Services suspended due to Museum of Bristol

I noticed the following (dated March 27th 2009) on the section of Bristol City Council’s website relating to the Bristol Records Office:

As you may be aware, Bristol's Museums, Galleries and Archives are undertaking a major project to develop an exciting new Museum of Bristol on the site of the previous Bristol Industrial Museum. A large number of staff across the service are dedicated to the planning and implementation of the new museum. Because of this, we are having to temporarily reduce other areas of our work. Unfortunately, this affects our research service, which we have had to suspend until the end of September 2009.

A six month suspension of services? And yet only four days later, the responsible City Cabinet Member, Cllr Simon Cook, assured the Full Council that staffing elsewhere would not be diminished due to the Museum of Bristol (see video here).

Furthermore, the Geological Society reports:

World-class geological collections are under threat from a staff and cost-cutting exercise being carried out at the institution, according to Tim Ewin, Former Curator of Geology at Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery. Ewin has written to a number of bodies and individuals calling for help in writing to Bristol City Council and local MPs.

The Bristol collection is very large, consisting of over half a million specimens with designated status, meaning they are of national importance. However owing to staff shortages brought about by a failure to replace curatorial staff, Ewin says, requests for access to material are now being met with frustration and delay.

“This situation is to be further compounded by a proposed staff restructuring, and a “shift in focus to the Visual Arts”.” Ewin’s letter reveals. “Senior management want a reduction in museum visitor opening hours with further reductions in front of house, curatorial and conservation staffing. The latter will result in the loss of 9 out of 26 curatorial and conservation posts as well as the merger of the remaining conservation and curation posts. The resultant savings are to be channelled towards public engagement and completion of the faltering Museum of Bristol project” he writes.

Oh well. Swings and Roundabouts, I suppose. Lose a world-class collection, gain a white elephant.

Related Links

• Bristol Museums and Archives Select Committee – Minutes of 6th April 2009 meeting
• Appendix 2 - Making Sense of a visit. 2008 CMAG Market Survey