According to the Museums Act 141/2011, the Museums Council is tasked with supervising recognized museums that operate in accordance with the Museums Council's terms and conditions for the operation of recognized museums. The supervision is threefold: a) Supervision of the operation of the museum. By reviewing the annual report of the museums to the Museums Council.b) Supervision of the museum's building, the facilities of the museum collection, the preservation of artifacts and security issues. By using this form of museums and an on-site inspection of the custodians.c) Supervision of the registration of artifacts and access to the museum collection, exhibitions. By conducting an on-site inspection of experts and of data as needed.
Part B of the inspection is carried out using a form that museums submit to the Museums Council. The form is divided into two sections, part 1, which asks about the condition of the museum's storage facilities, and part 2, which asks about the condition of the museum's exhibition space.
Museums receive notification of inspections by the Museum Council at least 4 months in advance, and as of September 2016, 16 of the 45 accredited museums have received notification of the inspection. It is expected that all accredited museums will receive notification of this inspection within the next two years. Therefore, museums do not need to submit this form to the Museum Board until they are called in for inspection.
Further information about the monitoring can be found under the section on accredited museums, link: https://www.safnarad.is/vidurkennd/eftirlit-med-vidurkenndum-sofnum/
You can also see a diagram of the monitoring. here
| The role of the museum council | The role of the museum | |
| The museum will be notified of the inspection approximately 4 months before the inspection and the form and supporting documents are sent to them | The museum confirms receipt of the mail. | |
| 6 weeks before submission, the form is sent out again with instructions and a notification that the deadline expires in 6 weeks. | The museum fills out the form and takes photos. | |
| The Museum Board confirms receipt of the email. | The museum sends the data to the museum board. | |
| A curator on behalf of the museum council reviews the form, assesses the situation, summarizes the main points, and makes recommendations for improvements and their priority. | ||
| The Museum Council sends the results to the museum within four months of the museum's submission deadline: an assessment of the museum's condition and proposals for an action plan. | The museum is given a deadline to make improvements (non-costly improvements: 3-6 months. Costly improvements: 12 months, or as agreed with the supervisory authority and the museum board) | |
| The museum sends a report to the museum board stating that the improvements have been completed within the time frame. | ||
| If a museum has not submitted a report on improvements, the museum board will send an inquiry about the status. | ||
| Within 2 years of notification of inspection, the museum board sends a guard on an inspection tour. |
Recognized museums will receive a notification about the inspection in the coming months, but as stated in the procedure, the museum can send the notification at least 4 months before the collection is due to be returned. However, museums are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the form, as the form can be seen as a good checklist of the issues that recognized museums need to have in place. Further information can be found here: https://www.safnarad.is/vidurkennd/eftirlit-med-vidurkenndum-sofnum/
Forms can be downloaded here:
(DOC document)Part 1 – storage
(DOC document)Part 2 – exhibition space