service already
has the bulk of finds from a particular site or collector.
4.0
Limitations on collecting
4.1
The museum recognises its responsibility, in acquiring additions to its
collections, to ensure that care of collections, documentation arrangements
and use of collections will meet the requirements of the Accreditation
Standard. It will take into account limitations on collecting imposed by such
factors as staffing, storage and care of collection arrangements.
5.0
Collecting policies of other museums
5.1
The museum will take account of the collecting policies of other museums
and other organisations collecting in the same or related areas or subject
fields. It will consult with these organisations where conflicts of interest may
arise or to define areas of specialisms, in order to avoid unnecessary
duplication and waste of resources.
5.2
Specific reference is made to the following museum(s):
Devil’s Porridge, Gretna
Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum
Historic Scotland
Libraries, Information Registration & Archives, Dumfries & Galloway Council
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Kirkconnel Heritage Centre
Moffat Museum
Museum of Leadmining, Wanlockhead
The National Museum of Costume, Shambellie (National Museum Scotland)
National Museum Scotland
Savings Bank Museum, Ruthwell
6.0
Acquisition procedures
6.1
The museum will exercise due diligence and make every effort not to
acquire, whether by purchase, gift, bequest or exchange, any object or
specimen unless the governing body or responsible officer is satisfied that
the museum can acquire a valid title to the item in question.
6.2
In particular, the museum will not acquire any object or specimen unless it is
satisfied that the object or specimen has not been acquired in, or exported
from, its country of origin (or any intermediate country in which it may have
been legally owned) in violation of that country’s laws. (For the purposes of
this paragraph `country of origin’ includes the United Kingdom).
6.3
In accordance with the provisions of the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the
Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of
Ownership of Cultural Property, which the UK ratified with effect from
November 1 2002, the museum will reject any items that have been illicitly
traded. The governing body will be guided by the national guidance on the
responsible acquisition of cultural property issued by the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport in 2005.
6.4
So far as biological and geological material is concerned, the museum will
not acquire by any direct or indirect means any specimen that has been
collected, sold or otherwise transferred in contravention of any national or
international wildlife protection or natural history conservation law or treaty
of the United Kingdom or any other country, except with the express
consent of an appropriate outside authority.
6.5
The museum will not acquire archaeological antiquities (including excavated
ceramics) in any case where the governing body or responsible officer has
any suspicion that the circumstances of their recovery involved a failure to
follow the appropriate legal procedures. In Scotland, under the laws of bona
vacantia including Treasure Trove, the Crown has title to all ownerless
objects including antiquities. Scottish archaeological material cannot
therefore be legally acquired by means other than by allocation to Dumfries
and Galloway Museums Service by the Crown. Where the Crown chooses
to forego its title to a portable antiquity, a Curator or other responsible
person acting on behalf of Dumfries and Galloway Council, can establish
that valid title to the item in question has been acquired by ensuring that a
certificate of ‘No Claim’ has been issued on behalf of the Crown.
6.6
’Any exceptions to the above clauses 6.1, 6.2,6.3 or 6.5 will only be because
the museum is either: acting as an externally approved repository of last
resort for material of local (UK) origin; or acquiring an item of minor
importance that lacks secure ownership history but in the best judgement of
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experts in the field concerned has not been illicitly traded; or acting with the
permission of authorities with the requisite jurisdiction in the country of
origin; or in possession of reliable documentary evidence that the item was
exported from its country of origin before 1970. In these cases the museum will be
open and transparent in the way it makes decisions and will act only with the express consent of
an appropriate outside authority.
6.7
As the museum holds or intends to acquire human remains from any period, it
will follow the guidelines in the “Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in
Scottish Museums” issued by Museums Galleries Scotland in 2008.
7.0
Collecting Area
7.1
The Collecting Area for Dumfries and Galloway Arts and Museums Service
will be Dumfries and Galloway. The Collecting Area for Gracefield Arts Centre
will be the area defined by the current geographical boundaries of Scotland.
7.2
The period of time to which the collection relates will be up to the present day.
7.3
Items made in, at some point used within, or otherwise provenanced to
Dumfries and Galloway Arts and Museums Service’s Collecting Area, may be
acquired, regardless of their location at the time of acquisition.
7.4
Where Dumfries and Galloway Arts and Museums Service seeks to collect
the work of “local” artists, or to acquire “local” views, the geographical
boundaries of the Region of Dumfries and Galloway will be used as the basis
for decisions.
8.0
Policy review procedure
8.1
The Acquisition and Disposal Policy will be published and reviewed from
time to time, at least once every five years. The date when the policy is next
due for review is noted above.
8.2
Museum Galleries Scotland will be notified of any changes to the Acquisition
and Disposal Policy, and the implications of any such changes for the future
of existing collections.
