1. Present/Apologies

In attendance: Jane Robinson (Museums Galleries Scotland), Ruxandra-Iulia Stoica (Edinburgh College of Art)

Apologies: Matthew Jarron (University of Dundee), Jane Cameron (University of Stirling), Peter Trowles (Glasgow School of Art)

2. Approval of minutes of committee meeting on 20th August 2009
The minutes were approved.

3. Matters arising
a) SFC funding review
There was no further news on the review of SFC funding of university museums.
b) Museums Summit
Following the summit during the summer, a think-tank had been set up by the Minister to report to a second summit in spring. Ewen Smith is the only university museum member of the think-tank. Two sub-committees had been established, one considering the case for MGS and the other looking at models elsewhere. The balance between national, local authority and independent (including university) museums was being considered, with the status of industrial museums and Glasgow Museums being particularly noted. A similar summit had been held to consider the built environment and there was discussion about a joint meeting of the two groups. It was agreed the Ewen should be invited to future UMIS meetings following his retiral to report on the museums summit

c) Membership
Ruxandra Stoic was welcomed as representative of Edinburgh College of Art which was in the process of joining UMIS.
The possibility of the Royal Scottish Academy being invited to join was discussed, noting that it had its origin in a teaching collection and other similarities with university museums. It was agreed to contact them.
ACTION: NC to contact RSA.

4. SFC SPIRIT project
A Project Board meeting had been held in the morning, which had including a fruitful discussion about work with the Culture Grid with Phil Purdy and Neil Smith. A test data transfer had taken place with some issues having been identified and these discussions were continuing at an IT sub-committee meeting in the afternoon. Content creation is generally on line with the project plan, though this would require close monitoring. Amy Miller had been appointed as Project Officer and has started work on user consultation. Joint publicity with the Collections Trust would be issued shortly, with scope for further publicity.
Jane Robinson noted potential synergies with the SPIRIT project and encouraged publicity for the project. MGS were considering working with Recognised collections to make collections descriptions available. Close working between the SPIRIT project and MGS was encouraged.
ACTION: NC to contact Rachel (MGS)
One of the important legacies of the project would be the partnership working as well as the project deliverables, building on the existing strong network of UMIS. Close working with other university sections and staff had also been established. It might also be very valuable for the future of SFC funding. The importance of a shared vision and light-touch monitoring were felt to have been very helpful in enabling success to date. Evaluation of the project, its process, impact and relationships would be considered later in the project.

5. Partnerships etc.
a) Museums Galleries Scotland
Jane Robinson said that she was pleased to be attending the meeting and was keen to develop working with UMIS in the future. She also encouraged asking for support from MGS for the conference, including grant-aid.
Ewen Smith commented that he felt that the new MGS grants application process was improved and simplified. Jane Robinson noted that on the basis of pre-applications for the major grant scheme, it was looking to be over-subscribed. Ewen had raised the issue of the Scottish Emigration Museum project and had been re-assured that the proposal was for a virtual museum reliant on partnerships with existing museums. There was a proposal for the MGS AGM on 8th February in Stirling that there would be no increase in the membership rates.
With the retiral of Ewen Smith, a new representative of university museums on the board of MGS would be required, with nominations(s) needed by 8th December. If there was only one candidate, it was likely that they might be able to attend the January MGS board meeting as an observer.
ACTION: NC to contact members to ask for eligible nominations to be sent to Emma Davies in MGS before 8th December, who could also provide information.
b) Scotland & Medicine
A project meeting would be held on 19th November.
c) UMG
Details of a seminar on 6th January had been circulated. UMG were revising their constitution and had used the UMIS draft constitution as a model. HEFCE were reviewing their funding of museums in England.

6. Website
It was noted that the domain www.umis.ac.uk had been approved.

7. Approval of minutes of AGM on 4th February 2009
The minutes were approved.

8. Convenor's report
Due to the delay in the 2008 AGM, this is the second AGM this year, following the meeting in St Andrews in February 2009. In the intervening period the Committee has met three times and the members have come together six times for Board meetings of the SPIRIT project - undoubtedly a record.
Some of the matters that have attracted our attention in the last nine months have included -

• Start of our SFC-funded SPIRIT project to make information about the holdings of nine of our members available to the public, and the success of the project to date, not just in its main objectives in documenting our collections, but also the communal learning experiences about Collection Level Descriptions and OAI, and in the benefits from working much closer together than we ever have before; the latter may turn out to be the most important legacy of this landmark project
• Recognition for the Mackintosh collection at the Glasgow School of Art
• Accreditation for 3 museum sites in St Andrews: Musa, Gateway Galleries and the Bell Pettigrew Museum (with a commendation for MUSA for its interpretation)
• Closer liaison with UMG, including the joint symposium on museum funding held at Manchester in June
• Continued high success rates for grants from MGS for Recognised Collections and other grants
• The publication of the RIN report - Discovering physical objects, and the implications for resource discovery in our museums, in part to be addressed through the SPIRIT project
• Participation of several members in the Public Catalogue Foundation's programme to capture the works of art in our collections
• Participation by members in the Culture Minister's Museums Summit and subsequent Think-tank
• The review of the next phase of the museum Accreditation scheme (where concerns were raised over suggestions for additional requirements and the added burden on applicants) and several other consultations
• The restructuring of the SFC grants to universities, and the implications of the Horizon Fund on funding for museums
• The review of university museum funding south of the Border, and the anticipated review by SFC of university museum funding in Scotland, about which there is nothing we can report
• The inevitability of resource cuts for universities and university museums
• The revision of the ageing, UMIS constitution, which got a little disconnected from reality
• Continued closure of the displays at Marischal Museum, Aberdeen; closure of part of the Main Hall at the Hunterian for roof repairs
• Successful registration (after a struggle) of www.umis.ac.uk

Membership
The current membership of UMIS stands at 15 institutions: 13 universities, the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, and we welcome the Edinburgh College of Art, joining this year.
During the year we said goodbye to Dawn Kemp who left the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh for a new role as General Manager of the Chelsea Physic Garden in London. Dawn was a keen participant in UMIS and played a leading part in the highly successful Scotland and Medicine partnership. We wish her well in her new job.
And, at this meeting, our Treasurer, Ewen Smith, will be stepping down after many years of service as our Treasurer, in advance of his retirement as the Director of the Hunterian Museum at Glasgow University. We would like to thank him for his unfaltering support of UMIS, and his diplomatic advocacy of the Scottish university museum sector with MGS, the current Ministerial Think-tank and elsewhere. We wish him a long and happy retirement.

9. Treasurer's report
The Treasurer reported that the balance owed to UMiS as at 31 October 2009 totalled £5,145:73 (compared with a figure for the previous year of £4,251:45). Over the course of the year, 13 new and one delayed annual subscription had been received from members, each of £50:00 (total £700:00), and a modest amount of bank interest (£12:28) had been received. In addition, the bi-annual conference had produced a surplus of £282:00. Expenditure had been incurred to a total value of £100:00 in support of attendance by two members at the UMG Conference. Finally, one annual subscription of £50:00 (Edinburgh College of Art) was outstanding, and a commitment to pay the registration fee associated with use of the 'UMIS' domain name (£94:00) was accrued.
He recommended that no change be made to the current level of the Annual Subscription, and the AGM approved the recommendation

10. Constitution
The revised constitution was approved.

11. Elections
Following the prescriptions of the new constitution, the following were elected, with terms to avoid coincident retirals.
Convenor - Alan Knox (until 2012)
Treasurer - Jacky MacBeath (until 2011)

12. AOB
There was no other business.

13. Date of next meeting
Proposed dates would be discussed by email.

Back to menu