SMC e-bulletin

SMC Monthly e-bulletin October 2006

The deadline for pre-applications for SMC main grants for 2007 is 15 October 2006.
Pre-application forms can be downloaded from the SMC website at http://194.200.63.26/areas_of_work/grants/mgpreappform1106.doc
or requested from SMC Grants Development Manager Beverley Davies.
E: [email protected]
Please note that it is a condition of eligibility that you submit a pre-application for main grants.

Application forms will shortly be available for funding to help some member museums stage a new event for Show Scotland 07. The forms and guidelines will be on the SMC website and announced via the Show Scotland e-bulletin in the coming two weeks.
SMC is encouraging museums and galleries to start planning their events now to ensure that Show Scotland 07 is even bigger and better than this year�s event. SMC is also encouraging museums and galleries to consider approaching local businesses for sponsorship. Such sponsorship could be matched by Show Scotland funding and, if the sponsor is new to sponsoring the arts, could be eligible for an Arts & Business First Time Arts Sponsorship Award.
For further information and to receive regular updates, subscribe to the Show Scotland e-bulletin by e-mailing [email protected] if you have not done so already.

Salary: �29,349 to �38,397 per annum
The Head of Research and Standards leads and manages the provision and development of an evidence base for the museums sector and SMC's activities.
We seek an enthusiastic and organised person with excellent communication skills to manage the Research and Standards team, defining strategy, policy and objectives for SMC research and standards development and contributing to the strategic development of SMC. The successful applicant will be educated to degree level or have equivalent experience. S/he will have good knowledge of policy context, experience in strategic planning, policy development, people management, senior management responsibility and commissioning and analysing research.
For details /an application form, telephone 0131 550 4138
or e-mail [email protected]
Closing date:  Friday 27 October.

Mike Taylor joined SMC as Significance Scheme Manager at the beginning of October.  Mike's move to SMC was prompted by early retirement from Perth and Kinross Council after a long and successful career at Perth Museum and Art Gallery spanning 28 years in which he rose from the position of Keeper of Natural Sciences to Head of Arts and Heritage. For him, the move fulfils a wish to return to museums work and in particular to do more for the museums sector, building on a track record of sector contribution in Scotland and the UK that included serving as Convenor of the Group for Scottish Local Authority Museums (SLAM), on MA Council and on the MLA Accreditation Panel. Mike is no stranger to SMC either, having contributed to a number of committees, the SMC Board and the steering group that supported the development of the Significance Scheme. The post of Significance Scheme Manager is for 3 days a week and Mike aims to combine it with completing a part-time MA in First World War Studies at the University of Birmingham.

SMC has commissioned research to develop a Quality Assurance Framework for museums and galleries. Our consultants are hosting a half-day consultation event aimed at museum and gallery staff on 15 November to gather input regarding the purpose, focus, management and maintenance of the framework. The event will be held in the COSLA offices at Rosebery House, Haymarket, Edinburgh. To attend, please contact Helen Raggett at SMC. T: 0131 550 4112  E: [email protected]

17 November � Aberdeen / 22 November � Dumfries / 24 November � Edinburgh
SMC will be hosting three engagement days to explore the new strategy A national workforce development strategy for Scotland�s museums and the soon-to-be-launched A national collections development strategy for Scotland�s museums.
You are invited to come along to one of the sessions to learn more about the strategies and to share ideas about how they can be put into practice in your museum.
Further information will be available shortly, but please register your interest now with Administrative Assistant Sue Wheeler. T: 0131 550 4113 
E: [email protected]

Consultants currently carrying out a survey among cultural organisations about the future of the Cultural Coordinators and Creative Links Officers programmes on behalf of the Scottish Arts Council would be happy to receive responses from museums in Scotland. This is an opportunity for museums to have their say on the future of this scheme. The survey is online at http://www.ekosonlineresearch.co.uk/cciss2.htm

