THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER ANNUAL REPORT 2006-2007 THE MANCHESTER MUSEUM INTRODUCTION 2006-7 was an exceptional year for the Museum, with visitor numbers reaching over a quarter of a million for only the second time in the Museum’s history, and with significant increases in contacts with school groups, priority users, and increased numbers of courses drawing on the collection for teaching. Eight exhibitions were held, most of them exemplary cases of how a university museum can bring a distinctive focus to public engagement, and several of them dealing with topical and controversial issues such as slavery and race. The Museum successfully balanced the demands of its plural funders (principally the University, AHRC, the Government (via Renaissance in the Regions) and project funders such as HLF and Arts Council). It also increased its own income generation capacity through its shop, café and corporate hire, and the appointment of a Head of Fundraising and Development led to increased grants of £175,000 in five months. The Museum continued to ensure that all of its activities contribute to the 2015 agenda, particularly the goals of high international standing, (support for) world-class research, excellent teaching and learning, widening participation and more effective community service. PERFORMANCE AGAINST THE MANCHESTER MUSEUM STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL PLANS Towards the end of 2005-6, the Museum developed a detailed Operational Plan for 2006-7. The activities in the plan were organised in relation to the following objectives, and each individual activity was cross-referenced to the 2015 agenda and/or the agendas of other funders. The plan itself was over 20 pages long, so we have chosen to present here some of the major highlights and indicate where plans were not achieved 1.
Further develop existing and new audiences
We exceeded our target of 200,000 visitors this year by over 50,000, meaning that the numbers of visitors to the Museum have gone up by 60,000 over the past two years. Work continued on the development of a new community-focused introductory gallery, the Manchester Gallery (opening April 2009) which will tell the story of why collections from all over the world came to Manchester, and how in later generations people from the same parts of the world also came to Manchester. The DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund granted the project £120,000.
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The following exhibitions were held: •
Wild Britain (Aug 23 2006- Aug 16 2007) Popular exhibition of wildlife photographs by Ben Hall
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Hop, Stock and Bent (3 Nov 2006-18 Feb 2007) Artist Françoise Sergy selected five common British plants as the subjects for extensive photo-biographies charting germination, cultivation, habitat, and commercial uses. Her photographs were accompanied by Herbarium specimens and other objects from the Museum’s collection.
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Alchemy Artists (24 Feb-29 April 2007) An exhibition of work by artists selected for the 2006-08 Alchemy Fellowships. Jordan Baseman, Ilana Halperin, Jamie Shovlin and Nick Jordan and Jacob Cartwright presented work alongside commentaries from their research collaborators from University and Museum staff.
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Revealing Histories (From 24 March 2007) To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Act, the Museum produced a unique display based on new research illuminating links between slave trade and the Museum’s collection. The display formed the focal point for interventions throughout a number of galleries and a new exhibit exposing narratives related to slavery, and the resulting public response. An extensive public programme followed, including a specially commissioned live interpretation work, performed throughout the galleries between March and late August. ‘This Accursed Thing’ was part of an AHRC-funded research project into ‘Performance, Learning and Heritage’, involving a close collaboration between the Museum and the University’s Music and Drama Dept, and was accompanied by objects from the Museum’s collection. All of the above formed part of the Museum’s contribution to the ‘Revealing Histories: Remembering the Slave Trade’, a joint project across eight museums and galleries in Greater Manchester, with the Manchester Museum as Chair. A grant of some £300,000 was secured from HLF for this work.
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After Life (From 28 April 2007) Incorporating work from artists Julian Stair, Christie Brown and Nadine Jarvis alongside contemporary funeral products, After Life makes links between Ancient Egyptian and modern Western approaches to funerals and remembrance.
