participation structures
As part of good governance, ways in which interested parties are involved in the development of policies and decision-making: an important element in SMC’s proactive approach to accountability.
partnerships
The bringing together of representatives from different sectors / communities of interest to agree and work together towards set goals. Effective working partnerships require extensive investment of time and effort in planning, including clear details of roles, resources, and expectations. Museums regularly work in partnership with a wide range of bodies, including schools, colleges, tourist boards, other cultural agencies, and local authorities.
partnership agreement
A formal legal binding document between partners specifying the terms and conditions of participation in a partnership, with details such as the contributions to be made by each partner and the management responsibilities of the partners.
performance indicators
Measures designed to show the degree to which key processes achieve a desired level of performance. They convey judgements about the adequacy of objectives or the quality of processes and provide accountability. For museums, current performance indicators include Registration status and grading in the Visitor Attraction Grading Scheme. SMC policy is that Registration should be extended to cover assessment of, for example, learning and access.
physical access
Ensuring that visitors and staff can understand any information which the museum or gallery provides, whatever their subject knowledge, reading age, learning difficulties or literacy levels.
plan
A plan is a systematic description of the method to be adopted for the accomplishment of an objective, not to be confused with policy.
policy
The approach adopted by an organisation to determine decisions and actions.
preservation
The protection of cultural property by minimising chemical and physical deterioration and thus prolong existence. The term, with its roots in the archive sector, is starting to be used in museums to describe most of the practices that are associated with preventive conservation and collections care. It is the duty of all museums to ensure that objects in a collection are stored, displayed and handled in a way that promotes preservation.
preventive conservation
Actions taken to retard deterioration and prevent damage to museum collections through selecting and managing premises, facilities and environment, including environmental monitoring and control, storage and display provision, in order to achieve optimum conditions for the collections.
