News in brief

'Excavating the excavator: Jacquetta Hawkes' biography as archaeology

A lecture to be given on 28 January 2010 by Christine Finn FSA

Jacquetta Hawkes FSA, archaeologist, writer and broadcaster, died in 1996, leaving a legacy little known to contemporary archaeologists. This was a life which needed raising and illuminating, and from the moment that Christine Finn became involved with the assemblage of books, papers, artefacts and memories found and gathered in a variety of locations, she has worked with the material as a form of fieldwork. In this paper, Christine will show how the practices of writing biography and doing archaeological excavation intersect and inform each other, and help to reveal the life and work of Jacquetta Hawkes (see also ‘Jacquetta Hawkes, a life online’ at <http://humanitieslab.stanford.edu/ChristineFinn/home> and Christine’s article, ‘Carnal knowledge’ — on Hawkes’s relationship with J B Priestley, in the Sunday Times of 24 July 2005: <www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article543870.ece>).

Society collections awarded Accredited Museum status

The Society of Antiquaries has been awarded Accredited Museum status for its collections at Burlington House and Kelmscott Manor.

Accredited status was given by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) in December 2009 in recognition of the Society’s high standards in the management of its collections in both buildings.

The assessment panel was impressed with the Society’s joined-up approach to museum provision, with shared policies and a core staff providing a consistent approach to collection care and interpretation across the two sites. As a result, the Society could well be used as a standard setter for museum collections in other learned societies.

MLA’s Accreditation Scheme has set nationally agreed standards for UK museums. To meet the requirements of the scheme, museums must demonstrate that they are addressing the needs of visitors and museum users, achieving clearly defined standards in documenting and caring for collections and in their government and management. The MLA recognises museums who demonstrate a commitment to achieving and maintaining professional levels of care, and being awarded Accredited Museum status is a public acknowledgement that the Society meets those exacting levels.

General Secretary David Gaimster said: “Receiving this award is testament to the hard work of our professional staff and the quality of advice from Fellows. We are very pleased that the work we have done on managing all aspects of our collections at Burlington House and Kelmscott Manor has been recognized by the MLA.’

The MLA accreditation scheme has led the way in raising museum standards in the UK, and has helped over 1,800 museums to identify areas for further work and development. Accreditation status can also benefit relationships with funding organizations and other external bodies.

Preparing the applications was a rigorous process which involved revising policy documents, ensuring procedures for collection management were in place and producing a Forward Plan. The Forward Plan will provide a framework for planning and developing the museum collections, and a real way of ensuring that our aim to “improve public access to and learning about the Society and its historic assets” is fully achieved.