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A Place for Everything; making order out of chaos (5 May-31 October 2007) To commemorate the 300th anniversary of the birth of Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, the Museum presented an extensive programme including a new display in the entrance hall and series of interventions in the Natural Life galleries examining notions of classification. A new work funded by the Arts Council, Temporary Names – Nomenclatio Transitorus, by artist Fred Langford Edwards, resulting from research on the Museum’s collection, was shown as part of the programme. This exhibition was accompanied by a dedicated public programme
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throughout the period, involving a number of public talks and family friendly events developed and delivered by museum staff, the wider university and external partners. •
Between Two Cultures; a dialogue in jewellery (30 June-2 September 2007) Jeweller Sarah O’Hana, based in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, showed new work made through laser processing alongside prototypes and experiment samples from the school.
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Revealing Histories: Myths about Race (From 25 August 2007) Created by a group of activists, collectors, academics, curators and archivists from inside and outside the Museum, Myths about Race features objects on loan, and from the Museum collection, that illustrate how racist thought was embedded in Victorian institutions. The gallery also looks at how individuals and organisations in Manchester have worked to dispel racist ideas. Myths about Race is designed as a provocative space that encourages contemplation and response. A series of related programmes, including public debates, is taking place throughout the year. (‘Myths About Race’ also formed part of the Museum’s response to the regional Revealing Histories project – see above)
In addition, the following improvements were made: •
Plans were begun for the refurbishment of the Archaeology, Egyptology and Natural History galleries
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Access to the museum was improved through installation of automatic opening entrance doors, improvements to ventilation and orientation, funded by the DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund
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The ‘In Touch’ museum volunteer programme was launched in Jan 2007 as a collaboration between the Museum and Imperial War Museum North, funded by HLF. The programme works with long-term unemployed local people to give them experience of working in the Museum, learning transferable skills (presentation, customer care etc) supported by Trafford College.
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On 15 June, the Museum celebrated the completion of a substantial re-fit of the top floor galleries. This extensive refurbishment has provided visitors with a number of new facilities. The dedicated, permanent Picnic Area has been installed in response to visitor feedback, and provides an area away from collections where visitors can rest and eat their own food. Play + Learn is a new space targeted at families with young children, with quiet activities and comfortable spaces where they can read, draw, handle objects and relax.
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2.
Improve access to, and management of, collections
The Resource Centre In May 2007, the Museum opened the Resource Centre, on the top floor of the 1885 building. Funded by the DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund, the aim of the Centre is to provide a central space where anyone (member of the public, student, academic staff) can study material from the collection which they have requested in advance. The Contact Zone At around the same time, the Museum opened the Contact Zone, a studio space where community interpretations of material in the collection can be filmed as part of the Collective Conversations programme. The studio can also be used for web-casting. Documentation Developments Using funding from the North West Hub, the Museum has once again continued to run the Collective Conversations project. This has created over 100 films now delivered through YouTube and incorporated into the Museum’s collections management system. Following on from the earlier development of the Documentation Plan, bulk accessioning and cataloguing has been undertaken for the large Natural Science collection areas while the rest of the collection is being catalogued to item level. In total there are 430,396 Catalogue records, covering 979,778 items which represents just over 23% of the estimated collection. Conservation and conservation-based research The Museum has now introduced a new integrated pest management system throughout the building and collection areas. This allows for the monitoring and recording of pests over longer periods and enables an increased assessment of risk for the collection. The Museum has also developed new storage protocols for human remains and has begun to introduce these across the collection. Other improvements to the care of the collection have included the palaeontological cave material which was re-stored to aid access and specimens showing pyrite decay have been reviewed, documented and repackaged. The Tenontosaurus is being worked on by conservation staff as an ongoing project and the Museum has received a grant from the Curry Fund to photograph and repackage the Type & Figured fossil collection. In Botany around 2,000 herbarium sheets have been remounted onto archival quality mounting paper and re-housed in archival quality species folders, while 5,000 sheets have been removed from cardboard box/plastic bag storage and re-housed in species folders filed within appropriate taxonomic sequence. Work on the Anthropology collection area has seen the successful relocation and restorage of the large ceramics collection into a designated room and the completion of a new environmentally-controlled room for storage of textiles from all collection areas. The movement of the Ceramics Collection has allowed for improvements in the Africa store where preliminary movement of the most fragile material has already begun.
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Electronic Access The Museum website is now delivered using the same content management system as the rest of the University. This allows the Museum to inherit the design and navigation style of the main University website and also allows for Museum content to be searched alongside that of other areas of the University. Separate websites are still maintained for the Alderley Edge project and Alchemy websites, which can now be reached via the new www.alderleyedge.manchester.museum and www.alchemy.manchester.museum addresses. Work is progressing to integrate the Designation Challenge Funded Kahun website and the Leverhulme-funded Alderley Edge Sandhills Project website. The new interface of the main website has required the development of a new webservice and interface to the collections management database containing data and images of the Museum’s collection this will be implemented shortly. Figures on electronic access to the collection are given below. Policy development The Museum continues to lead nationally on the ethics of human remains in museums. In the last year we have been active in raising the issue of authority and decision-making around British human remains at various conferences and in the Museums Journal, in particular organising a conference on Respect for British Human Remains which brought together many shades of opinion. After an open public consultation, the Museum’s new Human Remains Policy, which breaks new ground in being proactive in involving all interested parties in discussions and decisions about human remains, was signed off by the University’s Senior Executive Team. The consultation for the temporary exhibition of Lindow Man brought together archaeologists, scientists, museologists, local residents and councillors, community representatives and local Pagans and resulted in a rich, many stranded, multivocal content within which the importance of Lindow Man to different contemporary communities is explored in their own voices. Together with the Whitworth Art Gallery, the Museum chairs the north-west region Collections for the Future steering group. During the last year this group allocated £300,000 of Renaissance in the Regions money in regional curatorial development and collections care, dividing the money into three distinctive strands: three posts, two challenge funds, and a series of best practice events, training and skills development. 3.
Improve learning and standards of engagement for users, staff and volunteers
The number of school students visiting the Museum increased again this year to over 50,000. In order to meet demand, we also continued our programme of outreach work to schools and communities. Early Years (0-5yrs) The Museum has been leading the Hub consortium of museums and galleries in developing a partnership with SureStart and local children’s centres. Working closely with professional colleagues in the children’s services sector the Project Coordinator aims to embed a high quality Early Years museum and gallery experience in the strategic planning of provision for children under 5 and their parents and to raise awareness in both sectors of
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the benefits of this strategic approach. An example of one model for how museums and galleries can work with young children, parents, carers and practitioners to develop opportunities for creativity was Creative Collaborators, a partnership between the Museum, Rusholme Children’s Centre, SureStart, Manchester Education Partnerships and CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment). This project culminated in an exhibition in the Museum, Imagine Their Shadows, in August 2007. Primary Following a review of provision for schools and colleges, the Learning Team has redeveloped the Primary programme to make the visit more useful for pupils and teachers. Three new “Gallery Explorer” sessions have been developed on Ancient Egypt, Arts Inspiration and Variety of Life and six new “Project Workshops” on Dinosaurs, Bones & Skeletons, Rocks, Archaeology, Greeks and Art from objects. A key aim of the new Primary strategy is to build more sustainable relationships with schools, particularly those in areas of multiple deprivation, and to reach out to new audiences through follow up work at school, involving carers and the local school community. This way of working is being piloted with several schools, including St Patrick’s RC Primary in Ancoats. A new timetable for Museum-based activities has been developed to ease overcrowding in certain areas (notably Ancient Egypt) and make better use of the other galleries and collections. This emphasis on improving the quality of the educational experience will provide more time and opportunity for pupils in the Museum. MAGPIE (Manchester Museums and Galleries Pilot) This was the third year of this literacy project for Primary pupils developed in partnership with Manchester Education Partnership (MEP) and other North West Hub venues. The Museum has worked with local schools to develop and deliver gallery-based activities designed to raise levels of attainment in literacy for years 3 and 4. Longitudinal evaluation conducted by the University of Warwick has recorded a significant improvement in the literacy levels of the pupils who have taken part in the project. 30 schools were involved in the project in 2006-07. Initial Teacher Training (ITT) partnership project (Renaissance-funded) With the Whitworth Art Gallery and other Hub venues, the Museum is developing a model for training student teachers in museum and gallery learning, linking up venues with their local ITT provider in order to place trainee teachers in museums and galleries. Primary schools outreach The Renaissance-funded Schools Outreach Coordinator (Primary) has been working with the Curators of Learning and other colleagues to develop interactive outreach sessions on National Curriculum-related topics – Ancient Egypt, Living Things and Victorian Collecting. She has also been building sustainable relationships with local primary schools and their wider communities in areas of multiple deprivation. The sessions are being piloted in the Autumn term 2007 and 15 schools have been identified for the initial phase. As the programme is rolled out the target is to reach 2-3 schools per week and to engage the whole school and wider community wherever possible.
