North East

North East museums image The North East is made up of four geographic areas: Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear and the Tees Valley and 12 local authority administrative areas. 70 % of the 2.6 million population is concentrated in the urban centres of the Tees Valley and Tyne & Wear, but the majority of the region is rural.

Local authorities, universities, charitable trusts, private organisations and individuals, and volunteers operate more than 220 museums, libraries and archives in the region, receiving over 18m visits per year.

The region has 67 Accredited museums and 10 Designated Collections of national significance
The public libraries deal with almost 3 million enquiries for information every year and provide 2,048 free public access PCs
The region has 67 archive-holding organisations and the 4 county record offices manage 30 miles of archives and records
More than 95% of all schools use museums and archive resources to enhance their pupil’s learning experience

The North East has a strong tradition of partnership working with regional cultural agencies and regional partners. MLA, Arts Council England, North East, English Heritage and Sport England North East work together on embedding culture within the regional strategy, local government delivery, Living Places and 2012.

Blast furnaces and birds

Blast furnances and birds was a joint project, offering informal adult learning opportunities, whilst contributing to stronger and

Project commemorates abolishment of slavery

A series of events across Teesside have have led to an increased public understanding of the slave trade and strengthened links...

Bringing collections into the classroom

A partnership between Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Cumbria Record Office and a local history teacher has greatly benefited

Tyne and Wear volunteer programme

A federation of 11 museums and galleries on Tyneside has found the key to successful volunteer management through an innovative...

Library opens in the heart of the community

Sunderland City Council contributes £2m towards the housing complex scheme which includes a modern library.

Newcastle library praised

Newcastle’s new city centre library, which opens in June, has a completion ceremony attended by the MLA in early March.

Responsibilities transfer

From 1st October 2011, this site will not be updated, so please treat it as the static archive it is. This is because <a target="_Blank" href="http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/">Arts Council England</a> has now taken over museums and libraries responsibilities. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/">The National Archives</a> has assumed responsibility for strategic leadership of the Archives sector. Arts Council responsibilities will also now include the Renaissance programme, Museum Accreditation, and Library Development, together with cultural property services such as Export Licensing and the Acceptance in Lieu scheme. The National Archives has assumed responsibility for providing strategic leadership to the archives sector and advising government on its development. The MLA is now winding down, with a skeleton staff remaining until May 2012 to complete the management of existing Renaissance contracts, complete outstanding financial and contractual arrangements and prepare for the appointment of a liquidator. This website will remain live until 31st March so that the public still has full access to the material on it – good practice case studies, toolkits, guidance and a range of other publications. Continue reading