9.0
Acquisitions not covered by the policy
9.1
Acquisitions outside the current stated policy will only be made in very
exceptional circumstances, and then only after proper consideration by the
governing body of the museum itself, having regard to the interests of other
museums.
10.0
Spoliation
10.1
The museum will use the statement of principles ‘Spoliation of Works of Art
during the Nazi, Holocaust and World War II period’, issued for non-national
museums in 1999 by the Museums and Galleries Commission.
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11.0 The Repatriation and Restitution of objects and human remains
11.1
The museum’s governing body, acting on the advice of the museum’s
professional staff, if any, may take a decision to return human remains
(unless covered by the “Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Scottish
Museums” issued by Museums Galleries Scotland in 2008), objects or
specimens to a country or people of origin. The museum will take such
decisions on a case by case basis; within its legal position and taking into
account all ethical implications and available guidance.
12.0
Management of archives
12.1 As the museum holds / intends to acquire archives, including photographs
and printed ephemera, its governing body will be guided by the Code of
Practice on Archives for Museums and Galleries in the United Kingdom (3rd
ed., 2002).
13
Disposal Policy
13.0
Disposal preliminaries
The governing body will ensure that the disposal process is carried out openly
and with transparency.
By definition, the museum has a long-term purpose and holds collections in
trust for society in relation to its stated objectives. The governing body
therefore accepts the principle that sound curatorial reasons for disposal
must be established before consideration is given to the disposal of any
items in the museum’s collection.
The museum will confirm that it is legally free to dispose of an item and
agreements on disposal made with donors will be taken into account.
When disposal of a museum object is being considered, the museum will
establish if it was acquired with the aid of an external funding organisation.
In such cases, any conditions attached to the original grant will be followed.
This may include repayment of the original grant and a proportion of the
proceeds if the item is disposed of by sale.
13.1
Motivation for disposal and method of disposal
When disposal is motivated by curatorial reasons the procedures outlined in
13.2 – 13.6 will be followed and the method of disposal may be by gift or sale.
The museum will not undertake disposal motivated principally by financial
reasons.
13.2
The disposal decision-making process
A Museums Forward Plan for Dumfries and Galloway
Whether the disposal is motivated either by curatorial or financial reasons, the
decision to dispose of material from the collections will be taken by the
governing body only after full consideration of the reasons for disposal. Other
factors including the public benefit, the implications for the museum’s
collections and collections held by museums and other organisations
collecting the same material or in related fields will be considered. External
expert advice will be obtained and the views of stakeholders such as donors,
researchers, local and source communities and others served by the museum
will also be sought.
13.3
Responsibility for disposal decision-making
A decision to dispose of a specimen or object, whether by gift, sale or
destruction (in the case of an item too badly damaged or deteriorated to be of
any use for the purposes of the collections or for reasons of health and
safety), will be the responsibility of the governing body of the museum acting
on the advice of professional curatorial staff, if any, and not of the curator of
the collection acting alone.
13.4
Use of proceeds of sale
Any monies received by the museum governing body from the disposal of
items will be applied for the benefit of the collections. This normally means
the purchase of further acquisitions. In exceptional cases, improvements
relating to the care of collections in order to meet or exceed Accreditation
requirements relating to the risk of damage to and deterioration of the
collections may be justifiable. Any monies received in compensation for the
damage, loss or destruction of items will be applied in the same way. Advice
on those cases where the monies are intended to be used for the care of
collections will be sought from MLA.
The proceeds of a sale will be ring-fenced so it can be demonstrated that
they are spent in a manner compatible with the requirements of the
Accreditation standard.
13.5 Disposal by gift or sale
Once a decision to dispose of material in the collection has been taken,
priority will be given to retaining it within the public domain, unless it is to be
destroyed. It will therefore be offered in the first instance, by gift or sale,
directly to other Accredited Museums likely to be interested in its acquisition.
If the material is not acquired by any Accredited Museums to which it was
offered directly as a gift or for sale, then the museum community at large will
be advised of the intention to dispose of the material, normally through an
announcement in the Museums Association’s Museums Journal, and in
other specialist journals where appropriate.
The announcement relating to gift or sale will indicate the number and
nature of specimens or objects involved, and the basis on which the
material will be transferred to another institution. Preference will be given to
expressions of interest from other Accredited Museums. A period of at least
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two months will be allowed for an interest in acquiring the material to be
expressed. At the end of this period, if no expressions of interest have been
received, the museum may consider disposing of the material to other
interested individuals and organisations giving priority to organisations in the
public domain.
The museum will not dispose of items by exchange.
13.6
Documenting disposal
Full records will be kept of all decisions on disposals and the items involved
and proper arrangements made for the preservation and/or transfer, as
appropriate, of the documentation relating to the items concerned, including
photographic records where practicable in accordance with SPECTRUM
Procedure on deaccession and disposal.