28.10.2014 12:00-14:00 in a meeting room on the 6th floor of the National Museum of Iceland
Present: Ólafur Kvaran, chairman, Anna Sigríður Kristjánsdóttir, Haraldur Þór Egilsson, Guðbrandur Benediktsson, Anna Lísa Rúnarsdóttir, Hilmar J. Malmquist, Svanfríður Franklínsdóttir, Halldór Björn Runsólfsson and Ágústa Kristófersdóttir, acting chairman. Absent: Sigríður Björk Jónsdóttir.
Minutes of the 135th meeting signed.
Presentation case
1. Summary of activities since the last meeting.
2. The status of the collection fund is presented.
3. The provisions on responsible collections in the Museums Act were examined and a proposal, presented at the meeting, to establish a working group consisting of the directors of the main museums and the executive director of the Museums Council was approved.
4. Arrangements for grants from the museum fund: details to be worked out in consultation with consultants from Athygul.
Matter for decision
1. Granting operating grants from the Museum Fund – new allocation rules for the Museum Fund have been approved and will now be sent for presentation and confirmation to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports.
2. Offer from the Research Center for Museology for a study of the interaction between museums and tourism, accepted. The study will be conducted in consultation with tourism stakeholders and the Museum Council, deadline is March 31, 2015.
3. Proposal for the implementation of the supervisory role of the Museum Council, approved. The supervision will be threefold:
A) Supervision of museum operations, performed in the Museum Board office. Including review of the museum's annual report to the Museum Board.
B) Supervision of the museum's facilities, museum facilities, preservation of artifacts and security issues. With an on-site inspection of the premises. (Cost estimate provided for information.)
C) Supervision of registration, access to collection and dissemination. With expert assessment on site and on data. Project-appointed expert in the field of museum affairs, 1.5 months per year for the next three years.
Other issues:
1. HJM drew attention to the government's decision to move a fin whale skeleton to Húsavík and display it there without full consultation with the Natural History Museum and contrary to its interests, and expressed concern about the precedent this may set in the treatment of natural and cultural heritage. HJM also asked about the procedure for the recognition of the Whale Museum in Húsavík at the council meeting on 2 October.
2. HÞE briefly introduced a discussion on copyright issues within the Association of Icelandic Museums and Collectors.
No further discussion and the meeting adjourned at 14:30/AK