1.0 INTRODUCTION Kildare County Council in association - Kildare.ie

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AUDIT OF MUSEUMS AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS IN COUNTY KILDARE 2006 7.0 SURVEY FINDINGS The survey has been devised to identify the principal management structures of the museums and specifically aiming the areas of collections and collections policy, day to day management, staffing, links with other organizations, facilities offered to the public, funding and resourcing, and future plans. The following analysis of the museums sector in County Kildare has been extrapolated from data supplied during site visits to each museum and questionnaires completed by the museum. Sixteen museum organizations were contacted as part of this survey. Of this number fifteen organizations cooperated with the survey Audit. Fourteen of the fifteen organizations completed the questionnaire. The museums and public collections in County Kildare are varied in size and collection focus. Five museums are operated by national State bodies or the local authority. Such bodies include the Office of Public Works, Saint Patrick’s College (NUI, Maynooth), the Defense Forces, the Church of Ireland and The National Stud. The remainder of the museum organizations form either private profit-making “visitor attractions”, small single-focus private collections, or largely selffunding heritage centres, managed by committees of local business interests, which also operate as tourist information services drawing tourists to the region, and hopefully into the heritage centre exhibit. The Audit has identified a broad diversity of artifacts on public display which is largely of regional or local interest, and in some cases national and international. 7.1 Establishment of Museum or Public Collection 86.6% of museums were established after 1970. The intervening 36 years has seen the establishment of a wide variety of organizations, each forging an individual mandate towards the sharing of knowledge and artifacts of interest to the county and the country as a whole. - Four museums and organizations were established after 2000. - Four museums and organizations were established after 1990. - Five museums and organizations were established after 1970. - Two organizations were established before 1970. 7.2 Museum Affiliations Only one of the fifteen museums participating in this survey is a member of the Irish Museums Association (IMA). Four museums in Kildare participated in the Irish Museums Survey of Museums in Ireland, 2005. 7.3 Heritage Week Eight museum organizations have not participated in Heritage Week in the past. Six museum organizations have participated in Heritage Week. Only six museums or organizations partook in Heritage Week 2006. 7.4 Collections policy The majority of organizations do not have a collections policy. As many of these organizations have limited collections relying principally on graphic display panels on local and county heritage and history, this is understandable. However, the absence of a collections policy is still apparent even in organizations with a small number of items on display where the objects do not appear to relate to the graphic display of the museum and where supplementary information on the objects is limited. The absence of a collections policy in some larger, more formalized organizations, is less understandable. In two cases the absence of a collections policy has limited effect on the CHARLES DUGGAN ARHITECTURAL HERITAGE ADVISOR 32
AUDIT OF MUSEUMS AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS IN COUNTY KILDARE 2006 coherence or management of the collection as plans to expand or reduce the collection, do not exist. For instance, the Science and Ecclesiastical Museum or the Military Museum has a specific focus, and therefore the collection is self-contained, rationalised, and coherent. Six organizations have identified that a collections policy does not exist. One of the three identified the intention to create one in the future. Four organizations did not answer this question and it can be assumed that the organizations in question did not see the relevance of a collections policy to the organization or that one did not exist. Five organizations have collections policy. It is not clear from the survey if the collections policies are formally adopted in articles of association or management structures. It is often difficult, particularly with smaller organizations that are struggling to develop locally and regionally relevant artifact collections to refuse artifacts voluntarily offered by members of the public. To refuse may damage the good will and appreciation of the organization and to accept can often cause difficulty for the organization to interpret and link the artifact to the existing collection on display, or to store of the artifact, should its immediate relevance to the display collection not be apparent. The following are examples of the collections policies: “We aspire to collect items that reflect the past in our region, so that those who may follow us, may benefit from this collection.” Kilcullen Heritage Centre. “To raise awareness about the collection and to add relevant items to enhance the collection and to conserve the collection in its present stare. In addition we aim to use the collection in our heritage and education programmes.” Irish Peatlands Conservation Council “To house a broad selection of racing cars from across the spectrum with varying history” Mondello Park “To preserve the chucks, moulds and masters used to make pewter table and houseware” Timolin Pewter Mill "To provide for the cultural, historical and information requirements of visitors to Athy and residents with a high quality visitor attraction, tourist office and gift shop service." 7.5 Subject Areas of Collections Athy Heritage Centre On a collective basis, the museums and public collections in County Kildare cover a broad range of subject areas which are representative of the social, political, technological and historical development of the county. The subject areas are as follows: % Subject Area % Subject Area % Subject Area 6.25 Applied arts 6.25 Geology 6.25 Maritime 25 Archaeology 6.25 Genealogy - Military 12.5 Agriculture 43.7 History 12.5 Natural history 25 Folk life 6.25 Library 18.75 Science CHARLES DUGGAN ARHITECTURAL HERITAGE ADVISOR 33
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1.0 INTRODUCTION Kildare County Council in association - Kildare.ie

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