The document outlines the evolving role of Arts Council England (ACE) in integrating museums and libraries, emphasizing their goal to enhance artistic experiences for everyone. ACE is taking over responsibilities from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, focusing on collaboration and improving service quality, with a comprehensive strategy set for implementation by October 2011. Key upcoming initiatives include launching a new Renaissance program and the publication of an arts council plan for 2012-2015.

1. Museums and libraries and Arts
Council England
May 2011
Anna Jobson
Hedley Swain
Skin, ACE Dance and Music
Photo: Brian Slater

2. Agenda
1. About us
2. About Arts Council England
3. ACE’s new responsibilities
4. Integrating museums and libraries

3. About us
Anna Jobson, Director of Strategy
(currently Programme Director, M&L Integration)
Arts Council England
Hedley Swain, Director Programme Delivery
Museums Libraries and Archives Council

4. About Arts Council England
“Arts Council England works to get great art to
everyone by championing, developing and
investing in artistic experiences that enrich
people's lives”.
Currently focused on six art forms...
...investing around £450m of Treasury money and
£150m of National Lottery money in the arts
ACE is changing!

5. Achieving Great Art for Everyone
10-year vision with five goals at its heart:
Goal 1: Talent and artistic excellence are thriving and celebrated
Goal 2: More people experience and are inspired by the arts
Goal 3: The arts are sustainable, resilient and innovative
Goal 4: The arts leadership and workforce are diverse and highly
skilled
Goal 5: Every child and young person has the opportunity to
experience the richness of the arts

6. ACE’s new responsibilities
ACE taking over four of MLA’s functions:
•Museum and library sector development and
improvement
•Renaissance
•Cultural property and collections functions
•London 2012 – Stories of the World

7. ACE’s new responsibilities
Collections:
Accreditation
Designation
National security advice
Cultural property:
Government Indemnity Scheme
Acceptance in Lieu
Export Licensing
Reviewing Committee for the Export of Works of Art and
Cultural Interest

8. Integrating museums and libraries - how
ACE working to integration programme (connected
to MLA wind-up programme)
Target date 1 October for transfer of staff and
programmes
ACE focused largely on the design of programmes
it will be running from 12/13 onwards

9. Integrating museums and libraries - vision
ACE’s vision is to achieve closer collaboration between the
arts infrastructure, museums and library services –
increasing leverage with key partners, but also improving the
quality of service and increasing impact
Much work to do to work out what this means in practice
Three major pieces of strategy and policy work underway

10. Emerging thinking around programme design
Future of Renaissance and ACE’s museum development
work seen as part of continuum – they need to work hard
together
Key focus for ACE – future of Renaissance
Working within architecture developed by MLA, with its four
component strands of core, challenge, museum
development and national projects
Fast-tracking review of the concept of ‘core’ museums, with
a view to launching new scheme later in the summer

11. Business as usual
No changes planned to the services MLA provides to museums, other
than those already underway:
Accreditation – including relaunch in October
Designation
Cultural property functions
MLA 2012 programmes

12. Business as usual
Other projects that continue this year and are due for future
review include:
• Support for digital agencies (Culture 24 and Collections
Trust)
• Museums at Night
• Kids in Museums
• Our Sporting Life (linked to London 2012)

13. What next?
May and June: consultation and completion of policy work;
redeployment process for some MLA staff
Summer: launch of new Renaissance programme, and publication of
Companion to Achieving Great Art for Everyone
Autumn: publication of Arts Council Plan for 2012-15 and launch of
other museum and library programmes. Assessment process for
museum grant recipients
October: integration of functions, with M&L staff joining ACE
Winter: evaluation of integration programme to inform ACE
organisation review. Announcement of decisions related to museum
grant recipients