1. The Nottingham Industrial Peer Review 2011-2012 Nottingham City Museums & Galleries or What are we going to do about all this stuff?

2. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Why do we need a Peer Review? To inform decision making processes To help develop the Collections Development Strategy and the Interpretation Policy To identify strengths in the collection for Designation To identify items for disposal To offer suggestions for storage and other improvement To value the objects as part of the European Audit To help deliver other Renaissance objectives To provide curatorial expertise To give staff and volunteers confidence to move forward with this collection

3. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries What should be included? Significance – Including the Assessing Significance Framework Strengths & weaknesses – documentation, degree of duplication, condition, storage & display, pest management, completeness of group Evidence of Demand – enquiries, % of time on display Collections Purpose Valuation

4. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries

5. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Object Groupings Lace & Textile Manufacture Transport: Cars/Motorcycles, etc. Transport: Public

6. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Object Groupings Transport: Bicycles, mopeds, etc. Transport: Railways Tobacco Industry

7. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Object Groupings Pharmaceutical EquipmentEngineering: Mechanical Engineering: Precision

8. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Object Groupings Engineering: Electrical Engineering: Prime Movers Printing Engineering: Civil

9. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Object Groupings Agriculture Mining Domestic Electrical Equipment Timekeeping

10. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Photography Telecommunications Office Communications, equipment Object Groupings

11. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Lighting Woodworking Miscellaneous Smithing & Founding Object Groupings

12. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Finding specialists to carry out the review National Museums Subject Specialist Networks Specialist Societies/Research Organisations Freelance Museum Consultants Museums with Designated Collections Word of Mouth

13. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Our Reviewers Andrew Millward University of Central England Areas to be covered: Bicycle Collection

14. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Our Reviewers Robert Taylor Museum Consultant Areas to be covered: Transport: Public Pharmaceutical Equipment Office Communications Telecommunications Engineering: Electrical Printing Photography Domestic Electrical Equipment Agriculture Civil Engineering Lighting

15. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Our Reviewers Smithing & Founding Woodworking Miscellaneous Items Overall Report

16. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Our Reviewers Jane Bowen Museum Consultant & Museum Manager Areas to be covered: Working in association with Robert Taylor Overall Report

17. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Our Reviewers Andy King Bristol Museum Service Areas to be covered: Lace & Textile Manufacture Transport: Cars, Motorcycles, etc. Transport: Railways Tobacco Industry Engineering: Mechanical Engineering: Precision Engineering: Prime Movers Mining Timekeeping

18. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Preliminary work in advance of site visits Regional Mapping Exercise Updating location information for historic loans out Auditing the Radio Room Auditing the Park Stores Separating the Registry & History File data for Industry Creating store lists itemised by collections groupings Cleaning, labelling and making minor storage improvements to SR1 and SR2 Robert’s preliminary site visit

19. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Timescales Renaissance: Q2 Write Review Brief Q2 Identify Reviewers Q3 Carry out reviews Q4 Delivery of overall report Q4 Amend Collections Development Strategy Q4 Commence disposal procedures and implementation of reviewers recommendations Q4 Commence improvements to off site store

20. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Timescales Reviewers: Andrew Millward 1 long site visit day Robert Taylor & Jane Bowen Preliminary visit by Robert 5 days on site 1 evening meeting with NIMMs 2 future days consultation following the delivery of the overall report Andrew King 5 days on site 1 evening meeting with NIMMs

21. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries On site working Staff supervision throughout Visit to the Registry Use of the itemised store lists Laptop with database Camera

22. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Outcomes during the site visits Hazardous materials Areas for Designation Future interpretation ideas Use of collections Oiling machinery Getting the NIMMs on board Important objects/ areas of little value Storage improvements Learning about the objects from experts Collection crossovers

23. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Brief Report What they would like from us: Mission and aims of the Nottingham Industrial Museum The future interpretation strategy Recommendations: Dispose of identified hazardous materials Acquire equipment and materials to begin improvement of Gresham Store Dispose of/transfer inappropriate objects from Gresham

24. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Brief Report Recommendations continued: Review and reunite remaining radios Return inappropriate loans to owners Consider transfer of Baskerville carriages Acquire important material currently on loan, e.g. Plessey archive

25. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Brief Report Initial Findings: Collections: A few items of international significance Some items made locally of national importance Three collections to be considered for Designation Overlaps between Industry and Social History Resources needed to re-erect large machinery at Gresham

26. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Brief Report Initial Findings: Museum Displays: Currently has limited appeal Low professional standards BEH random objects squeezed into spaces Museum Stores: Most are unsuitable Require input of resources to improve Gresham has potential but is poorly arranged and in need of redecoration, new racks and pallets

27. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Brief Report Initial Findings: Future Operations: Communications link required between NIMM and the curator Volunteer training for NIMMs Long term vision required Future Interpretation Strategy – change the name, focus on post 1850, include Social History, make displays themed and remove objects with no relevance to Nottingham

28. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Brief Report Initial Findings: Possible Collections Categories: Principal Collections: Lace and Textile Machinery Pharmaceutical Equipment Telecommunications Tobacco Industry

29. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Brief Report Initial Findings: Possible Collections Categories: Primary Collections: Local Transport Engineering: Machine Tools, Prime Movers, Civil Printing

30. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Brief Report Initial Findings: Possible Collections Categories: Secondary Collections: Agriculture Engineering: Electrical, Precision Office Machinery Photography Domestic Electrical Equipment Lighting Miscellaneous Woodworking Smithing & Founding

31. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries Brief Report Possible Longer Term Interpretation Strategy Involve all museum staff & volunteers Wider variety of working exhibits – including lace machinery Establish a print workshop Shop window-type displays Room sets to reflect hobbyist activities

32. The Industrial Peer Review Nottingham City Museums & Galleries What Next? NIMMS established as a charity Soft opening of the museum Interpretation Policy developed Curatorial volunteers commence Implementation of Peer Review recommended tasks Renaissance funded improvements at Gresham stores Work on collections recommended for Designation Network with potential users and researchers of the collections