Society for Museum Archaeology
Annual Survey of Museums Collecting Archaeology, Pr 7358
PRESS RELEASE
Are museums running out of space, staff…and time?
The Society for Museum Archaeology (SMA) is launching a three year project to survey museums holding archaeology collections in order to answer these questions. The project, funded by Historic England, will not only provide an overall national picture, but will also provide an insight into the regional impact.
At a time when museums, universities, local societies and heritage organisations are coming together to celebrate the annual ‘Festival of Archaeology’, it is recognised across the discipline that there is an annual increase in the number of museums that cease to collect archaeological archives from commercial, community and research projects, mainly due to pressure on storage space. Meanwhile, nearly every local authority museum is experiencing budget cuts that have led to staff losses. The true extent of the impact of austerity has not been accurately measured however, and it is essential that information is collected to inform discussions on the future of archaeological archive provision in England at a time when there is growing uncertainty over the role of museums and the ways they are resourced.
A report published by the Society for Museum Archaeology in 2012 outlined the growing crisis facing the archaeological sector, with 9000 un-deposited archives in England alone. The impact of austerity since 2012 is currently unknown. A number of organisations are all working to find sustainable and positive solutions to the problem. The project will support this collaborative approach, from funder to fieldworker to museum, by providing valuable and accurate data on which future responses to the crisis can be based.
Archaeology offers unique and positive engagement opportunities, bringing communities together and providing innovative ways to understand our place in time. There has never been greater interest in archaeology, but the scale of the impact museums have faced due to the financial crisis has yet to be quantified.
Notes to editors:
What is the Society for Museum Archaeology?
The Society for Museum Archaeology is recognised by Arts Council England as the subject specialist network for British Archaeology in the UK: it has members in all of regions as well as abroad. The Society promotes museum involvement in all aspects of archaeology and works to encourage greater public understanding of the archaeological past and a fuller public appreciation of the importance of archaeology. It campaigns for the acceptance of museums as guardians of a vital part of the nation's heritage and as the appropriate location for the storage and interpretation of all archaeological material.
What is Historic England?
Historic England is a non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), tasked with protecting the historical environment of England by preserving and listing historic buildings, ancient monuments and advising central and local government.
What is the Festival of Archaeology?
Co-ordinated by the Council for British Archaeology, the Festival offers hundreds of events nationwide, organised by museums, heritage organisations, national and country parks, universities, local societies, and community archaeologists. The 26th Festival of Archaeology will take place between the 16 - 31 July 2016.
Links
Society for Museum Archaeology Report (Archaeological Archives and Museums, 2012)
Collecting area map, managed and maintained by the Society for Museum Archaeology:
Contact for interviews
Gail Boyle, FSA
Chair, Society for Museum Archaeology
Gail is Senior Curator of Archaeology at Bristol Museums. Gail is also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and sits on Historic England’s HIAS Advisory Board, the Portable Antiquities Advisory Group and represents SMA at meetings of The Archaeology Forum. She has long-standing collaborative and teaching relationships with both the University of Bristol (where she is a Research Fellow) and the University of the West of England. Gail also sits on the Board of Trustees at Dr Jenner’s House, Museum & Garden in Berkeley, Gloucestershire.
Email: gail.boyle [at] bristol.gov.uk
