Wiltshire Heritage Museum has no more room for storage.

[Unitof1]

Archives should be the responsibility of the client.

arent the developers the owners of the archive and within their rights to put it in a skip. I would suggest that it would be benificial if this ex-council museum got to choose which archives it would like instead of trying to take everything that is put at its door. They dont seem to have much problems raising monies for bits of treasure, water colours and oil paintings, books and bric a brac. In their last accounts they took on [SIZE=3]99 boxes of archaeology archives (finds and reports) excavated and deposited by Chippenham College Archaeology A Level Programme. Transfered from Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre.

This is part of whats going on at this sociaty 2011-12 accounts

The most notable event of the year was the settlement, after a long period of quietude and then negotiation, of the Society’s residual remaining pension commitment to Wiltshire Council. The large sum claimed was eventually settled at £21,000 a year to be paid over the next 20 years to Wiltshire Council. At the same time, the Council decided to charge us £4,500 per annum in rates, previously waived. This repayment to the Council of over £25,000 per year is to be contrasted with their total grant to us of £35,000 per year.

The pension liability was half what had been calculated. Presumably somebody else is paying that.

[SIZE=3][SIZE=3]This sociaty seems to put its accounts out in march.....

Major income in the year were £271,000 from the Wiltshire Life Society (held as a designated fund), and £145,000 received from the DCMS/Wolfson for the lift. However, there was a deficit for the year was of £79,000 and due to a fall in the stock market investments had decreased by £38,000, including on the Endowment Fund. Members should be aware, however, that funds are invested on a low to medium risk basis and have therefore suffered less than the all share index.
The ability of the Society to remain a viable entity was continually questioned. The position had now arrived that in a little over two years it would not be possible to operate within our existing establishment. At the last year end the reserves were £570,000, with designated and restricted funds of £426,000 - which could not be used to support the Society. The projected deficit for the year to 31 March 2012, before revaluation of investments, would be in the region of £120,000………

[SIZE=3]

It is essential that adequate financial provision for long-term storage should be provided through the infrastructure delivery plan and the community infrastructure levy.

Maybe more to the point it might be essential to know how much researchers, are willing to pay to look at the 99 boxes of archaeology archives (finds and reports) excavated and deposited by Chippenham College Archaeology A Level Programme. It might give them a way to judge what other archaeology boxes they should take on. Seems to work for the rest of their collection.



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[Sith]

Archives should be the responsibility of the client. I hope that any briefs for archaeological work in Wiltshire make it clear that the developer will end up having to arrange storage of the records and finds, and I hope that contractors do actually consider deposition when they are scoping a project, like they are always supposed to.

I don't know about others disposal habits but we certainly do. We're currently involved with a large project where archiving was agreed at the outset but now the post-ex is complete and the world has fallen off the fiscal cliff, the recipient has no space and no funding for more.

[Unitof1]

“It is essential that adequate financial provision for long-term storage should be provided through the infrastructure delivery plan and the community infrastructure levy.

It seems to me that its a bit unfair that if a developer has already paid to have the archaeology "done" including paying for storage that the developer should have to pay extra towards running these second-hand shops. I cant find very much information in these second-hand shop accounts to see what value they put on their assets and no evidence that they put any value on any archaeological archives. I think that these second hand shops should start valueing their assest as its a basic principle of accounting.

came accross this in my wonderings

http://www.museumsassociation.org/publications/12541

and this in their so called ethics

Treat collections as non-negotiable assets in financial affairs. Refuse to mortgage collections or offer them as security for a loan. Sustain the financial viability of the museum irrespective of any valuation placed on items in its collections.

but they would expect a developer and who ever buys the properties to be mortgaged up to the hilt to pay for it. The second hand shops are thriving round my way but the museum closes over winter, hopefully they wont open next year.

[Hamish]

... In their last accounts they took on [SIZE=3]99 boxes of archaeology archives (finds and reports) excavated and deposited by Chippenham College Archaeology A Level Programme.
[/SIZE]

oh if well that's the case, I'd quite happily take away the boxes that I'm responsible for the original collection of and return the contents to where I found them.

[Wax]

oh return the contents to where I found them.

might be some merit in that approach, how about a nice big hole perhaps under Cumbria or all those old salt mines in Cheshire. After all if its good enough for nuclear waste its good enough for all those tons of pottery sherds:face-stir:

[Unitof1]

Hamish The 99 boxes seemed such a good number to have arrived in one go on their doorstep after they had so diligently had the foresight presumably with careful market research to organise this:

He said: “We can get up to 100 boxes a year. We commissioned a new store about two years ago at our own expense and that is now full, so we have no place to put any of this new material.

so they commissioned a store for 200 boxes then. I might add that they also get a sub from the council so not sure what they mean exactly by "our own expense".

minor rubbarb compared to this

“Wiltshire Council does not cover the cost of maintaining the archaeological finds and archives that are generated as a result of planning consents that have been approved by the council.”

As a result of the letter, Wiltshire Council has included a requirement in the emerging core strategy – or local plan – to provide storage for artefacts unearthed in these excavations.

Mr Dawson said: “If the government inspector approves the core strategy, it will be the first time a local authority has taken on this responsibility.”

"to provide storage for artefacts unearthed in these excavations" just does not say who is to provide it or rather who is going to pay for it or rather who is going to try and get a pension out of it. And again the council does seem to be paying monies to this second hand outfit.

Cant say I know much about this area, isnt it where wessex was invented by the councils?

[troll]

let schools have their own museums......I know that I could take a fair bit for teaching purposes........

[Unitof1]

What you mean by museum Troll? This mob I would suggest think that they should have the market cornered. This what they say the do

RUNS A ACCREDITED AND DESIGNATED MUSEUM, LIBRARY AND ART GALLERY WITH TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS; PROVIDES AN EDUCATIONAL SERVICE AND YOUNG WANHS CLUB AND ORGANISES ACTIVITES, LECTURES AND OUTINGS FOR MEMBERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

I imagine that they were once fully supported within the wiltshire education department budget though probably now more in tourisum. I imagine that they compete unfairly with you.....

[kevin wooldridge]

Its crazy that Wiltshire claims to be running out of space. I can't think of an English county that contains as many disused and partially used military buildings and sites, partially used and redundant churches etc etc as Wiltshire. Its just a question of joined up thinking by central and local government really....I mean Swindon is a town full of empty warehousing. It has a huge car factory that's likely to be closed soon!!

[Dinosaur]

Following the analogy of the stratigraphy/landscape component of archaeology, once finds have been preserved 'by record', i.e. a report, drawings, photos, any scientific tests etc, why are they being kept at all? There seems to be some presumption that they are more important than their context, despite the fact that, in general, their only value is to provide information about that context (which it has been fine to destroy and merely preserve by record...)

...think you can see where I'm going with this, even if I'm making a b***s of saying it...