Museums, Galleries, Libraries and Archives
11.30 There are almost 2,000 museums, galleries, libraries and archives in the South West serving a wide range of constituencies and specialist interest groups. They form an important knowledge base for the region with local nodes and points of presence in almost every community.Museums in the South West have benefitted from £23.8 million of funding from the Museums, Libraries and Archives (MLA) Council’s Renaissance programme, since 2002. Investment has been focused on five ‘Hub’ museums in Bristol, Bournemouth, Exeter, Plymouth and Truro, and transformational change has been achieved in these key regional museums. Renaissance also funds work in other museums, through partnerships with MLA South West, providing grant funding, skills sharing, workforce development training and support from a network of Museum Development Officers. A further three years of investment has been secured for Renaissance in the South West, from 2008, but spending will be reduced as the region (which was one of three ‘Phase One’ Hubs that received extra funding) is brought into line with the rest of England.
11.31 Museums, libraries and archives have been used as centrepieces for urban and rural regeneration, bringing the community together to support the new projects. Examples of this include the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, in Chippenham (opened 2007) and two major capital investment projects, supported by MLA’s Renaissance: the development of the new Museum of Bristol (due to open in 2010 at a cost of £24.8 million) and the extension and refurbishment of Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum (a £15 million project, to be completed by 2010.)