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Dig Manchester Now in its third year, the educational strand of this HLF-funded community archaeology project has been led by the Museum, in partnership with the University’s Field Archaeology Unit and Manchester City Council. The project has again involved schools and families within ODPM Neighbourhood Renewal priority areas in the city (Wythenshawe and Northenden). More schools (17) have booked for Dig Manchester sessions in Wythenshawe Park, including three of the four Wythenshawe Secondary Schools. Community Archaeology in-school archaeology sessions have been developed with the help of Moorlands Primary School, Sale, and a branch of the Young Archaeologists Club has been started at the Manchester Museum. YAC meets regularly every third Saturday in the month. 45 children were registered as members at the end of August, of which just over half turn up at any one time for a session. 4.
Increase collaboration and engagement with University, cultural assets and regional to international partners
A closer working relationship was established with the Whitworth Art Gallery through a series of shared management meetings, with the result that the finance staff, learning teams and technical staff of both institutions now work more closely together and a shared research project on landscape is being developed. Widening Participation One of the major collaborative areas is around Widening Participation, where as part of the University’s Widening Participation initiative the Museum has developed the Gateway Programme – an innovative set of progressive workshops and activities for schools using hands-on investigation, discussion and debate to develop research skills from an early age and to raise the academic expectations of pupils. This year, the Museum has enhanced this service with support from Renaissance in the Regions by recruiting a Schools Outreach Coordinator, an Educational Resources Developer, two Programme Developers for Primary and a Lead Educator (Humanities) for Secondary and Post-16 learning programmes. Uptake of secondary schools in Widening Participation initiatives has been increased through development of new working partnerships with Gifted & Talented coordinators and teachers through mailing and phone enquiries. A new teachers’ advisory panel has been set up and is planned to meet three times a year. The summer programme has engaged six new schools that have not visited before from the University’s priority areas. Higher Futures 4U A 3-way partnership with EiC (Excellence in Cities), the University of Manchester and the Museum, this is a Widening Participation orientation programme for pupils in years 4, 5, 6 from priority areas as defined by the University. Pupils take part in activities across campus including science exploration activities in the Museum. Real World Science - Strategic Commissioning Education Project
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The Museum’s award-nominated science programme for schools and colleges (KS3-KS5) has been developed in partnership with University faculties, the Natural History Museum, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, the Hancock Museum, Tyne and Wear, and King’s College London. Graduate students demonstrate cutting edge techniques in the Museum’s lab to pupils, boosting self-esteem and skills to help raise attainment at GCSE and Alevel. Real World Science is working on a six month feasibility survey to diversify the programme from Biological Sciences to include a Real Earth Science stream. New developments in Humanities The Renaissance-funded Lead Educator has been collaborating with the Humanities Faculty, collection Curators and local teachers and advisers to redevelop the Museum’s Humanities sessions to increase uptake from schools and colleges from disadvantaged areas. Open Minds Coordinated by the Museum, this is an Aimhigher study support project in its third year, involving Key Stage 3 and Post-16 students in researching, writing and performing a theatre piece on the theme of Revealing Histories – Remembering the Slave Trade. Each year, the project involves schools and cultural venues across the city and culminates in a performance at the Royal Exchange Theatre in June. This year, students from the Aimhigher Arts Roadshow, coordinated from the Whitworth Art Gallery were involved in designing and making props for the performances. Alchemy Engage En-quire Action Research Project - Strategic Commissioning Education Project The En-quire programme is managed by Engage in association with Arts Council England, and is funded by DCMS and DCSF as part of the Strategic Commissioning Museums and Galleries Education Programme. This project (which began in September 2006 and runs until March 2008) looks at the question 'what is the role of museum-based arts education in supporting education?' Current partners include Creative Partnerships, Artists & Education, Manchester Metropolitan University, Bolton Museum and Archive Service and The Harris Museum and Gallery, Preston. CEEBL (Centre for Excellence in Enquiry-based Learning) project 2007 This project enabled the students involved to direct their own enquiries. Using a mixture of fieldwork and project planning, the student cohort developed key transferable skills. The students will devise approaches to formal assessment and evaluation of galleries, by directing their own investigations at key cultural sites in the UK. University postgraduate students worked as mentors and gained an understanding of teaching and learning practices, increased their interaction with diverse groups and had opportunities for personal development..
