Scottish Museums Council published a report by independent consultants JURA Consultants on Performance Management in Museums in June 2003. The report provided a clear picture of standards and performance management schemes operational in the UK, from a museums perspective. It took as a starting point the Scottish Executive review of organisational schemes �Promoting Excellence in Scotland�. Both the Scottish Executive and Jura reports considered schemes primarily commercially driven, and those primarily applicable to the voluntary sector, such as the SCVO scheme The Big Picture. In addition to comparing standards and schemes relevant to museums at both organisational and museum specific levels, the Jura report also considered the tools available to assist assessment and/or compliance. The report therefore provided information not only for SMC development but also for a wide range of partner organisations, including the Scottish Executive and local authorities.
The report looked at the proposed Registration standard for museums in some detail and demonstrated how the Registration scheme and other frameworks/standards and guidelines had different strengths. A clear matrix demonstrated where the various schemes overlapped, and where there were gaps in provision. The report concluded that the Registration scheme and the various organisational schemes were complements rather than substitutes. Registration delivered particularly strong guidance in relation to core museum functions of collections care and collections management. However, other organisational schemes offered better opportunities for dynamic continual improvement in areas Registration did not deliver or cover particularly well.
To view the full text of the report please click on the links below:
