Councillors asked to fully back Down County Museum.
Cllr Patrick Brown, who lives a stone’s throw from Down County Museum, has brought a motion forward to Newry Mourne and Down District Council calling for a re-consideration by council management of key aspects of the re-structuring of the Council’s museum services.
Against growing opposition to the council’s res-structuring plans, many people have voiced their strong opposition to the Council’s efforts to restructure museum services. Key groups such as the Friends of Down County Museum believe that the Down County Museum should not be downgraded as it is the County Museum and houses valuable historical records and material.
The motion put together by Cllr Brown assisted by Cllr Cadogan Enright reads:
“Councillors are highly concerned by the plans to downgrade staff provision at Down County Museum and to base the only full-time museum curator in Newry.
“We are also very concerned about the lack of adequate consultation with key stakeholders, in particular the Friends of Down County Museum.
“Council recognises the importance of Down County Museum as a leading asset for our common history and heritage, and its record of actively promoting common ground for our own community fundamentally underpins the importance of investing in such assets to enhance our tourism product and support economic growth in County Down.
“Therefore, Council will pause and review current plans and instead put in place recruitment processes to fill vacant posts at Down County Museum, including:
- Ensuring that a full-time Curator is based at, and responsible for, Down County Museum;
- That the existing curatorial posts currently titled Keeper and Assistant Keeper of Collections are permanently filled and not downgraded;
- That the vital and highly skilled role of Museum technician/photographer is retained and not downgraded.
- And furthermore, that officers will develop, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, a new, long-term strategic plan for how Council can most effectively invest in museums across the district.”
Cllr Enright said: “We are looking for SDLP and Sinn Féin support for this motion. We hope it is not referred to a committee delaying consideration on this very important matter. The staff at Down County Museum are very much shocked by the council proposals and this does need to be addressed asap.
A spokesperson for Newry Mourne and Down District Council said following a press request for clarification about whether a consultation process has been established with the staff at Down County Museum: “Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is committed to the continuous improvement and development of its museums, and the process of implementing a new structure within the museums’ service is ongoing.”
The Friends of Down County Museum are having their AGM in Denvir’s Hotel on Wednesday 16th February and following this they are holding an open public meeting. A spokesperson for the Friends’ group said that “council management have been invited to attend but as yet they have not responded.”
The Report Produced by the Friends of Down County Museum.
Response to restructuring: a report at 20th October 2021 produced by the Friends Board.
When Down County Museum was established in 1980 there was a clear vision of how it was intended to develop and what its role in the community should be. The most important part of this vision, apart from the acquisition of the site, was the slow and careful development of the staffing structure. In order to achieve the standards required of a professional museum based in historic buildings, with an extensive collection and a wide-ranging programme of research, exhibitions, publications and activities, a structure was planned and put in place over 10 years whilst the buildings themselves were being restored.
The Curator was the first post to be created since Down District Council recognised that an experienced leader was required to plan and manage the creation of a museum. In fact, any kind of organisation, whether existing or developing, needs a strong leader with a clear vision, knowledge of, and experience in the relevant profession, the place, the people who serve in and are served by the organisation.
Responsibilities were gradually delegated from the Curator (later Director) to four main areas of specialist expertise:
- Building security and maintenance
- Collections Care
- Technical and photographic support
- Education
In addition, Front of House staff were appointed to provide a welcome to visitors, alongside cleaning, and security duties. They even ran the café for several years.
For the last 20 years council policies have had a steady impact on the all the above areas. The first senior post to disappear from the structure was that responsible for the Buildings and Front of House staff.
Following the resignation of the postholder it seemed to be assumed that the work could be divided amongst the Curatorial and Education staff. When they refused to take on such a large responsibility, to the detriment of their own work, the role was given to inexperienced lower grade members of staff.
The restructuring and (always) downgrading continued: there were constant pressures to the curatorial team (Keeper of Collections, Assistant Keeper and Technician/Photographer) with plans to cut at least one post. This escalated following the merger of Down District and Newry Councils. The Keeper of Collections prepared a succession plan to assist a smooth transition to the post after her retirement in 2014. This entailed the Keeper and her appointed successor each working part time but together for a year, after which the new Keeper would become full time and permanent.
Unfortunately, the new Keeper realised that the post wasn’t as secure as she had believed and left after less than three years. From this time, Newry, Mourne and Down Council not only took the opportunity of delaying the filling of curatorial posts but when they were eventually filled it was by means of temporary contracts. The next Keeper appointed has also now resigned.
Similarly, the Assistant Keeper post became vacant following another retirement: another delay, eventually filled, the postholder resigned to go to another job, another delay, another appointment. The curatorial section is currently in the position of having no Keeper of Collections and an Assistant Keeper who has been told she is not eligible to apply for a similar (?) post in the new structure.
The Technician/Photographer post was one of the first to be put in place because of the importance of technical support in a museum of this scale and the very extensive photographic archive; although there is someone currently in this post it is absent from the new structure.
Alongside the diminution and downgrading of senior staff the Front of House staff has been depleted to about the same level as when there was only one building open.
The proposed structure apparently now has:
- One Curator responsible for two museums. The Curator of Newry Museum has been given this post.
- An Education Officer (but probably at a much lower grade than currently held)
- An Assistant Curator, exact duties uncertain
- No Keeper of Collections or Assistant Keeper
- No Technician/Photographer
- A range of Museum Assistants, exact duties uncertain
Whilst all this was taking place there has been no real consultation and certainly no support for the members of staff involved from anyone in the council.
The consequences.
Of not having a Curator based at and solely responsible for Down County Museum: the following comments do not in any way denigrate personally or professionally the current operation of Newry Museum. However, the scale of the museum buildings, the exhibition galleries, the collection and the range of activities is completely different. A Curator is needed on site to manage and monitor all the different areas of specialist expertise, to ensure professional standards are maintained, from the bigger picture to the smallest details. Without such a leader the team cannot function most effectively, time and resources can be wasted and the whole organisation suffers.
Of not having a senior post responsible for the buildings: it is quite clear that the buildings have suffered in the last 20 years. Whilst it has been possible to attract capital money for refurbishing and extending galleries, long term maintenance is quite another matter. There are three separate historic buildings, as well as modern installations such as lifts and air conditioning plant, which need constant care and attention.
Of not having an experienced curatorial team: who will have the knowledge and experience to look after the existing collection (including an important library) in a professional manner, decide what new donations to accept (and what not), what to buy, how to raise grant aid to make purchases, how to catalogue the collection, keep the database up to date, provide proper storage and preventive conservation, source specialist conservation services for specimens which require it, manage the loan schedule (of objects borrowed from and lent to other museums), update the insurance of objects on an annual basis, maintain the exhibitions in the seven permanent galleries, plan, design and install exhibitions, mainly of objects from the museum’s own collection and on a regular basis, in the three temporary exhibition galleries, do research on the collection, give talks, publish information on the website, in periodicals or books, provide information and advice to members of the public, colleagues in other museums and academics? Already an extensive, wide-ranging collection of about 10,000 objects from all over Co Down, from art to farming implements, coins to maps, costume to newspapers, domestic items to office equipment. From over a thousand donors.
Of not having a Technician/photographer: with a collection of all kinds of photographic images – glass plates, film negatives, slides and digital – who will look after them, ensure they are properly numbered and catalogued, continue the digitisation programme and provide images for internal use and for the public? Currently a collection of at least 50,000 images.
Of not having sufficient Front of House staff: already at such a low level that there are not enough people to keep all the buildings safe, clean and open.
It appears that no one really understands either the actual work carried out by museum staff, the level of knowledge and experience required or the scale of the operation. What has been a county museum is being reduced, not just to the level of a small town museum but effectively a visitor centre. Is this what Friends, donors, funders, local people, visitors and our politicians actually want?
FRIENDS OF DOWN COUNTY MUSEUM
Staffing
| 1981-1983 | 1984 | 1986 | 1987 | 1991 | 2000-2015 | 2021 |
| Building restoration starts | Gatehouse opened | Preparation for opening Governor’s Residence | Opening Governor’s Residence | Opening of Cell Block | GR refurb & Cell Block extension | |
| Curator | To be shared with Newry | |||||
| Admin Assistant | Post still there but job shared between 1st person 4 days & 2nd person 1 day | |||||
| Photographer/Technician | Post to be deleted | |||||
| Museum Assistant (later re-named Assistant Keeper of Collections) | Post to be deleted | |||||
| Attendants & casual panel | Re-named Cultural Assistants | Only 3 part time left (+ casual) | ||||
| Assistant Curator (later re-named Keeper of Collections) | Post to be deleted | |||||
| 1981-1983 | 1984 | 1986 | 1987 | 1991 | 2000-2015 | 2021 |
| Receptionist (special responsibility for shop) | Post deleted | |||||
| Attendants | See above | |||||
| Superintendent (Buildings & front of house staff) | Post downgraded, replaced by Senior Cultural Assistants | Post deleted | ||||
| Education Officer (later Education Manager) | Post likely to be downgraded | |||||
| Admin Assistant for Education | Post deleted | |||||
| Cleaner 1 | Post deleted | |||||
| Education Service Guides | Posts deleted | |||||
| Attendants | See above | |||||
| Cleaner 2 | Post deleted |
Notes re core professional staff
- Each time a building was restored, a wider programme of exhibitions and events were organised. The fully developed staffing plan resulted in about 11 core staff: curatorial and educational teams with administrative support. The numbers of Education Guides varied and there was also a regular curatorial volunteer programme. The current proposed changes will mean that very little of the core curatorial work could be done, putting accreditation at risk. This was a multi award-winning museum.
Notes re front of house staff
- Each time a building was restored, more front of house staff were appointed to ensure that the buildings were clean, safe and welcoming 7 days a week and with regular evening openings.
- Initially, the Attendants, managed by the Superintendent, also ran the café.
- The restructuring which was imposed on the museum in the years immediately after 2000 was based on the concept that all front of house staff should share tasks, including welcoming visitors, assisting with guided tours, serving in the shop, security and cleaning.
(9 November 2021).
