Museum of Kent Life
April Issue 2001
The AIM Bulletin is the main communication channel for the UKs 1000+ independent museums and heritage organisations - half the total provision for the British Isles - which have been in the forefront of the museum movement for over 20 years.IN THIS ISSUE
- Rural museums are threatened with permanent closure as a result of the foot and mouth epidemic. Many are registered agricultural holdings and have their own livestock, which they are unable to move. Independent museums, many of which are charities, are reliant on visitors coming through the gates for their income and do not have the cushion of substantial financial reserves. As the disease worsens many of them face insolvency, putting their nationally-important collections in jeopardy. AIM has joined other museum and tourism organisations in calling for urgent Government help in the form of grants and interest-free loans. Page 1.
- Museums are in danger of forced closure or warehousing collections because a period of uncontrolled expansion has run out of steam, says East Midlands Museums Service director Adrian Babbidge in the latest issue of Cultural Trends, produced by the Policy Studies Institute. Another £29 million is needed to pay for the running costs of lottery-funded new buildings and extensions, he says. A coherent national museums policy is now essential to test what should be saved and what should go. Page 2.
- AIM has launched its EdWeb pilot project, providing 14 small museums with high quality educational content on the web. One of AIM’s most important projects for its members, EdWeb will be cascaded through the rest of the membership in the second phase of the scheme currently being funded. The Carnegie UK Trust and Resource, the Council for Museums Archives and Libraries financed the project, which can be viewed through the AIM website www.museums.org/aim. Page 3.
- Culture secretary Chris Smith and Resource chairman Lord Evans were urged to build an effective case for endowment funding for the museum sector by Charles Saumarez-Smith, director of the National Portrait Gallery, giving the annual AIM Lecture at Sotheby’s. State-aided revenue support would ensure sustainable development of existing museums and prevent them from living on the edge of a precipice. Current systems of public funding were in danger of throttling the survival and health of the museum sector. Page 4.
Next AIM event . . .
- AIM’s 24th Annual Conference on 10-12 May focuses on collaboration. Crossing Boundaries - New Ways of Working for Museums will highlight a range of exciting projects where museums have successfully linked with others to achieve a high profile for our cultural heritage. Based at the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, near Chichester, West Sussex, the conference also includes a study day of visits to museums and heritage projects in the South Downs. Dr Stuart Davies, head of strategy and planning at Resource, the Council for Museums Archives and Libraries will give the conference address.
Also in this issue
- Redundancies at the Black Country Living Museum in the West Midlands
- Highland independents to benefit from new funding formula
- AIM calls for new body to provide security for museum collections
- The new climate change levy and how museums can claim exemption
- Charity Commission begins a review of museums’ charitable status
