Museums Galleries Scotland has named the successful applicants for funding reserved for Scotland’s top collections. Five Lothians based Recognised Collections of National Significance successfully bid for a share to pay for projects that will bring major benefits for visitors.
The University of Edinburgh receive £40,000 to commence the groundwork for a re-display of their fascinating collection of musical instrument that will completely transform and improve the visitor experience at St Cecilia’s Hall.
The Royal College of Surgeons get £36,970 to fund a year-long cataloguing and interpretation project that will dramatically increase access to their Surgeons Hall Museum collection via smart phones and online.
Caring for an industrial collection with huge and sometimes hazardous items is a challenge but is all part of the job of those at the National Mining Museum. A grant of £26,000 will allow them to undertake an ambitious project to display large objects for visitors to marvel over.
Ellie Swinbank, Keeper at National Mining Museum Scotland, said: “I am delighted that the National Mining Museum Scotland has been awarded this money by Museums Galleries Scotland as it will enable us to care more effectively for Scotland's mining heritage, ensuring that our large objects are looked after to standards befitting those in a Recognised Collection, and preserved for generations to come.”
Scottish Railway Preservation Society will use their £17,000 grant to refurbish facilities at their much loved Bo’ness visitor attraction, the start of the Bo'ness & Kinneil railway line, at the historic Wormit Station building.
A grant of £5,693 to The Royal Scottish Academy will be used to plan for the future bringing much longer term benefits through opening the door to new projects and research strategies.
Joanne Orr, CEO, Museums Galleries Scotland, said: “This funding invested into our Recognised Collections ensures they are cared for and promoted to wider audiences. For a small museum this represents a major cash injection, and helps put them on a firm footing for the future. For a large museum it is a chance to do something they simply didn’t have the resources to before.”
“Modernising buildings can breathe life into how a collection is displayed. Web-based projects allow the collection to be enjoyed worldwide. These projects are not just good for the museum, but also for tourism as we are raising people’s awareness of the great experiences available in Scotland.”
The Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, said: "Museums and galleries across Scotland play a vital role in supporting tourism, the economy and local communities. These nationally significant collections are a valuable resource, educating people from home and further afield about our past, present and future.
"This funding will help museums and galleries find new and innovative ways of telling their stories, developing excellence in these internationally important collections and improving the overall experience for visitors."
Just under £650,000 is being invested into raising the standards of 16 of the nation’s most important museum collections via Recognition and capital funding. To date in 2011 just £1,000,000 has been invested into the care of some of Scotland’s most iconic collections via the Recognition Scheme.