Sharing skills and knowledge

National Museums share skills and knowledge about collections and museum practice with colleagues in museums, galleries, heritage organisations and higher education institutions across the UK.

This forms an important part of their engagement with UK partners. The sharing of skills and knowledge can be achieved through specific projects and programmes, by co-ordinating groups of UK experts, via structured training programmes, by focusing on particular objects or through the development of long-term partnerships. It may also be done online.

In 2011, NMDC commissioned a survey of its members to establish how members share knowledge and skills. This survey informed future NMDC-facilitated activity and a summary of this is available here.

NMDC is part of the Sharing Expertise Group and this has received funding from the Esmee Fairburn Foundation to consider how better to share knowledge and skills across the museum sector.

open_programme_opportunities_fair_007.jpgopen_programme_opportunities_fair_005.jpg

To find out more about NMDC members' sharing skills and knowledge activity, click on the links below.

Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museums Wales
Partnerships  Sharing Treasures  ArtShare Wales

British Museum
Sharing expertise

Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust
Volunteer programme   Volunteer toolkit

IWM (Imperial War Museums)
Projects and Partnerships

National Gallery
The Gallery Nationwide

Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service co-ordinate the Share Museums East programme.

Science Museum Group
Science Museum   National Railway Museum   National Media Museum

National Museums Scotland
Advice

National Portrait Gallery
Partnership work   Understanding British Portraits   Long term loans

Tyne and Wear Museums and Archives  Museum Development

V&A
V&A UK   V&A National reports

The Museum of London developed longer-term partnerships and exchanged knowledge through special exhibitions. Details are in this blog. The Museum of London also has a specific role in museum development in London and this includes the sharing of skills and knowledge as well as training for volunteers. More details are available here.

NMDC members also contribute to other networks via the Subject Specialist Networks (SSNs). Some NMDC members co-ordinate an SSN and individuals from our members are involved in many more including the Dress and Textile Specialists, Museum Ethnographers Group, Pre 1900 European Paintings, Human Remains, NATSCA - Natural Sciences Collections Association, Money and Medals, Theatre Information Group, Posters, Social History Curators Group, Contemporary Studio Ceramics, Chinese Collections Network, Geological Curators Group, Scottish Transport and Industrial Collections, Screen Heritage Network, and the Association of Performing Arts Collections.

Further information about training and professional development opportunities in the museums sector can be found on the training pages of the Museums Association website. Other sources of information which have contributions from NMDC members include the London Museums Group and the Guardian Culture Professionals Network. 

Further information about sharing knowledge about collections can be found at:collections_trust.jpg