Public Museums and Galleries in Great Britain

Abstract

IN its first report, the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries, appointed in 1931 on a recommendation of the Royal Commission on the National Museums and Collections, fully justifies its existence (London: H.M. Stationery Office. 6d. net). The report is a document which merits the close attention of all who are interested in the promotion of scientific and cultural studies or are concerned with the broader problems of education. It surveys the position of British public collections and museums from three aspects. It deals first with the steps which have been taken to remedy the deficiencies to which the Royal Commission pointed, and to carry out the recommendations of that body. It then passes on to consider improvements in the utilisation of existing resources and finally sketches an outline of further progress. It is plainly evident that the Committee, as a body composed largely of experts, which, as it were, holds a watching brief on behalf of the public and reports progress from time to time, is capable of fulfilling an increasingly useful function. As its work becomes more widely known, it should serve as a court of first instance for examining proposals to facilitate the fuller utilisation of museum collections by the public. In the period under review, for example, the Committee has had under consideration a scheme submitted by the Museums Association for promoting greater co-operation between the national collections and provincial institutions. The Committee has been in a position to consult the authorities responsible for the national collections on these proposals, and as a result regional federations of provincial institutions are being established which will not only encourage freer and fuller intercourse between the institutions within each group, but will also further co-operation with local education authorities. Among suggestions for the future, the proposal that publicity officers should be added to the museum staff opens up a wide vista of possibilities.