The following publications were produced by MDNW between 2013 and 2024 or by Renaissance North West between 2006-2011 and are available to download for free. You can also download Renaissance NW documents from our Issuu pages.
In the interests of being green, please print these publications only if necessary, and if possible print on double sided paper.
Environmental Sustainability:
Museum and Art Galleries Survival Strategies (PDF 2021KB) A guide for reducing operating costs and improving sustainability.
ARUP U-values Heat Loss Calculator Tool (Excel Spreadsheet) The U-values Heat Calculator Tool has been designed to help you improve the energy efficiency of your buildings. Used alongside the Data Checklist and U-values Guide, this tool can be used to test your building improvement initiatives to give indicative results on possible U-value improvements. A U-value is a measure of how well different materials perform with retaining heat. The lower the U-value the better the thermal performance.
ARUP U-values Guide (PDF 6 MB) This guide can help you to determine the energy efficiency of your building by calculating U-values. Used alongside the Heat Calculator Tool and Data Checklist you can plan your improvements to improve the efficiency of your building and reduce energy costs.
ARUP U-value tool data checklist (Microsoft Word 124 KB) This Data Checklist will help you to gather and record the measurements and values you will need to input into the U-values Heat Calculator Tool.
Preserve the Past, Protect the Future (PDF 1402KB) A green guide for museums highlighting case studies from museums across the North West.
Green Museums recipe book (PDF 569 KB) This little recipe book has come about because cake became a recurring theme during the Green Museums programme in 2014-15. Plenty of cake was eaten, alongside plenty of discussions about food miles and the availability of ingredients.
Green Museums 2014-15 Programme Evaluation (PDF 610 KB) The evaluation report has case study examples of the improvements delegates from the programme made at their organisations in reducing their environmental impact.
Equity in Museums:
Equity in Museums: Introductory resources: These Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion resources have been selected to introduce how museums can engage by starting with the nine ‘protected characteristics’ in the Equalities Act 2010.
Audience Development:
Knowing Your Audiences: Museum Development North West is happy to announce the launch of our “Knowing Your Audiences” training programme If you understand the importance of knowing who your audiences are but struggle with the how, when and who, this programme is for you
Age-Friendly Museums 2019: As a legacy of the MDNW Age Friendly Accessibility Programme 2018-2019, we have produced the Age Friendly Museums’ toolkit that aims to help museums think about their offer to older people. It comprises the Age-Friendly Standards self-assessment checklist from the Family Arts Campaign, with some modifications to make it more bespoke to the museum sector and a separate Checklist only version with additional functionality so it can be completed electronically.
Retail Development
Retail Development Toolbox Following on from the retail development work we did in 2012-15 we’re pleased to launch our retail toolbox for museums. The toolbox contains simple tips to help you and your team maximise your gift shop’s potential and has activities contained in five modules that are based on high street retail best practices. It will help you to assess the current situation and give you advice on commercial routines, range planning, visual merchandising and selling.
Tailored to recognise the challenges of running a retail outlet in a museum or heritage venue, they focus on priority actions, rather than covering every aspect of running a shop.
Collections Development:
Worth The Investment, FINAL showcasing all of the work happening with numismatic collections in the North West since 2013.
Money Matters – a new toolkit for teachers A new creative teaching and learning resource commissioned by the Harris Museum’s Money Matters project and Curious Minds.
Revealing Collections (PDF 1381KB) This publication looks at a series of Collections Reviews carried out on regionally dispersed collections in the North West.
What’s In Store? Collections Review in the North West (PDF 1347KB) A report highlighting Collections Reviews of Egyptology at Salford Museum and Art Gallery and a Fine Art Print collection at Gallery Oldham.
New Light on Old Bones (PDF 1554KB) An interdisciplinary study of natural science collections in Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery and Rossendale Museum.
Roman Heritage in the North West (PDF 972KB) A publication highlighting case studies of projects supported through the Roman Heritage Project.
Collections Care and Management Programme 2014-15 (PDF 528KB) This programme was designed to support museum staff from varying museums in the region to achieve, maintain and improve collections care & management requirements detailed in Section 2 of the ACE-managed Museum Accreditation Standard.
Roman Heritage: Unearthing Potential in the North West (PDF 747KB) A leaflet highlighting the North West’s unique Roman heritage.
7 Million Wonders: This publication looks at making the case for natural history collections and their wider benefit to society and the environment.
Regional Impact
Annual Museum Survey 2022 This survey is run to to predominantly collect quantitative data, which represents the audiences, workforce and financial operational context of Accreditation museums and those Working Towards Accreditation (WTA) across England.
Annual Museum Survey 2021 This survey is run to to predominantly collect quantitative data, which represents the audiences, workforce and financial operational context of Accreditation museums and those Working Towards Accreditation (WTA) across England.
MDNW benchmarking report 2018-19
MDNW benchmarking report 2017-18
Annual benchmarking report, 2013-14
Annual benchmarking report 2014-16
Museum Development North West Reports
Sustainable Improvement Fund Report 2015-18
Health and Wellbeing:
Who Cares? Museums, Health and Wellbeing(PDF 1255KB) A collaboration between health professionals, six major museums and art galleries in the North West of England and researchers from the Psychosocial Research Unit at the University of Central Lancashire. Also available is a Who Cares Evaluation Report (PDF 1512KB) and Who Cares Executive Summary of the report (PDF 349KB).
If you found this useful you may also be interested in +Culture Shots.
Learning and Community Development:
Write On Literacy Booklet (PDF 747KB) A guide for teachers, museum educators and creative practitioners to help them use museums and galleries to develop children’s literacy skills.
MAGPIE Report (PDF 346KB) A summary of the practice and impacts of a partnership between museums and schools in Manchester during 2004-2010.
Preston Literacy Leaflet (PDF 585KB) A guide based on the Preston Museums and Schools Partnership (Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Queen’s Lancashire Regimental Museum, National Football Museum and Museum of Lancashire), looking at how museums can help support pupils’ literacy.
Creative Spaces (PDF 1307KB) This is a report looking at children as co-researchers in the design of gallery education. In the Gallery: Children, young people and families co-researching their experience in galleries. (PDF 1922KB) This is a report on the second phase of the Creative Spaces programme.
Close Encounters With Culture: Museums and Galleries as part of the Early Years Foundation Stage (PDF 885KB) A booklet for Early Years Practitioners and Museum Educators looking at how museums can contribute to the EYFS, with case studies from museums across the North West.
Family Learning (PDF 1093KB) A practical resource for museum and gallery staff, Family Learning tutors and managers, and Early Years practitioners. Created in partnership with NIACE.
Becoming A New Parent Evaluation (PDF 5060KB) An evaluation of part of the North Manchester Cultural Pilot Programme; Manchester Art Gallery with Higher Blackley Sure Start Centre. Becoming a New Parent was a pilot project examining how culture can address a social issue.
For videos from our events, please visit the Museum Development North West YouTube page
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