Who we are, what we do

Museums Galleries Scotland is the National Development Body for the museum sector in Scotland. Our role is to work collaboratively to invest in and develop a sustainable museum and galleries sector for Scotland, in line with the aims of Going Further: The National Strategy for Scotland’s Museums and Galleries.

We work with a sector of over 400 museums and galleries, supporting and enabling them to meet their objectives in a number of ways, including though strategic investment, advice, advocacy and skills development opportunities.

Guided by the vision of the National Strategy for Scotland’s Museums and Galleries:

“Scotland’s museums and galleries will be ambitious, dynamic and sustainable enterprises: connecting people, places and collections; inspiring, delighting and creating public value".

Our aim is to lead the development, management and implementation of the National Strategy, facilitating and enabling museums and galleries in Scotland to deliver in line with the Strategy’s aims.  Our objectives are:

• To facilitate sector development in partnership with key stakeholders
• To undertake focused investment in the sector which delivers impact and change
• To raise museum standards across the sector
• To develop effective communications with the sector and advocate on its behalf
• To develop a high quality and robust evidence base for the sector and to inform and support MGS’s business operations and service offer
• To ensure the National Development Body is an organisation fit for purpose to lead the sector

We aim to meet these objectives by:

• Delivering investment and seeking to diversify funding streams
• Facilitating skills development and capacity building
• Maintaining and developing sector standards, including through Accreditation and the Recognition Scheme
• Signposting to information, advice and resources and sharing best practice
• Developing networks and brokering partnerships
• Undertaking and commissioning research and disseminating findings
• Gathering, monitoring and evaluating sector data to inform continuous improvement
• Advocating on behalf of the sector to raise its profile and visibility with stakeholders and funders

 Our values are:

• Collaboration
• Integrity
• Passion for museums
• Courageousness

Our priorities for the period 2013-2015 are informed by the needs and development requirements articulated by museums and galleries through consultation as set out in Scotland’s Museums and Galleries: Activities, Needs & Support and outlined in From Strategy to Action: A Delivery Plan for Scotland’s Museums and Galleries 2013-15

The priority areas are: