Museum Trends Survey 2022-23 update
July 17, 2023Guidance Released for Museum Impact Statements.
NIMC plans to launch the Museum Trends survey 2023 this December, to review the 2022-23 financial year (April 2022 – March 2023). Most of the survey will occur through Citizen Space, which is an online survey platform used by Government for public consultations. There will however be aspects of the survey that must be compiled and submitted independent of the online survey, including the ‘Museum Impact Statement’.
We are providing information about a new element of the Museum Trends Survey – the Museum Impact Statement – now, so that museum managers and senior leaders can begin to consult internally and collate this aspect of the Museum Trends Survey 2023 submission.
The impact that each museum delivers will vary widely as a factor of location, collection and mission
The guidance document can be accessed from the Resources page, and below. .
Museum Trends Impact Guidance 2023
Why is the Museum Trends Survey needed?
As an advocacy body for the museum sector, NIMC needs up-to-date information on how its member museums across Northern Ireland operate. The purpose of the survey is to provide focused quantitative and qualitative data about both local authority and independent museums so that NIMC can argue effectively for their social, cultural and economic value and help to secure the resources they need. NIMC needs data that can point to the strategic challenges for the sector, challenges which require strategic planning to be dealt with collectively rather than individually.
The Museum Trends Survey offers NIMC an opportunity to discover what museums are doing well, and to celebrate that. It also offers an opportunity to discover what is not being done, or done well, and why that might be, which is key to advocating for increased provision of all kinds.
What is being surveyed?
The survey questions have been devised with the goal of ensuring that every response can support NIMC’s advocacy and strategic planning for the local museum sector. Broadly, questions will ask for quantitative (numbers, percentages etc.) or qualitative (narrative) responses that pertain to the work of museums during the last financial year (1st April 2022 – 31st March 2023).
The questionnaire has been reviewed and redeveloped following extensive consultation and independent assessment. The Museum Trends Survey 2022-23 will ask a range of questions that are grouped across three themes that map to the UK Museum Accreditation standard:
1.Organisational Health (workforce, finance, infrastructure, strategic outlook)
2.Managing Collections (collection scope, development and management)
3.Users and their Experiences (audience / digital engagement and impact)
Whilst the Museum Trends Survey maps to the UK Museum Accreditation framework, unaccredited museums are also encouraged to participate.
How will the survey be completed?
The Museum Trends Survey will be delivered largely through Citizen Space, which is the online survey software used by Government for all public consultations. Components of the survey response will be delivered independent of Citizen Space for respondent convenience.
If you have any immediate questions about the Museum Trends Survey, please do feel free to contact us on 02890 550215 or via e-mail to info@nimc.co.uk or johnathan.dalzell@nimc.co.uk
How will the Museum Trends data be used?
Data collected through the Museum Trends Survey will be used to populate a final Museum Trends Survey Report that speaks to the state of the sector as a whole, and will inform NIMC research, planning and advocacy work.
The Survey will incorporate an element of statistical analysis that will allow NIMC to make conclusive and persuasive statements about sectoral trends over time. This will involve comparing annual averages to determine statistically significant changes using Analysis of Variance and assessing data trends through regression analysis. This will support NIMC’s data-driven advocacy strategy for the local museum sector, ensuring that we are more agile and able to respond quickly and coherently to needs as they arise.
Data will not be used to rank or compare individual museums, nor will data (or the absence of data) be used in a punitive fashion. The Museum Trends Survey seeks to form a data baseline form which NIMC can act in the sector’s best interests.