Last week, representatives from 6 museums and a gallery from the NSW mid-north coast met at the Bunker Cartoon Gallery in Coffs Harbour to embark on their M&GNSW 2014 Standard program.
The Introduction to Standards workshop heralds the start of a year-long program that guides volunteers and paid staff from the participating museums and galleries through a process of self-review and external feedback. Guided by a panel of museum professionals the museums assess their practices and policies against minimum standards developed for public museums and galleries in Australia.
The Standards Review Program is designed to assist small to medium museums and galleries to operate sustainably—it focuses on managing their museums, engaging with the community and caring for their collections.
This year’s group is extremely enthusiastic and the energy in the workshop was high throughout the day. The day kicked off with a short introduction from each of the museums and gallery. It was fascinating to learn about their different collections, and to hear some of the common challenges they face.
After a run down on what to expect throughout the year, including some insights from previous participants, the group got stuck into some practical work, going through the first section of the Self Review Survey, which sets out the benchmarks that each museum and gallery will consider themselves against. The session was lively and engaging—an excellent sign for the year ahead!
This is a program designed to assist small to medium museums and galleries to operate sustainably—it focuses on managing their museums, engaging with the community and caring for their collections.
Some facts:
- 113 museums, galleries and keeping places from NSW have taken part in the program.
- The program was first delivered in 2003.
- Similar programs are delivered in South Australia by History SA and in Queensland by Museums and Galleries Queensland.
- The program is based on the National Standards for Australia Museums and Galleries through which organisations assess their practice and delivery in areas of management, community engagement and collection care.
- Participants of the Standards Program are eligible to use the Standards badge as identification of their Standards attainment.
Museums participating in the 2014 program:
Dorrigo & Guy Fawkes Historical Museum
Mary Boulton Pioneer Cottage & Museum, Macksville
