The Recovery Register
A new one-stop shop for making connections and sharing advice.
One of my recent projects has been working with SHARE Museums East to deliver targeted support for smaller museums in the East of England that have had to dramatically re-shape their business plans as a result of COVID.
It’s been a fascinating process, and I’ve fallen head over heels in love with all of the museums I’ve worked with (de Havilland Aircraft Museum, Colne Valley Railway, Woburn Heritage Centre and the Museum of the Broads - and do please visit when they reopen!) They are all facing familiar challenges such as lack of income and rising maintenance costs, but unlike the organisations I’m used to working in and with, the people running these museums are facing all those challenges as volunteers.
The passion and dynamism in this section of our sector is inspiring; not just for their own museum and subject matter; but for growth, change and diversity. To achieve this, they need the support of the wider industry.
What’s the solution?
Many of us are used to picking up the phone to a sector colleague when we need a bit of assistance. Museum twitter, for example, is a weird and wonderful place, where you can pick up tips on the best ropes and posts whilst watching curators battle it out over the weirdest artefact. Ours is an especially open and sharing sector, and it’s only become more so over the last 12 months (you can hear me discussing how this has happened on the Skip the Queue podcast here) - and of course, it’s now more online than ever. However, although access to sector support has widened, it often hasn’t penetrated to smaller, volunteer run museums, where staff often aren’t engaged in wider sector debate because they may be too busy, retired, or doing their museum work alongside another full-time job that has absolutely nothing to do with museums.
As a result, some of the most useful work I was able to do with the SHARE Museums East project was simply putting the museums in touch with other people. I am lucky enough to know a huge amount of experienced, helpful experts through my very privileged, tech savvy, and let’s face it, probably London centric network. I went to work utilising that network, and just an introduction was often enough to solve a problem or bring in fresh eyes. I’ve seen how important is it to bridge that gap between the different kinds of institutions in our sector – for both parties – and I’ve experienced it first-hand, too.
As I wrap up the project, I wanted to make sure this kind of expertise sharing can become widespread and long-lasting. So, I’ve created The Recovery Register, a section of this website that will become the one-stop shop for volunteers in smaller museums (or anyone, really) looking to access expert assistance.
So, what can we do?
Here’s my call to action: if you’re reading this blog, it’s likely you are in the sector yourself – how could you help? What are your expert areas? Would you like to open yourself up to sharing opportunities, conversations that could make a real difference, or even become a Trustee of a small museum?
If so, drop me an email with your name, role title and organisation, and a list of the areas you’d be happy to offer advice in. If you are up for being approached for Trustee roles, please let me know that too!
Don’t worry about overcommitting – if at any time you want to come off of the Register, it can be as flexible as you need it to be. This is all about creating relationships that work to support the whole sector.
A quick note - because I want people to feel comfortable in reaching out for objective help, I’m afraid I can’t feature freelancers or suppliers on the main part of the Register. Many people can be put off by what seems like advertising, and to keep a clear distinction, I won’t even be putting myself on the list until I’ve finished up my own freelance activities and am back full time at Kew Palace. The spirit of the Register is not about doing work for free – generally what people are looking for is just to sense check an idea or have a quick chat. If someone is looking for a piece of work to be carried out, I would encourage recommending your trusted partners where possible. I also know that many freelance consultants contribute to the sector through free-to-join specialist networks, and I am happy to list those as part of the register.
So please, click on the link below or at the top of the page, explore, and get involved!
Visit The Recovery Register now!
