DCMVOX #031 July 2018

#031 July 2018 Dorset County Museum Volunteer Newsletter Welcome to Issue No.31 of DCMVOX…

Tomorrow’s Museum for Dorset: Update You will know that the demolition is underway for the TMD Project. Since mid June, Context One Archaeology has been working to undertake a full archaeological excavation on the site behind the Brawne Building with a programme for public engagement over the summer to be confirmed. Why not go up on the viewing platform in the stable block courtyard after it opens to the public from Monday 2nd July and see what is being uncovered?

Important Announcement: After reviewing recent findings by the Architects and Structural Engineers, the Board of Trustees has decided that for safety reasons, the Museum building will be closing completely on Monday 1st October 2018 to the public, staff and volunteers. All options have been explored to avoid this, but in the final analysis it is simply not possible.

Tea Room Exhibition Thomas Hardy’s Poems in Pictures#

By Jennifer Martindale An exhibition of hand painted woodblock prints illustrating the poetry of Thomas Hardy.

With these rustic woodblocks, hand carved, hand printed and hand coloured images, Jennifer Martindale has tried to share the spirit of the poems.

Although plans are still being finalised, the business itself will remain open throughout the rebuild through a selection of “Pop-up” Museums, “On the Road” displays and other community outreach initiatives. The first Pop-up Museum will be in Brewery Square during October and November. We are actively seeking alternative accommodation and roles for all the staff and volunteers in order to ensure their continued engagement with the museum during its closure. If you have any questions please speak to your line manager / team leader in the first instance, and we will do our best to answer any queries. However, as we are now responding to these developing circumstances, plans are very much still in development and we simply may not have the answer yet. If that is the case, we will say so—so bear with us.

Remember—just because we will be without a building for a short while, it does not mean we cease to function as a museum! We will all need to be flexible, but by working together we can make a success of the enforced closure period.

Jon

For all the latest updates and news, please visit www.tomorrowsmuseumfordorset.org and sign up to the e-newsletter for the latest developments.

Dorset County Museum, High West Street, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1XA Tel: 01305 262735 - www.dorsetcountymuseum.org

Visitor Quote of the Month: I like trains.

Wessex Museums Partnership Workforce Diversity Audit As a volunteer, you should already have received a request to complete a diversity questionnaire. The information gathered through the audit will provide a baseline on our workforce diversity across the partnership and form part of the reporting required for the ACE Annual Survey. The Wessex Museums Partnership is committed to providing equal opportunities and promoting diversity amongst our workforce.

As part of the terms of our Funding Agreement as a National Portfolio Organisation with Arts Council England, we are required to report on the diversity of our workforces (staff, trustees, volunteers) across our four partner museums. In order to help DCM monitor the diversity of its existing workforce, you are asked to contribute to this partnership-wide workforce diversity audit by completing a very short questionnaire. This information is completely anonymous and confidential and will only be shared between the partner museums each other and with Arts Council England. You can access the questionnaire electronically here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/ e/1FAIpQLSddUE4zfSDXOIPhvPxi4-7MtGffl_bhPY1x9WZkrYS_B9-Srg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Rams at Dorchester market c.1960 Topical, given the discussion and consultation about the future of the market site in Dorchester.

Do you live in Dorchester, could you offer bed and board to a visiting speaker?

We need to be able to organise overnight accommodation for Hardy Talk speakers on three of four occasions over the next year. If you run a B&B or have a spare room you would be happy to offer at a sensible price, please do get in touch. secretary@dorsetcountymuseum.org

Volunteer News

well to Chris Dart), Peter Murch has joined our digitisation team and will We are very pleased to welcome several newly accredited volunteers probably be working on our glass slides, and John Mahoney will be to our teams this month, and to working in our office team with welcome as regular volunteers several from our ‘Dippy’ team: Astrid Gabby and Liz Selby. Other ‘Dippy’ volunteers will also be moving into Tipney helps Kath Fox in Finance, Paul Meaden is now fully accredited our regular group as time goes by. in Education, Janet Lithgow and You are all very valuable, are still Marian Moody are with Gemma in Visitor Services, Robert Moody assists greatly needed and recruitment continues apace. Currently we are John Palmer with documentation, Mike Fletcher has joined our Art team dealing with student summer place(where we have with regret said fare- ments, and a great deal of interest in our own ‘dig’ at the back of the

Museum. Keep the applications coming—we always have tasks to do, roles to fill, but please remember that I am in the Museum on Thursday afternoons and Fridays only, so there may be some delay in replies to any emails or phone messages.

Thank you for all you do for the Museum, and thereby for Dorchester and its history.

Sincerely Jill Minchin Volunteer Co-ordinator and Trustee