DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
DCMS 83/98                                            20 April 1998

                           THE 24-HOUR MUSEUM

              CHRIS SMITH ANNOUNCES NEW SCHEME TO PROVIDE
                           ACCESS TO MUSEUMS

     Round-the-clock access to UK museums through Information
Technology will be provided by The 24-Hour Museum,  to be
co-ordinated by Loyd Grossman, Culture Secretary Chris Smith
announced today.  It will put information about UK museum collections
on-line as an educational resource.

     Chris Smith said:

     "The UK's museums hold collections of unparalleled richness and
diversity.  Recent developments in new technology, including the
World Wide Web, have the potential to raise public awareness of these
treasures and to build new audiences for our museums.  I have asked
Loyd Grossman, who is widely respected as a champion of museums, to
co-ordinate the development of The 24-Hour Museum.  This project has
the ultimate aim of improving round-the-clock access to information
about museum collections."

     Loyd Grossman commented:

     "This is an opportunity to bring the educational, intellectual
and cultural treasures of our museums and galleries to the widest
audience at home and abroad.  We are determined to make The 24 Hour
Museum an exciting and easy to use gateway to our museums and
galleries."

     "I am confident that this project will reinforce my belief that
museums and galleries are an essential part of building a decent and
creative society for the future.  I am thrilled to have the support
of the Museums & Galleries Commission and the Museum Documentation
Association and will be consulting other museum bodies."

     The Government is providing #10,000, through the Museums &
Galleries Commission, to support development work on the scheme, the
concept of which was originally devised by the Campaign for Museums
and the Museum Documentation Association.

NOTE TO EDITORS

1.   The Secretary of State has commissioned Loyd Grossman to
co-ordinate the initial development of The 24-Hour Museum project,
which is intended to provide on-line, round-the-clock access to
information about museum collections.

2.   Loyd Grossman was born in Boston, Massachusetts and educated at
Boston University and the London School of Economics.  He has
presented a number of highly successful television programmes,
including Masterchef, Junior Masterchef and Through the Keyhole.
During his career in journalism he has been Design Editor of Harpers
& Queen (1981-84); Contributing Editor, The Sunday Times (1984-86)
and restaurant critic for Harpers &Queen from 1981-89 and 1991-93.
He has written for most leading British publications, including The
Sunday Times, The Times, The Sunday Express, The Financial Times, The
Literary Review and Tatler.  Mr Grossman is Chairman of the Campaign
for Museums,  and is a Commissioner of both the Museums & Galleries
Commission and English Heritage.

3.   The Campaign for Museums was created in 1995 by Loyd Grossman
with the objective of promoting museums, mainly through what has
become an annual Museums Week.  The Campaign advocates the virtues
and value of museums and galleries throughout the UK.  Its aims are
increasing visits, broadening public support and raising the profile
of museums with the media and opinion-formers.  Museums Week 1998
will take place from 16 to 24 May; a record number of 1,000 museums
throughout the UK are expected to participate.   For more information
please telephone Ylva French on 0171 233 6789.  The Museums Week
website address is: www.museumsweek.co.uk.

4.   The Museum Documentation Association is the lead body in the UK
for museum information management and is supported by the Museums and
Galleries Commission and the respective Museum Councils in Northern
Ireland, Scotland and Wales.  Its role is to provide standards and
advice to ensure accountability of, and accessibility to, museum
collections information.  Further information is available from
Louise Smith, Director of the MDA, on 01223315 760 or from the MDA
Website on http://www.open.gov.uk/mdocassn.

5.   The Museums & Galleries Commission (MGC) exists to safeguard and
promote the United Kingdom's 2,500 museums and galleries.  The MGC's
central roles are to provide expert and impartial advice, to raise
standards and to act as an advocate for museums and galleries
throughout the UK.  The MGC operates a range of grant schemes and
allocates 80 % of its annual budget in revenue funding.  For more
information please contact Julie Taylor on 0171-233 4200.







# = pounds sterling



David Dawson                           email: [log in to unmask]
- - - - - - -
Outreach Manager - ICT                 Museum Documentation Association

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