While the Royal Museum in Edinburgh is undergoing major redevelopment during 2007- 2011, the National Museums of Scotland will not have the usual level of resource available to service external loans. During this period, NMS will continue its commitment to making its collections accessible by maintaining its large number of existing long-term loans to venues in Scotland. NMS will also continue to develop opportunities to work in partnership with other museums and to develop access to collections information online. For details, see the NMS website at http://www.nms.ac.uk/nms/docs/partnerships/RMP_policy.pdf

Earlier this year, the Association of Independent Museums launched a new grant stream, the Sustainability Scheme. These grants are intended to assist small to medium sized AIM member museums to improve their medium and long-term financial sustainability. Examples of ideas for applications include employing a retail consultant and implementing a plan of action, staff training and development, an organisational review or board development programme, development of a business plan or purchase of equipment or software. Grants will normally be for between �3,000 and �5,000 and partnership funding of 10% will usually be required. The grants can be used to match-fund SMC small and main grants. To be eligible, members must have an annual turnover of less than �300,000 or less than 60,000 visitors per year. AIM has released new guidance notes and application form for the next application deadline on 20 December. E: [email protected]  W: http://www.aim-museums.co.uk/

The September issue of Museums Journal featured a cover article �Reach for the Stars' with reflections on why every museum should have a planetarium. Now they can. CosmicSky, a domed theatre exhibition that fuses astronomy with poetry, philosophy, sound and the visual arts, is available for hire for periods of one month and over.
For details, contact Gill Russell, e-mail [email protected]
or Francisco Diego, e-mail [email protected] 
W: www.cosmicsky.co.uk

SMC has received an enquiry from a TV production company which is making a family history programme for ITV. This is a sister programme of the Who Do You Think You Are series and will concentrate on what ancestors did for a living. The producer is researching the history of George Stott, a tailor who worked in Callendar in the 1870s and 80s and then in Edinburgh in the 1890s and 1900s, and Donald Campbell, a baker, who built a successful bakery business in Callendar in 1830 that is still going today.
The production company is interested in finding museum professionals who know about these occupations in the 19th century, and can provide more information. If you can help, please contact Lucia Graves at Wall to Wall. T: 020 7692 3155 
E: [email protected]

The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator has published Guidance for Charity Trustees � acting with care and diligence to assist charity trustees to understand what is expected of them, as individuals and collectively, under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005. A key feature of the publication is a checklist with examples of good practice to help charity trustees fulfil their duties and responsibilities. Copies of the guidance can also be dowloaded from http://www.oscr.org.uk

Rules that come in to force on 6 November mean that museums transporting items by air must either apply to become a 'known consignor' at a cost of �400 per year, pay for a regulated agent to pack and store the cargo, or pay security charges levied by a listed agent or airline. Museums applying for 'known consignor' status will also have to train staff to meet the new rules. For guidance, see the Department for Transport website at ww.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_transsec/documents/page/dft_transsec_023330.hcsp#TopOfPage

Inspiring Learning for All. GEM/SMC Grass Roots Project Training
17 October, Inverness
�30 for SMC and GEM members, �60 for non-members
What is Inspiring Learning for All and how can we use it as an effective tool in our work?
Calum Price, Group for Education in Museums / SMC Learning Development Officer.
T: 07878 737507  E: [email protected]  W: http://www.gem.org.uk/grassroots/gr_index.html

Society of Decorative Art Curators
19 October, Glasgow
No charge but places must be booked in advance
Study Day examining the galleries of the refurbished Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
Pauline Rushton, Department of Decorative Arts, 127 Dale Street, Liverpool L2 2JH.

Angus and Dundee Ancestral Tourism Initiative. �Roots Festival 2008�
25 October, Brechin
The development of a �Roots Festival� to be piloted in Angus and Dundee in 2008.
If successful, it is hoped that the Festival can form a key part of the celebrations for Scotland�s Year of Homecoming in 2009.
Gillian Harrower, Ancestral Tourism Project Manager.  T: 01738 860523  E: [email protected]

Venus and Mars � Marketers and Designers in Alignment
7 November, Glasgow
�69 for AMA members, �109 for non-members
What you need to know to work effectively with print and web designers.
Arts Marketing Association. T: 01223 578078  E: [email protected]
W: www.a-m-a.co.uk/new/news_detail.asp?id=36

