National Audit

The Audit was commissioned by the Scottish Executive as part of its National Culture Strategy and carried out by SMC. The Audit demonstrates the importance of the national cultural heritage cared for and displayed in museums and galleries.

The Audit

• identifies over 12 million items in Scotland�s museum collections, across the length and breadth of the country, representing a magnificent distributed national collection
• establishes for the first time the full extent of museum collections, buildings and public services
• highlights examples of excellence but also identifies opportunities for improvement in many areas.

Overall the result is an authoritative picture of the museums sector and its importance to key aspects of Scottish life including tourism, learning, and community development. It is hoped that the Audit will pave the way for a new National Framework, which will bring much-needed continuity and coherence to policy and funding.

The largest survey of its kind ever undertaken in Europe, the Audit covers 170 organisations and 435 sites including independent museums, local authority services and large national organisations.

In a unique move, SMC set up an independent significance panel to assess the significance of all collections. This revealed that 78% of museums have collections that are in whole or in part of national significance.

For more information please select from the list below

• National Audit Summary Report
• National Audit Full Report
• National Audit Questionnaire part 1
• National Audit Questionnaire part 2

If you have an enquiry about the National Audit, please contact
Heather Doherty, Research Manager
T: 0131 550 4127
E: [email protected]