Taskforce report calls for a ‘brave approach to collections management’ 14 Mar 2018

The Museums Taskforce, convened by the Museums Association in 2016, has produced a new brief report on the issues facing museums. It focuses on relevance, funding and collections, with a particular step change in tone in discussing collections. It comments that “it is well understood that many museums have full stores, collections acquired inconsistently and gaps in collections knowledge. It is necessary to break the cycle of having too much material that is not being used or delivering public benefit.” The report recommends a ‘brave a brave approach to collections management’ which may mean a more ‘radical’ approach to disposal, in order to protect the core collections of museums. The Taskforce now intends to work with stakeholders to realise its recommendations and will report to the MA conference in November. Museums Journal, Taitmail