MLA

North East

North East museums imageThe 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.

Newcastle library praised

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

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Library opens in the heart of the community

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

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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

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Bringing collections into the classroom

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

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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

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Latest News

Defence of Renaissance must be forward looking

"I am optimistic that that we are winning the argument for sustained Renaissance funding, because we can point to museum services that have used the cash to become more outgoing - forming partnerships, spreading new ideas, and exciting the public –and we can therefore legitimately promise to do more with less.” Continue reading

  • Related links

  • contact us north east

    Details to find out more about the region and the MLA field team for the North East

  • regional plans

    Four agencies that report to DCMS (the MLA, Sport England, English Heritage and Arts Council) work together at a regional level to produce shared strategies for culture and sport.

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Sector Statistics

Museums, libraries and archives website use statistics graphicVolunteering Numbers statisticsNo. of Public Libraries in England (2008-09)Stats widget