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Regional and international partnerships The Museum continued, with the Whitworth Art Gallery, to play a key role as one of six North West museums/galleries forming the Renaissance Hub, which is aimed at increasing the capacity of the region’s museums through partnership working. The Museum also participates in the Manchester Museums Consortium, which encourages closer co-operation between the City’s museums. Strategic international partnerships have been slower to develop. However, the Museum and the Whitworth successfully bid to host the conference of the international professional group on university museums, UMAC (University Museums & Collections) in September 2008, the first time it will have been held in the UK. 5.
Further develop academic engagement
The Museum is strategically connected to the teaching and learning activities of the University of Manchester primarily through the Cultural Assets Academic Advisory Board (CAAAB) chaired by the Vice-President for Research. The Museum’s Academic Policy and Strategy commits it to undertake, collaborate in and facilitate high quality teaching and learning for the benefit of the University. Overall, 16 staff contributed to undergraduate teaching on 31 courses, and 9 staff contributed to 13 postgraduate courses, with a particularly strong contribution to the MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies. Staff also taught on courses at other HEIs, and supervised 9 PhD projects. The Museum’s collections were used much more intensively for research this year, with an increase of over 75% compared with the previous year. This is principally due to increased use of the collections by our Museum Academic Joint Appointments, and increased teaching using the collections leading to their integration in student research. Staff themselves continued to undertake their own research projects, which are now approved and supported via a Research Panel in the Museum which ensures that research meets Museum objectives. In previous years, the only faculty within the University with whom the Museum did not work closely was the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences. In 2006-07 we made efforts to fill this lacuna, by giving presentations at faculty teaching and learning committee meetings, and briefing senior faculty staff. As a result, in 2006-07, parts of two third-year medical modules were run in the Museum, developed with Museum staff and using the Museum’s galleries: Heart, Lungs and Blood; and Occupation and Health. While successful, the way the modules are advertised and run could be improved, and for 2007-08 we are jointly developing with the faculty and with a local general practice a Community Student Selected Component on cultural, historical and social perspectives on the treatment of human remains and tissues, which links to third-year modules on Nutrition, Metabolism and Excretion, and Heart, Lungs and Blood. Other recent strategic developments are the creation of a formal liaison group between the Museum and the Faculty of Life Sciences to develop and monitor closer working links in teaching, research and outreach; four museum staff were appointed as Honorary Scientific Associates with the
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Faculty in recognition of the ongoing commitment to collaboration in teaching and research. Two projects were funded by the University’s Centre for Excellence in Enquiry-Based Learning, one promoting Classical Archaeology and the Museum collections to a wide audience, and the other with the Faculty of Life Sciences on human evolution and assessing evidence. 6.
Improve finances and financial management
At the end of the 2006-7 financial year, the Museum returned a small deficit, attributable to unforeseen increased salary costs following the HERA process. The Museum was hampered by not having a Finance Officer for six months from January to June 2007; however the new postholder is introducing the new financial system across the Museum and improving procedures. One of the most worrying discoveries this year was that we were able to find out for the first time the annual electricity costs of the Museum, which came to over £100,000. This has led to energy-saving and sustainability initiatives (see below). Trading and commercial activities showed a notable increase of 140,000. In January the process began of re-tendering the five-year contract for the operation of the Museum café. The Head of Fundraising and Development (appointed Feb 2007) had raised £175,000 in grants by the end of the financial year. 7.
