Small museums and social inclusion

Background

This research was commissioned by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) to provide information about the contribution that small museums and galleries can make towards social inclusion.  It complements Museums and Social Inclusion: The GLLAM Report (2000) which looked at large, local authority museums, and contributed to Including Museums (2001).

Key findings

The research looked at the issues facing small museums and their contribution towards social inclusion. It identified specific characteristics in small museums relevant to social inclusion, for instance:

• They are closer to their communities

• They are seen as less intimidating compared to larger museums.

These characteristics enable smaller museums to be more responsive to community needs, to be more flexible, more focused and more able to develop a shared vision amongst staff.