CyMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales, Welsh Assembly
Government
ALMA-UK Meeting in Edinburgh on 3 March 2010: Wales Headlines
Report
1. CyMAL Budgets 2010-11
CyMAL’s revenue budget for local museums, archives and libraries for 201011 will be £2 million, the same as for 2009-10. This will fund programmes
including the Libraries for Life development programme and a grant scheme
for museums and archives.
The capital budget for public library refurbishment doubled in 2009-10 to £3
million a year, and this budget will be maintained for 2010-11. There are two
levels of grant for 2009-10: up to £120,000 for exterior and entrance works,
and up to £300,000 for projects of strategic and regional significance.
Funding for Casgliad y Bobl / The People’s Collection in 2010-11 is £550,000
revenue funding and £100,000 capital funding.
The total CyMAL revenue and capital draft budget for 2010-11 is £5,650,000.
2. Casgliad y Bobl / The People’s Collection
The People’s Collection represents an important Welsh Assembly
Government One Wales commitment to develop an innovative approach to
collect, interpret, distribute and discuss Wales’ cultural heritage online. The
site will enable users to access multi-media content from Welsh museums,
archives and libraries.
The People’s Collection will be launched at the Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale in
August 2010.
Find out more at: www.peoplescollection.org
3. Museums Strategy
In July 2009 the Minister for Heritage launched the public consultation on a
new Strategy for Museums in Wales. The public consultation ended in
October 2009. The final strategy document ‘A Museums Strategy for Wales
2010-2015’ will be launched in May 2010.
4. Wales Smithsonian
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is a free annual event organised by the
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in the USA, part of the
Smithsonian Institution. It takes place over two weeks every summer
overlapping the Fourth of July holiday and is held outdoors on the National
Mall in Washington DC, attracting a million visitors. Wales was the featured
nation in 2009, providing the opportunity to celebrate and promote Welsh
language, literature, arts, crafts, food, music and heritage. Amgueddfa Cymru
– National Museum Wales and the National Library of Wales were part of a
130 plus team from Wales.
5. CyMAL has Moved
In November 2009 CyMAL moved to the new Welsh Assembly Government
building in Aberystwyth. The address is:
CyMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales
Welsh Assembly Government
Rhodfa Padarn
Llanbadarn Fawr
Aberystwyth SY23 3UR
CyMAL general enquiries new telephone number is: 0300 062 2119
Linda Tomos’ new telephone number is: 0300 062 2098
Jane Edmonds’ new telephone number is: 0300 062 2116
CyMAL’s website is at www.wales.gov.uk/cymal
The Libraries for Life user website can be found at www.libraries.wales.org