Debt-ridden British Museum

[garybrun]

Have any of you seen this today???

quote:It spends less on new acquisitions than almost any other major museum in the world and is currently £2 million in the red. Yet the British Museum has been able to find tens of thousands of pounds to send its 23-strong team of trustees and top managers on a series of foreign trips.

The museum, home to the Elgin marbles and the Rosetta Stone, has dispensed with the tradition of holding its annual meeting of trustees at its London headquarters and has instead begun holding them overseas.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jht...seum22.xml

How can archaeologists stand by and let this happen???
How can the general public stand by and let this happen??

http://www.ukdfd.co.uk
Recording OUR heritage for future generations.

[BAJR Host]

I guess becuase we as archaeolgists have little to do with Museum Management .. The way we are going (so they say) is we will all be Heritage Environment Professionals
and that will encompass all related Heritage Disciplines

Architectural Historian, Museum Personnel, University, Contractors, Govt Agencies, specialists, etc etc.... but until then... we can only look at this other sector and sigh>... then loko at our own and sigh more.

Museums and Archaeology are not as close as some would believe. :face-huh:

"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[garybrun]

Well you guys need start educating people so they do know.
The general public I think automatically connects archaeology with Museums.
Anything bad within this sector automatically taints your own.

http://www.ukdfd.co.uk
Recording OUR heritage for future generations.

[historic building]

quote:How can archaeologists stand by and let this happen???
How can the general public stand by and let this happen??

It is up to the museum's trustees how they spend their money not 'archaeologists'.

[garybrun]

quote:It is up to the museum's trustees how they spend their money not 'archaeologists'.

But surly you have some influence???
Are there not archaeologists on the board of trustees???

http://www.ukdfd.co.uk
Recording OUR heritage for future generations.

[BAJR Host]

Doubt it... It would be like building engineers telling architects what to do...

same broad profession... different professions

"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[garybrun]

So how do you call to account people in a situation like this??

http://www.ukdfd.co.uk
Recording OUR heritage for future generations.

[Paul Belford]

There are links between archaeology and museums. Some Museums, such as the Museum of London, or the Ironbridge Gorge Museum, maintain archaeology units which operate in the commercial sector as well as providing museum services. Therefore such archaeologists do have a role in Museum management, and in heritage management more broadly.

In terms of the specifics of the BM, its current Board of Trustees are listed here

http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/corporate/index.html

A quick glance shows one very well-known archaeologist is on the Board, and there may be others but not as instantly recongisable (to me) as Professor Cunliffe. It actually looks like a well-balanced group representing the broad range of interests in the Museum.

However its funding is the responsibility of Government, not the trustees. The BM itself will be restricted as to the amount of independent fundraising it can undertake, and the sources of income (other than Government funds) it can access.

A "series of foreign trips" could well be money well spent if they are collaborating with colleagues overseas, I guess it might be better to read the Museum's annual report rather than the Telegraph's knee-jerk reaction to determine the thinking behind and usefulness (or otherwise) of this sort of spending.

[garybrun]

Thanks for that Paul.


http://www.ukdfd.co.uk
Recording OUR heritage for future generations.

[Curator Kid]

It may also be the case that some of the "foreign trips" would be related to arrangements for bringing collections of material from museums overseas for special one-off exhibitions at the BM. These are generally excellent and give members of the public the chance to see and learn about sites and artefacts that normally they would only see if they went abroad - or more likely wouldn't see at all. It would be a poor show if our national museum were criticised for doing this kind of work.