Case Studies

Stromness Museum have been running Snorkel safaris out of their local harbour in Orkney with the aim of encouraging more visitors to discover the fantastic natural history on the museum's doorstep. Developing local partnerships have been crucial in helping to embed this project into the local area, as well as providing a greater understanding of the museum’s collections to a much wider audience.

The Family Burns Brunch was an event held at Robert Burns Ellisland with the aim to introduce a younger audience to the traditional Burns Supper and help make the tradition more accessible for families to engage with.

HMS Unicorn diversified its workforce and strengthened its ties to the local community by offering meaningful museum volunteering opportunities to under-served groups in the Dundee area.

Fifteen museums collaborated with Museums and Heritage Highland to develop a digital learning and engagement hub which showcases 300 objects through a mix of images, information, and activities.

Nico Tyack, Museums & Galleries Edinburgh, talks about managing the Auld Reekie Retold collections inventory project and integrating public engagement into it.

Elsie Maclean, Marketing Officer for Tobar an Dualchais, tells us how working with storytellers for the first time allowed them to bring stories from their rich online archive to life in new ways for audiences.

Curator Karen Buchanan explores how Gairloch Museum’s Festival of Stories enabled them to invite new and existing audiences into the museum space to share stories relevant to the local area, creating a powerful sense of community.

Volunteers at Cupar Museum and Heritage Centre have developed a dynamic and proactive approach to museum management, engaging with community groups and expanding their collections to shed new light on the history of their hometown.

In this case study Samantha Walker, Museum Manager and Curator at St Andrews Heritage Museum & Garden talks about better reflecting the public- facing activities of the museum through a rebranding project and creation of a dedicated museum website funded through Museums Galleries Scotland.

This case study is about: By adopting a sustainable agenda, it has been possible for the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum to create a state-of-the-art, award-winning museum which successfully balances conservation needs alongside environmental needs, ultimately creating a better space for its collections, and its visitors

In 2019 Gairloch Museum moved to a new building – a repurposed nuclear bunker. Through the journey of their redevelopment this museum has successfully won the support of their community, raised the profile of the area nationally and attracted enthusiastic new visitor audiences.

The aim of this project by Comann Eachdraidh Uibhist A Tuath (North Uist Historical Society) was an exploration of the unique and threatened shoreline of North Uist and the machair land lying behind the marram grass dunes.