Roger Trudgeon
In 1982 / 83, a report on the museum survey
produced at that time provided an insight into the challenges
facing museums, and made recommendations for the development of
policy. How successfully have these problems been tackled since
then?
Prior to the survey it was not known how many
museums there were or what the problem areas were. Of the 310
museums identified around Victoria in 1981, 233 were visited.
Volunteers operated most museums, training opportunities were
limited, and funding was not available in any structured way.
Over 65% of museums had budgets under $15,000 per year. A total
of 3.8 million people visited the museums surveyed, although little
was known about visitor responses to the programs offered. Regional
museums were thought to hold about 1.5 million objects, although
only 21% had any sort of collection policy. A quarter of the museums
had no cataloguing done, with a third using a variety of incompatible
cataloguing systems. Conservation problems were not being addressed,
with 75% of collections requiring attention. The ability of many
museums to exhibit and communicate effectively was limited by
insufficient access to information, advice and resources.
The main concerns of the time were seen to
be:
- developing clear directions for government
assistance and funding of museums,
- creating standards for museum practice,
and
- improving access to professional training
and development opportunities.
There was also concern at the proliferation
of new museums, often developed without adequate planning and
little hope of attracting sufficient ongoing funding. Ideas for
developing regional museum networks and a more thematic approach
to museum development were raised.
The scene for regional museums in 2001 has
improved considerably in a number of areas. Access to professional
training and support has improved through Museums Australia programs,
the profession has clarified its standards through museum accreditation,
the tourism industry is more aware of museums, and the range of
funding sources has expanded. More collections are catalogued
and awareness of conservation issues has improved, though resources
to meet the challenge of preservation remain limited. An encouraging
number of smaller museums run by volunteers have achieved high
professional standards, as witnessed by the Museum Accreditation
Program.
There are still some ongoing problems having
an impact on the effectiveness of museums. Despite improvements
in funding, our resources are still stretched and most museums
continue to rely on volunteers. Information technology developments
have placed greater demands for ease of access to collection data
than envisaged twenty years ago. Computerised access to records
is expected, particularly for those participating in educational
or research based activity. Public interest cannot be assumed,
so museums need to engage with the community and explain why support
is justified. Local government support of museums is still patchy
at best. Some councils fund art galleries and/or historical museums,
but many do not.
The museum surveys of 1982 and 1991 should
be followed up with an in-depth survey of the contemporary museum
scene. Although some aspects of the museum profession have been
better-documented over the past ten years, data is not collected
in sufficient detail to allow accurate comparison. The earlier
surveys provided a focus for debate and useful parameters for
allocating resources to meet established problems.
A new structure for overseeing museums was
set in place a few years ago with the Museums Board of Victoria
and the Regional and Specialised Museums Advisory Committee. Museums
Australia has taken up much of the work previously done by government
agencies. With the completion of the Melbourne Museum, it is the
right time for a broader vision of a well-resourced network of
diverse regional museums to be readdressed.