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National Museums Scotland launches new national strategy
Fifth national strategy focuses on sharing collections and sector support
National Museums Scotland (NMS) has launched its fifth national strategy for the Scottish sector, with a focus on increasing engagement with the national collection and supporting collections knowledge and skills.
Delivering Across Scotland: National Strategy 2023-2027 follows consultation earlier this year into the impact of NMS’s national role. This identified the “fragility of the culture and heritage sector and its funding environment” as well as gaps in expertise and support.
In response, the new strategy has two core priorities: sharing Scotland’s collections for the benefit of people, places and communities through national partnership working, and increasing in support provided to the sector around collections knowledge and skills.
The former priority includes providing a national loans programme to increase the overall reach, profile and impact of the National Collection; delivering learning and engagement activities; and developing partnerships and external funding to support or trial new approaches to access the National Collection across Scotland.
NMS will also administer a National Fund for Acquisitions; share its expertise through targeting training; and champion improvements in collections infrastructure nationally.
It will also raise funds for a series of targeted collections knowledge and skills building projects.
Jilly Burns, head of national and international partnerships at NMS, said: "We are delighted to be continuing and developing new opportunities to share the National Collection across Scotland, building on recent examples such as long-term loans of material to Kilmartin Museum, Trimontium Museum in Melrose and Comunn Eachdraidh Nis in Lewis with contributions to, for example, the new Perth Museum opening next year.
"We couldn’t do this without the partnerships we have with other museums across the country and working on shared interests to bring direct benefits to people, places and communities through museum collections."