An Introduction to Oral History
14 November, Edinburgh
�35 for SMC member museums� volunteers, �70 for SMC / ASVA members,
�90 for non-members
How to get started; who to interview; approaches to questioning; interview dos and don�ts; and what to do after the interview with regard to transcription, copyright, archiving, and evaluation.
Training, SMC.  T: 0131 550 4112  E: [email protected]
W: http://www.scottishmuseums.org.uk/areas_of_work/training/training_programme.asp

A Right to Collections? Cultural Entitlement and Museums
16-17 November, Dundee
�60
Organised by UMiS (University Museums in Scotland), this conference will explore what Cultural Entitlement means for museums.
T: 01382 384310  W: http://www.dundee.ac.uk/umis/conference2006/programme.html

Sense of Belonging: Towards the Inclusive Museum
17 November, London
�100 for MA members, �175 for non-members
Recent initiatives and different approaches to representing the interests and enhancing the well-being of previously marginalised individuals and communities.
Museums Association. T: 020 7426 6940  E: [email protected]
W: http://www.museumsassociation.org/12870

MDA Documentation Planning
21 November, Stirling
�35 for SMC member museums� volunteers, �50 for SMC / ASVA members,
�70 for non-members
Expanding on basic principles of museum documentation, topics will include SPECTRUM, the Museum Accreditation scheme, the identification of museum backlogs, and the content of a Documentation Plan.
Training, SMC.  T: 0131 550 4112  E: [email protected]
W: http://www.scottishmuseums.org.uk/areas_of_work/training/training_programme.asp

Don�t Panic: Dealing with Hazardous Materials in Collections
21-22 November, Birmingham
�75 for 1 day, �150 for 2 days
This ICON Care of Collections Group and Metals Group conference on hazardous materials in collections will highlight issues of risk, solutions to storage, transport, display and disposal.
Emma Roodhouse.  T: 01324 504689  E: [email protected]
W: http://www.icon.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=

Introduction to the School Curriculum. GEM/SMC Grass Roots Project Training
22 November, Dundee
�30 for SMC and GEM members, �60 for non-members
What exactly are the requirements of the 5-14 curriculum and how do we effectively link to them in our learning work?
Calum Price, Group for Education in Museums / SMC Learning Development Officer.
T: 07878 737507  E: [email protected]  W: http://www.gem.org.uk/grassroots/gr_index.html

Managing and Governance - The Critical Differences
23 November, Edinburgh
�60 for SCVO members, �90 for non-member voluntary organisations, �125 for others
The functions of the board and those of the chief officer and how they fit together in the best interests of the organisation.
Jane Baillie, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations.  T: 0131 474 8019  E: [email protected]
W: http://www.scvo.org.uk/scvo/SCVOEvents/ViewSCVOEvents.aspx?al=t&EID=508&from=EventHome

Trading Up: Generating Income from Commercial Activities
27 November, London
�110 for MA members, �185 for non-members
How to identify and utilise assets to increase commercial income without sacrificing the values of an organisation.
Museums Association.  T: 020 7426 6940  E: [email protected]
W: http://www.museumsassociation.org/12874

Should ALL Museums be Family Friendly?
30 November, Glasgow
�75 for GEM members, �95 for non-members
Should all museums and galleries strive to be �family friendly�? Is there a need for �adult only� museum spaces?
Group for Education in Museums.  T: 01634 312409  E: [email protected]
W: http://www.gem.org.uk/cpd/ntd/ntd30nov06.html

Enquire Within: Developing Collections Research
1 December, Manchester
�110 for MA members, �185 for non-members
Working with universities; inventory projects across collections; the potential of new technologies; and how research programmes can be developed and resourced.
Museums Association.  T: 020 7426 6940  E: [email protected]
W: http://www.museumsassociation.org/12877

Slavery 1807 and 2007
7 December, London
�70 for GEM members, �90 for non-members
Preparation for the anniversary celebrations of the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire in 1807.
Group for Education in Museums. T: 01634 312409  E: [email protected]
W: http://www.gem.org.uk/cpd/ntd/ntd07dec06.html