Improve infrastructure
Certain improvements were made to public access to galleries using external grants (see above) but a series of targets was not achieved, such as the development of a Service Level Agreements with Estates and IS and undertaking of energy audit and usage reduction strategy by Estates. The effect of cuts in Estates means that their capacity to respond to problems is significantly reduced. This can be extremely difficult, particularly when the problem is located in a public part of the Museum and effects service to visitors. 8.
Improve staff development and training
There was good progress in this area, with all staff undertaking PDRs, and a Museum-wide training and development plan being implemented, particularly supported by Renaissance funding. Managers were also trained in performance management processes and techniques. 9.
Continue to develop a fit-for-purpose organisation
A significant achievement this year was the development, following a widespread consultation process, of a three-year strategic plan for the Museum, which is aimed at making the Manchester Museum recognised as the leading university museum in the world in terms of its practice by the end of 2010. This strategy was developed following a study trip by the Director to leading North American university museums in autumn 2006.
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THE MANCHESTER MUSEUM: PUBLIC AND ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT Please comment briefly on performance in 2006-07, in particular where there are significant variances from 2004-05 and include target figures where appropriate. Public Engagement
Annual increases in, and broadening of, participation in educational programmes and public visits to the Manchester Museum
a) Annual number of visits
2004/05 192,989
2005/06 206,476
2006/07 253,474
% increase 22.76%
b) Contacts with school age children
35,987
41,334
51,239
23.96%
c) Number of contacts with people from priority groups
60,099
63,867
69,241
8.4%
Customer Satisfaction
Annual increase in levels of satisfaction in users of the Museum 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 % increase Comment (include target where appropriate) 98% 99% 100% 1% satisfied satisfied satisfied
d) Results of annual user satisfaction surveys Academic Engagement
Comment (include target where appropriate)
f) No. of teaching courses drawing on collections/staff
Annual increase in levels of teaching and research use of the Museum 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 % increase Comment (include target where appropriate) 587 423 751 77.54% Also includes research outside UoM. Reflects two aspects: increased use by MAJAs of the collections, and increased teaching using the collections leading to their integration in student research 35 52 55 5.76%
g) i) No. of students involved in research and teaching activities ii) Number of student hours involved in research and teaching activities
Not collected Not collected
High International Standing h) Evidence of maintaining and enhancing the Museum’s / Gallery’s national and international standing
Please insert statement, to include details of number of national and international partnerships, loans, conference presentations and membership of international bodies
e) No. of research activities drawing on collections
1,783
2742
53.63%
23,015
29,515
28.24%
Ditto
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High International Standing The Manchester Museum has set itself the longer term goal of becoming the leading university museum in the world before 2015. As part of the realisation of this goal, the Director of the Museum undertook a study visit of North American university museums in November 2006 to benchmark the Museum’s current international standing. Activities 2006-7 International Loans 43 loans were made of 3,571 objects and specimens to, amongst others: Centre for Forest Ecology and Productivity, Moscow Harvard University Finnish Museum of Natural History Stuttgart Museum of Natural History University of Ceske Budejovice Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences International Partnerships International partnerships mostly take the form of individual research initiatives. The principal ones are:
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Piotr Bienkowski (Deputy Director, Collections and Academic Engagement) is Principal Director, Wadi Arabah Project (Israel and Jordan), and writing the final report on excavations at Umm al-Biyara, Jordan: (Universite de Montpellier III, France; Peabody Museum, Yale University; White-Levy Program, Harvard University)
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Bernadette Lynch (Deputy Director, Access, Learning and Interpretation) has a particular relationship with Swedish museums and have been invited to present talks/workshops in Gothenburg and Stockholm three times over the past two years. At present she leads on the Collective Conversations link, through the Revealing Histories theme (related to the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act) with the national museum in Trinidad, with which we hosted a video-linked event in 2007.
