Resource, the Council for
Museums,
Archives and
Libraries, was
created in April 2000 by the
British government to carry forward a new
approach to cultural heritage. Resource is, in common speech a
Quango - a
quasi-autonomous non-government organisation. The creation of Resource replaced
the existing
Museums and Galleries Commission and
Library and Information
Commission, and added to their portfolios a new interest in archives -
previously only covered by the
Public Record Office and the
Historic
Manuscripts Commission, both of which continue to exist and do their usual
work.
Resource is usually defined as being a 'strategic' body - meaning that its
primary function is to produce reports and ideas about the development of the
sector it represents. It is intended to function 'at arm's length' from the
Department of Culture, Media and Sport to which it reports. Based in
Queen
Anne's Gate,
Westminster,
Central London, the organisation is responsible
for a number of government-funded schemes in the sectors it covers, including
Museum Registration, the
Designation Scheme for Museums, the creation of
Single Regional Agencies, the
Acquisition in Lieu scheme, and the creation of the
People's Network. It has also produced numerous reports on the future of
Museums, Archives and Libraries, including the
Renaissance in the Regions
report on regional museums in
England.
Resource is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by
Lord Evans of
Temple
Guiting - better known as
Matthew Evans, of
Faber, the publishers.
Loyd
Grossman is also a member, along with other figures less well-known to the
general public but who represent the sectors (or domains, as they are sometimes
called) in question.
Website: www.resource.gov.uk
Trivial note: Resource's logo looks like this:
re:source
...leading some people to think that the name of the organisation is re:source.