I am delighted to welcome you to the new website of the ‘new MLA’.
Over the past year Chief Executive Roy Clare has led the MLA through a major re-structuring. The organisation has emerged leaner, fitter and more agile. Our national and regional resources are now integrated to promote excellent cultural and creative experiences for all ages. Directors of Engagement and Regional Managers are being appointed in each region to offer advice and project support.
My fellow Board members and I are confident that the new teams will prove to have the expertise and skills necessary to take on the diverse challenges ahead. Everyone in the MLA is clear that we will be judged on whether or not our work helps to ensure that people and communities are able to enjoy and engage with the very best museums, libraries and archives.
As the worldwide economic downturn begins to bite, I feel a heightened sense of responsibility for the contribution such places make to the lives of people every day across Britain. Recession brings worry and despair. Families fear the loss of livelihoods, homes and dignity. In these circumstances, more than ever, museums, libraries and archives – alongside the arts, heritage and sport – are acutely important resources for lifting the spirits and for supporting hopes and aspirations.
To help ensure that our sector can match and where possible exceed expectations it is right for us to set a demanding pace. We are investing in research capacities to gauge the impact of our sector and to help to guide policy and decision-making; we are highlighting the best examples of quality so as to encourage excellence; and we are fostering innovative and ambitious development, not least through our flagship programme for regional museums, Renaissance in the Regions.
We also have an Action Plan for public libraries and we are supporting the DCMS review. Libraries occasionally draw criticism from some ill-informed commentators, many of whom when asked, can’t remember when they last set foot in one. But every single day, fantastic work and developments are occurring in libraries right across the country.
For instance, not everyone can place Acomb and Oadby, but these are just two of many communities with sparkling new libraries, supporting learning, well-being and much more. For families, the workless, the elderly, the unskilled and especially for those with a passion for reading, public libraries are refuges for enjoyment and creativity, free of charge.
Resources for researching family and local history have never been more widely available, both in local archives and on-line. We are working with The National Archives to develop a strategy for the nation’s archives. A document will be published for consultation in the New Year.
Meanwhile, great museums are not exclusive to London and core cities; whatever their size or funding, the best – like new ones in Leeds and Coventry – engage people and interpret collections through display, music, dance and performance. These wonderful assets complement regional theatres, art centres and concert halls and, taken together, provide a stimulating distraction from economic and political uncertainties.
Our new website highlights our focus on best practice around the country. Through various examples we are celebrating arts and culture, as well as the inspirational work of museums, libraries and archives, which we see as vital to identity, neighbourhood, learning, skills and creativity.
By promoting ‘best practice’ we help the best set the pace for the rest. We assist in the building up of capabilities and capacities and we lend support to local authorities, development agencies, charities and others with a shared interest in nourishing and sustaining museums, libraries and archives. Most importantly, we back the dedicated, professional people who work in them.
And we do so to benefit all people, wherever they may be in this country.
Culturally, we have so much to build on - a time of recession is a time to build.
Andrew Motion
Chair MLA
10th December 2008