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Phil Manning (Joint Academic Appointment in Palaeontology) has a major research project on dinosaurs with the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, South Dakota, USA
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Dmitri Logunov (Curator of Entomology) has a research project with the Natural History Museum in Geneva
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Andrew Gray (Curator of Herpetology) participates in five international conservation projects involving amphibian research in the neotropics. These include collaborations and partnerships with the University of Costa Rica, The Costa Rican Amphibian Research Centre, The University of Ecuador, and Atlanta Botanical Gardens, USA.
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The Museum (involving Andrew Gray and Laurence Cook) has an ongoing project with the Faculty of Life Sciences, Aalborg Zoo and Universities of Glasgow and Aarhus to study and preserve biodiversity in association with the indigenous community of San Jose de Payamino, Ecuador.
Membership of International Bodies [NB figures are only given for bodies or positions which are by invitation rather than subscription] The Director is currently President of the Council for British Archaeology; three staff are Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London; one is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. One member of staff is on the Council of the British School at Athens, and the Council of the Society for Libyan Studies Other Last year, Museum staff presented 45 conference papers, and were members of the editorial board of five international journals.
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THE MANCHESTER MUSEUM: MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION Please comment briefly on performance in 2006-07, in particular where there are significant variances from 2005-06 and include target figures where appropriate. Performance Indicator
HR i) Number and proportion of people being reviewed annually under the Performance and Development Review (PDR) scheme
Achievement 2005/06 and 2006/07
Comment (include target where appropriate)
2005/06 81 100%
2006/07 79 100%
j) Equality and Diversity: gender and ethnicity breakdown of staff
2006-07
Female
Male
Total
BME
4
1
5
Info refused White British White other
1
0
1
37
38
75
1
1
2
43
40
83
Communication k) Evidence of pervasive, meaningful engagement of staff at all levels in strategic planning and decisionmaking
The strategic planning process over the last two years has been conducted through the involvement of ‘diagonal slice’ teams which bring together individuals of all levels and roles in the organisation. As a result, strategies and programmes have been
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developed through the input of all staff. This process has been continued with current projects such as ‘Revealing Histories’, ‘Museum Comes to You’, ‘In Touch’ and ‘Collective Conversations’ which are developed and delivered through cross-divisional teams, with additional representation, as required, from the Museum’s Community Advisory Panel.
Financial Management l) Confirmation of managing within budget m) Detailed financial statement, including breakdown of income sources
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Manchester Museum management accounts 31 July 2007 Cumulative Actual Budget Variance £m £m £m Income HEFCE Income Tuition Fees Research Income Endowment Income Other Income Investment Income
Expenditure Pay Non-Pay Internal Allocations Total Non-Pay including allocations Total Expenditure Contribution before Exceptionals Exceptionals Contribution after Exceptionals
1,299.4 0.0 23.9 19.4 913.2 1.7
1,298.5 0.0 0.0 26.6 654.4 0.0
0.9 0.0 23.9 (7.3) 258.8 1.7
2,257.6
1,979.5
278.1
(2,166.6)
(1,905.5)
(261.1)
(952.8) (9.8)
(824.6) 40.0
(128.2) (49.8)
(962.5)
(784.6)
(177.9)
(3,129.1)
(2,690.1)
(439.0)
(871.5)
(710.6)
(160.9)
0.0 (871.5)
0.0 (710.6)
0.0 (160.9)
Income Income is up £280k, largely within Other Income. Key elements are: • £120k North West Hub grant income • £140k increased Corporate Hire income and increased activity within the shop • £20k additional research activity. Pay Pay costs are up £260k, due to • £140k HERA and 35 hour week costs • £40k costs in relation to the North West Hub • £50k ERVS costs which were budgeted centrally • £30k inflation and promotions not included within the budget. Non pay Non pay costs are adverse £180k. Key factors are: • £75k costs in relation to the North West Hub • £50k maintenance costs not included within the budget • £55k shop and hire expenditure, covered by additional income as reported. Contribution The £160k adverse contribution is driven by HERA and 35 hour week costs £140k, £50k ERVS costs and £50k building maintenance costs, offset by £80k additional income, particularly in relation to Corporate Hire and income within the Shop. It was agreed in October 2006 with the Registrar & Secretary the unbudgeted additional HERA and 35 hour week pay costs would be transferred out of the Museum’s budget at the end of the 2006-07 financial year.
