Museum Accreditation in the UK

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Museum Accreditation in the UK is a process whereby a museum is recognised as meeting best standards in the field in terms of governance and management, collections care and management, and information and services provided to users.

Contents

History

The scheme emerged from the museum sector. The scheme was established in 1988 as the Registration Scheme. [1] [2] It was rebranded the Accreditation Standard in 2005. [3]

The Accreditation Standard and guidance for museums were reviewed and updated in 2018–19. [4] [5] [6] There was another review in 2023–24. [7]

Covid-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Accreditation Scheme was paused from 1 April 2020 and accredited status extended. [8]

Requirements

Three areas of standards must be met to become accredited: organisational health, collections, and users and their experiences. Within each area are more specific requirements.

Organisation

Collections

Users

Process

Most museums are required to submit an initial eligibility questionnaire for assessment. A local team makes an initial assessment and submits recommendatons to the accreditation manager of the relevant national body (Arts Council England (ACE), Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS), Northern Ireland Museums Council, or the Welsh Government). If the body decide to grant approval, the museum is classed as "Working Towards Accreditation" and must submit a full application demonstrating compliance with the three required areas within three years. [13]

In Scotland, museums must either subscribe to MGS or pay a fee for accreditation. [14] Museums in Scotland but covered by the National Heritage (Scotland) Act 1985 receive accreditation from Arts Council England. [14]

Museums are accredited fully for five years and then must demonstrate that they continue to meet standards on a returns schedule. [7] [4]

Organising bodies

The Accreditation Scheme is managed by ACE, MGS, Northern Ireland Museums Council, and the Welsh Government. [4]

From 2014, Hadrian Ellory-van Dekker was appointed chair of the committee. [15]

Recognised museums

About 1800 of the around 2500 museums in the UK are accredited, up from 1304 in 2017. [16] [5] [17] 250 museums in Scotland are Accredited. [4]

Glasgow Women's Library is the only UK accredited museum dedicated to women's history. [18]

Consequences

Museums may apply for accreditation to gain prestige, advice, access to funding or other resources. [3] Losing accreditation can lead to reputational harm and reduced access to funding and resources. [2]

Funding

Museums do not need to be accredited to apply for Museum and Gallery Exhibitions Tax Relief. [19] However, several funding schemes, including those from Art Fund, the Royal Society, and Arts Council England, do require museums to be accredited, in the process of becoming accredited, or to justify why not. [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]

Museums including the Museum of Croydon and Northampton Museum lost accredited status for selling parts of their collections to raise funds. This made them ineligible for some funding streams. [25]

Networking

Accredited museums are part of a UK network. When Bury Art Museum lost accreditation in 2005 due to the sale of a Lowry painting, it was excluded from British networks. After a successful international touring program, the museum was reaccredited in 2014. [26]

Collections

Accredited museums are able to apply to the Treasure Trove Unit to apply for ownership of significant archaeological finds. [27]

Museum accreditation can limit what can be done with collections in terms of engagement, in order to meet professional standards. [28]

Loans and touring exhibitions

Becoming accredited enables museums to host touring exhibitions. [29] British museums that are accredited may not be able to loan artefacts to museums that are not accredited. [30]

Impact on the sector

Jeffrey Abt has suggested that accreditation was part of a trend toward professionalisation and the emergence of the public museum. [3]

2025 review

In 2025, director of museums and cultural property for ACE, Emmie Kell, announced that there would be a review of accreditation. Kell spoke of the challenging financial situation the sector faced. Accreditation will remain open during the review. [31]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Brittni Bradford has observed that accreditation requirements for emergency planning for collections care do not make reference to the Hague Convention or require mitigation of risks posed by armed conflict. [11]

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References

  1. ↑ Stevens, Alex (2018-11-02). "Accreditation scheme relaunched for 30th anniversary". Museums Association. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  2. 1 2 Woodhead, Charlotte (2023-11-23). Caring for Cultural Heritage: An Integrated Approach to Legal and Ethical Initiatives in the United Kingdom. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-1-108-57950-6.
  3. 1 2 3 Macdonald, Sharon (2011-08-24). A Companion to Museum Studies. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   978-1-4443-5794-3.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Accreditation Scheme". Museums Galleries Scotland. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  5. 1 2 "UK Museum Accreditation Scheme". Council of Australasian Museum Directors. 2017-01-25. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  6. ↑ Murphy, Adrian (2018-11-02). "What are the new changes to the Museum Accreditation Scheme?". Museums + Heritage. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  7. 1 2 "UK Museum Accreditation Scheme". Arts Council England. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  8. ↑ "Accreditation Scheme for Museums and Galleries in the United Kingdom: COVID-19 Update". Association of Independent Museums.
  9. ↑ "Accreditation". Collections Trust. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  10. ↑ "Managing collections". Collections Trust. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  11. ↑ Cunliffe, Emma; Fox, Paul (2022). Safeguarding Cultural Property and the 1954 Hague Convention: All Possible Steps. Boydell & Brewer. ISBN   978-1-78327-666-0.
  12. ↑ "Users and their experiences". Collections Trust. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  13. ↑ "Advice – About the UK Museum Accreditation Scheme". Museum Development North. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  14. 1 2 Atkinson, Rebecca (2013-01-30). "MGS to charge non-subscribers for Accreditation". Museums Association. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  15. ↑ Winney, Becky (2014-12-15). "Arts Council announces new chair of the Museums Accreditation Committee". Museums + Heritage. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  16. ↑ "FAQs". Museums Association. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  17. ↑ "The museums map: Mapping access to England's museums". nesta. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  18. ↑ "Women making an exhibition of themselves". BBC News. 2017-12-24. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  19. ↑ "Museum & Gallery Exhibitions Tax Relief FAQs" (PDF). Arts Council England. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  20. ↑ Hardaker, Alistair (2023-06-02). "Arts Council England to invest £20m in second round of investment programme". Museums + Heritage. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  21. ↑ Styles, David (2021-06-22). "Art Fund welcomes applications from museums and galleries for Weston Loan Programme". Museums + Heritage. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  22. ↑ "Museums to benefit from £24 million investment to fund major infrastructure projects". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  23. ↑ "ACE cuts funding for museum development work". ArtsProfessional. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  24. ↑ "Grants to help small museums celebrate local science stories". Museums Association. 2022-01-07. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  25. ↑ "'Rebel' museums face funding blacklist". BBC News. 2015-03-27. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  26. ↑ Murphy, Adrian (2015-09-03). "Bury Art Museum: Touring its way out of trouble". Museums + Heritage. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  27. ↑ "Kirkcudbright Viking treasure bid could need £1m". BBC News. 2015-07-07. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  28. ↑ Krmpotich, Cara; Stevenson, Alice (2024-07-22). Collections Management as Critical Museum Practice. UCL Press. ISBN   978-1-80008-704-0.
  29. ↑ "Accreditation for Northampton museum with 3,500-year-old loincloths". BBC News. 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  30. ↑ Candlin, Fiona (2017-05-18). Micromuseology: An Analysis of Small Independent Museums. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN   978-1-350-04010-6.
  31. ↑ Kendall Adams, Geraldine (2025-01-30). "ACE announces review of Museum Accreditation scheme". Museums Association. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
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