New Year, new challenges.  
January has been pure chaos - mostly with projects winding down and at the same time the usual rush with document writing as everyone applies for grants.  Being held up by the snow hasn't helped, but if you will have work that includes driving through the Welsh mountains...  

What can I say... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eT40eV7OiI

Have had some good tours of various stores - not only Llandudno Museum and Llangollen Museum where I'm just coming to the end of the collections management projects, but also at Wigan Museums and at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod (which hereafter on the blogs I'll refer to as LIME, on account of it being hard on the ol' fingers constantly typing in Llangollen International... you get the idea). 

The variety of these stores and the many different collections shows what a resource we keep for the nation (however you define it), from large industrial pieces to newspaper cuttings.  It's the living database of the country's history.  Looking at the way it is regarded shows, however, that it is the biggest struggle with the authorities - whoever they are - who don't (literally) see the worth of the stores, concentrating on the "bums on seats" and more attractive front of house that is the museum displays open to the public.

More interest in the Contemporary Collections, mostly within Wales, but this also has its own problem - what do we mean by "contemporary"?  With the sports project in contemporary collections we basically used the idea of being artefacts post-1950.  As good a definition as any.  Some places see it as just the last 20 years - or even the last 5!  Is there a definition that all in the museum profession can agree on?  Just a thought...

Will shortly be visiting the Andrew Logan Museum of Sculpture at Berriew.  Now that is a change of style in collections.  http://andrewloganmuseum.org/