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RISK Please insert page(s) providing the following information: a) Please list the key risks (6-10) that the Museum has identified that would prevent the successful achievement of the objectives set out in the Strategic Plan. b) How would these risks adversely affect performance. What steps has the Museum / Gallery taken to control these risks. c) Given the performance of the Museum / Gallery over the year, has the likelihood of each risk increased or decreased? d) Have any new risks, directly related to the Museum’s / Gallery’s aims and objectives, emerged? Key Risks
Importance/ Likelihood
Effect on Performance
Mitigation
Loss of AHRC funding
AHRC core funding for university museums reverts to HEFCE in 2009.
Concern is that it will not be ring-fenced for the Museum but wrapped up in block grant. Could lead to reduction in funding, affecting performance negatively
Museum is playing role in national advocacy via University Museums Group, and within University, with the Whitworth Art Gallery. Assurances received.
Would severely affect the Museum’s ability to deliver, particularly on its public engagement agenda.
Museum playing role in national advocacy with other Hub partners and MLA. Strong indications so far that funding will continue at same level: after 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review the overall Renaissance budget included an inflationary uplift.
Any reduction of support from university, or rise in baseline costs, would have considerable impact as margins are so tight. For example:
Close fit between all Museum developments and 2015 agenda; advocacy within university; appointment of Fundraising & Development Manager; increase commercial income generation capacity; ongoing rigorous internal cost control; reduction in energy and other resource usage
RED: will happen Loss of Renaissance funding
Strand of Govt funding, currently providing crucial resource for public engagement. AMBER: possible, though unlikely
Loss of support from university and/or rise in energy, maintenance and other costs
University support is crucial to the Museum, providing over 50% of resources. AMBER: possible
If pay assimilation & annual pay awards are not fully funded this will result in need to reduce staff levels to control costs, resulting in reduction in services and collections care. Increased energy, infrastructure maintenance and other costs would result in reduced spend on essential
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services and equipment upgrades. Damage to collections through physical means (fire, water, pests), theft or human action
Collections mostly scientific specimens of low financial value, though all of high cultural and scientific value
Depending on the damage, could disrupt public services or services to university staff and students. Could divert staff efforts and cost a great deal of resources to manage.
Floods occur about once every 3 months due to inadequate maintenance. Emergency planning and flood detection systems being overhauled, and Service level agreement with Estates being pursued.
Small decline in visitors could be accommodated if quality of visit is maintained. Major fall would inflict reputational damage
Continue current initiatives which have led to great rises in numbers
Decline in support from university, including possible financial reduction. Severe effect on museum performance.
Develop work of Cultural Assets Academic Advisory Board; develop research policy and panel within Museum; meet targets for academic engagement set out in current plan
If staff spread themselves too thinly and do not meet demands placed on them, delivery of targets will be affected.
Attend to the financial issues noted above; increase capacity to generate funds; develop clear strategic priorities which balance all of these demands.
Bad publicity, particularly in relation to community engagement, could jeopardise future programmes, and harm the image of the university.
Build in community consultation to every project; undertake explicit risk assessment on this issue; train key staff in dealing with difficult issues and in conflict resolution; develop advocacy campaign around what we are trying to achieve.
AMBER: possible as floods frequent Fall in Visitor Numbers
Visitor numbers important, but all recent targets have been exceeded. GREEN
Decline in academic use of collections and Museum
Essential that the Museum engages more with the academic mission of the University. AMBER
Staff capacity to meet demand for academic and public work
Museum has to meet several agendas from a variety of funding bodies, including University, government, Heritage Lottery Fund. AMBER
Damage to reputation of Museum
The Museum is undertaking innovative and experimental work, to re-think the role of the university museum. This involves taking risks, and accepting that sometimes controversy will be generated (e.g. Revealing Histories project, on Manchester and slavery). RED
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