Minutes of the 103rd meeting of the Museum Council –
May 12, 2011, 1:00 PM – 3:15 PM, National Museum of Iceland
Present: Margrét Hallgrímsdóttir, chairman, Halldór B. Runólfsson, Guðný Dóra Gestsdóttir, Jenný Lind Egilsdóttir, Rakel Halldórsdóttir and Ágústa Kristófersdóttir (executive directors of the museum council).
1. Issues for discussion and decision:
1.0. Minutes of the 101st and 102nd meetings approved and signed.
1.1. Director's report: Letter from the Fljótsdalshérað town council: It was agreed to correct a misunderstanding that occurred in a letter from the town council regarding the museum council's proposals for state grants for museum work, which were sent to the budget committee and local governments. Spring meetings of the main museums: Went well and will be repeated next year. A joint meeting may be shortened. Coordinated museum visitor survey – status: Has been shortened to 15 questions and received bids for implementation. Bruun-Rasmussen auction: An appraisal day organized by Bruun-Rasmussen was held on May 5th. The company was contacted and will take care to apply for an export permit for those artifacts that fall under the Act on the Export of Cultural Property No. 105/2001. Distribution ticket for the import-export of cultural heritage – distribution: The ticket is ready and will be distributed to customs stations, museums, galleries, airports and elsewhere. Museum Council website: New proposals for the appearance will be submitted at the next meeting. It was agreed to request the URLs sofn.is and museums.is for the current website, which has been called safnastarf.is and is run by the Museum Council. The reference price was mentioned as 100 thousand. kr. for the purchase of the URL. Re-nomination of the alternate member of the Association of Icelandic Municipalities to the Museum Council: Guðmundur Ingi Ólafsson Rangárþingi ytra has been nominated. Icelandic Museum Day 2011: will be on July 10 this summer. Check whether it is right to change the format of the presentation. Review of the application form 2011: The application form will be reviewed and its functionality will be ensured. Museum policy in the field of national heritage preservation 2010-2014: The policy was distributed and its implementation was discussed. Discussion on the preparation of a museum policy for the National Gallery of Iceland.
2. Papers for discussion and decision:
2.1. Application for a grant for preservation from the Húnvetningar and Strandamanni Regional Museum. It is recommended to apply for a grant for the year 2012.
2.2. Comments requested on parliamentary resolution proposal no. 280 on the Icelandic Ship Museum in Reykjanesbær: The commentary points out that professional prioritization is important with the goal of successfully preserving primary sources. It is also important to support professional work and the development of museums that are already operating under the auspices of the state.
2.3. Comments requested on draft bills to: Museums Act, Act on the National Museum of Iceland, and Act on Cultural Heritage and ExportJoint statement by the Museum Council, the main museums, FÍSOS and ICOM sent on 05.05.2011.
2.4. Comments requested on bill on the National Library – University Library: A review will be done between meetings.
3. Other issues:
3.1. The Hnjótur Museum: Margrét and Ágústa reported on the results of a meeting with the museum's board on April 7th
3.2. Article by Þorvaldur Gylfason on national and state property: Compile a statement from the law and code of conduct and send it to him to explain that it is possible to move/sell items from the collection.
There was no further discussion and the meeting adjourned at 15:15/AK.