September 29, 2015 at 12-14
in a meeting room on the 6th floor of the National Museum of Iceland
Present: Ólafur Kvaran, chairman, Haraldur Þór Egilsson, Guðbrandur Benediktsson, Sigríður Björk Jónsdóttir, Margrét Hallgrímsdóttir, Halldór Björn Runólfsson and Ágústa Kristófersdóttir, acting chairman. Absent: Anna Sigríður Kristjánsdóttir and Hilmar J. Malmquist.
Approval and signing of the minutes of the 144th meeting of the Museum Council
Presentation case
1. Summary of activities since the last meeting.
2. The status of the museum fund is presented.
3. The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture's response to the Museum Council's inquiry regarding the arrangement for allocating foundation grants according to Article 11 of the Museums Act has been presented. There are no plans to change the arrangement.
4. The appointment of a new Director of the Museums Council is in the hands of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports. The Museums Council will receive a proposal from a working group on the appointment for comment. Zuzana Stankovitsova, the curator at the National Museum, will respond to urgent matters received by the Council's office while a new Director is being sought.
5. The location of the Museum Council's office will remain unchanged for the time being, an agreement for 2016 will be sought with the National Museum.
6. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports' proposed amendments to the Museum Fund's allocation rules have been approved and the rules will be sent to the ministry for final approval. It is expected that allocations will be made according to the new rules in 2017.
7. Results of the working group on the screening of museum selections at the mobile school presented. It was agreed that a working group of the directors of the main museums be established to coordinate the policy for screening of museum selections. The Executive Director of the Museum Council will be a member of the group. The main museums will continue to work on the policy regarding screening, each in their own field.
Matter for decision
1. Proposal to process applications from two institutions for recognition under the Museums Act has been processed. The Museums Council's proposal will be sent to the Minister of Education and Culture for final processing.
2. Request for a postponement of the use of a grant from the Hnjótur Museum approved.
3. Proposal for the Museum Council's policy development approved. Will be sent to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports for review.
Other business: The outgoing Executive Director was thanked for his work for the Council. No further business was discussed and the meeting was adjourned at 14:00/ÁK