MLA's Sharper Investment for Changing Times calls for more creative planning to ensure that the public get the most out of the £2bn-plus that national and local government invest in museums, libraries and archives.
It recognises that around three quarters of the money that is spent on museum, library and archive services in England is in the control of local, not central government. It foresees the need for radical re-thinking of systems of delivery, based on planning around the needs of people, communities and places.
With practical solutions and ‘best practice’ examples, the prospectus recommends that:
- museums, libraries and archives work harder to share their resources and make a wider public impact as efficiently as possible, concentrating less on sustaining costly buildings and storing unseen objects, and more on opening up fantastic collections of books, records and iconic artefacts for learning and enjoyment
- national government should ensure the longer term funding and statutory framework is one in which councils, museums, libraries and archives can have the freedom, flexibility and stability to plan for far-reaching change
- local government should identify more efficient delivery models, using Total Place methodologies, to utilise the value of museum, library and archive services for wider purposes; innovating and integrating with other services, working across boundaries, and with public and private partners using new forms of governance where appropriate.