Review of museum collections in wake of concerns over audits

The York Museums Trust has been told to consider a major overhaul of its policies after concerns were raised over the audits carried out on its collections.

York Council set up a task group in March to look at whether the trust is adhering to the protocols which were agreed when it was launched a decade ago. The task group has found that audits of the collections are “insufficiently rigorous”, while the disposal of items deemed surplus to requirements needs to be more closely monitored.

A draft report to be considered tomorrow by the council’s learning and culture overview and scrutiny committee has identified a lack of storage for collections that is impinging on the trust’s plans to develop its venues, which include the York Castle Museum, the Yorkshire Museum and the city’s art gallery.

The committee’s chairwoman, Coun Ann Reid, told the Yorkshire Post the extent of the collections, which include artefacts from the Roman, Viking and medieval eras charting the city’s 2,000-year history, had placed resources under growing pressure. Highlights include the York Helmet, the most outstanding object of the Anglo-Saxon period to survive in Europe, and the Middleham Jewel, the finest piece of gothic jewellery found in Britain.

Coun Reid said: “We need to be 100 per cent certain that all procedures are in place to prevent items being lost or stolen, and policies are as transparent as possible. The museums trust has been a huge success since it was established and members felt that this was a good opportunity to ensure that the correct procedures are in place. This is not about undermining all the good work that has been done, rather it is about working closely with the trust so that we can help develop the venues for future generations to enjoy.”

Plans are being drawn up to attract more volunteers to help run the museums, and the trust’s volunteers manager is due to attend council ward meetings and community events to try and sign up new recruits. The task group has also stressed the need to ensure the knowledge from experienced staff members who are leaving is passed on to the new recruits.

The museums trust confirmed it will be looking to review its policies for acquiring and disposing of items in its collections. But a spokesman maintained every effort is made to ensure all items are properly catalogued and tracked whether they are on display or in storage.

The trust was formed in 2002 in a partnership agreement with York Council to ensure the long-term future of the city’s collections. It was established to pursue funding that would not be available to the council, and has been responsible for a series of high-profile re-developments.

The overhaul of the Yorkshire Museum, which closed between November 2009 and August 2010 for a £2m revamp, is among the most ambitious projects and has been attributed to helping boost visitor numbers. The trust has received £1.5m from the council for this financial year, but the figure will drop to £1.2m from next year.

Meanwhile, York Council has become the first local authority in the UK to adopt a pioneering technique to create the first digital catalogue of the city’s 800-year-old civic archives. The ambitious task is expected to be completed in just 15 months in a scheme which would traditionally take up to a decade by using an American method dubbed More Product Less Process.

It will create a general catalogue which provides access to groups of records, to which more detail can then be added to over time. It will mean the public will have access to a wide range of records quickly, rather than having to wait years for individual items to be sorted, detailed and catalogued.

email [email protected]