1. Present:
Alan Knox (Aberdeen, Convenor), Neil Curtis (Aberdeen, Secretary), Matthew Jarron (University of Dundee), Richard Devaney (University of Edinburgh), Mungo Campbell (University of Glasgow), Helen Rawson (University of St Andrews), Emma Jane McAdam (University of St Andrews), Angela Edgar (Heriot-Watt University), Ann Jones (Heriot-Watt University), Peter Trowles (Glasgow School of Art), Grant McDougall (Robert Gordon University), Ewen Smith (University of Glasgow), Ian Carradice (University of St Andrews)
Apologies
Jane Cameron (University of Stirling), Donna Holford-Lovell (Abertay University), John Scally (University of Edinburgh)
2. Minutes of committee meeting on 3rd September 2008
The minutes were approved.
3. Matters arising
a. Metrics
Thanks for information supplied; to be collated by Alan Knox. There will probably be some issues of clarification
b. SFC funding consultation
Nothing to report - SFC institutional grant letter to be sent out on 31st March.
c. 2008 UMIS Conference
November conference was very successful, with conference proceedings to be publish in Museum Management and Curatorship. Conference accounts were not yet completed, but a profit was expected. Jane has offered Stirling on museum architecture for 2010 - this was welcomed and would be pursued. MGS are willing to try to coincide their AGM and would be contacted, with particular reference to the location of the MGS 2009 AGM.
ACTION - Neil Curtis to contact Jane Cameron and MGS.
d. 2008 UMAC conference
We had a banner display and distributed leaflets.
e. AHRC Workshops
These are being held in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh in February to investigate metrics on cultural engagement. The workshop in Aberdeen on 20th February still has places.
4. SFC SPIRIT funding
a. Revealing the hidden collections
The project has now formally started - refer to minutes
b. Next round of funding
There is an expectation that there will be a more competitive second round of funding, and we have been encouraged to apply, either individually or collectively. A possibility might be to focus on user engagement. This will be discussed at the next committee meeting.
5. Website
a. Domain name
Our bid for www.umis.ac.uk was rejected.
ACTION: Alan Knox to appeal.
b. MGS link
MGS will not link to non-members (such as UMIS).
c. Updates & reports
Only Glasgow is regularly sending reports
ACTION: All to send news and reports (or URLs), including information about the SPIRIT project, to Matthew.
d. Web statistics
ACTION: Matthew Jarron to circulate current web statistics.
6. Discovering Physical Objects: meeting the researchers' needs (RIN report)
Some members had contributed to the study. The report would be followed up by the researchers who were inviting comments about the report and its implications. UMIS had been specifically invited to comment.
Although many aspects discussed were already well understood, the report highlights the need for sustainable resources for documentation as tool to enable public engagement, research etc. We welcome the focus on increasing access rather than waiting for perfect internal documentation before enabling public access. The report does not fully recognise the impact that the absence of Renaissance and Designation funding in Scotland has had in disadvantaging Scottish museums, while the lack of curatorial research time also raises problems, as does continuing under-resourcing of access to the collections themselves as well as information about them. This has resulted in a significant lack of item-level cataloguing and collection knowledge. Interoperability, geo-referencing and terminology control by museums is also at an early stage. We need fuller investigation of the demands of users to set priorities.
ACTION - Alan Knox to send comments to RIN.
7. Partnerships
a. Scotland & Medicine
In the absence of Dawn Kemp there was no report.
b. UMG
Alan Knox is involved in discussions in UMG about their role, especially as it relates to Scotland, with the suggestion that a more formalised relationship between UMG and UMIS (e.g. with conferences).
c. Libraries & Archives
Nothing to report.
d. National Museums of Scotland
We were disappointed to discover the involvement of NMS in the Edinburgh University research seminar without our involvement, though information put together by Ewen Smith about UMIS is being distributed at the seminar. Jilly Burns will be invited to a future committee meeting.
e. STICK
Nothing to report
8. UMIS AGM
Nothing to report
9. AOB
Peter to contact Laura Hamilton (Strathclyde) and Neil to contact Margaret Stewart (Edinburgh College of Art) to encourage them to participate in the work of UMIS as both are members.
10. Date of next meetings
It was agreed that these would align where possible with SPIRIT meetings.
The next committee meeting would be on 28th April.
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