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Science Museum Group

{{Short description|Group of British museums}}

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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}

File:Smg-logo.svg

The Science Museum Group (SMG) consists of five British museums:

Items in the SMG collection that are not on display are usually stored at the National Collections Centre in Swindon, Wiltshire.

History

The origins of SMG lie in the internationalisation and optimism of the Great Exhibition of 1851, which enabled the foundation of the South Kensington Museum in 1857.{{Cite web|title=A Brief History of the Science Museum|url=https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/sites/default/files/2017-10/science-museum-history.pdf|access-date=2021-10-20|website=Science Museum Group|language=en-GB}}

The term "National Museum of Science and Industry" had been in use as the Science Museum's subtitle since the early 1920s.{{cite web|title=SMG Board of Trustees|url=https://group.sciencemuseum.org.uk/about-us/board-of-trustees/ |publisher=Science Museum Group|access-date=2018-09-14}} Prior to 1 April 2012 the group was known as the National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI).

The National Science and Media Museum, formerly the National Media Museum, was established by the Science Museum in 1983. The Science Museum was run directly by HM Government until 1984, when the Board of Trustees was established and NMSI was then adopted as a corporate title for the entire organisation.[http://www.nmsi.ac.uk/nmsipages/nmsiaccounts08-09.asp National Museum of Science and Industry: Annual Report and Accounts 2008–09], NMSI, UK. At this point NMSI became a non-departmental public body under the auspices of the sponsoring government department, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.{{fact|date=August 2021}}

From January 2012 the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester became part of the Science Museum Group.{{Cite news |title=Manchester's MOSI and London's Science Museum to merge |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-16010873 |work=BBC News |date=2 December 2011 |access-date=2011-12-03}}{{Cite news |title=Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry to become part of national Science Museum |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1466860_manchesters-museum-of-science-and-industry-to-become-part-of-national-science-museum |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=2011-12-02}}

From 2017 Locomotion, The National Railway Museum at Shildon, became part of the Science Museum Group.{{Cite news |title=National Railway Museum Shildon Set to transfer to Science Museum Group |url=https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/20092017-national-railway-museum-shildon-set-to-transfer-to-science-museum-group |journal=Museums Association |date=2017-09-20}}

In 2010 the Science Museum, London opened its climate science gallery Atmosphere which, as at April 2021, has been visited by over 5 million people. In 2021 the Science Museum, London also opened a temporary exhibition 'Our Future Planet' which explores the science of carbon capture. Environmental campaigners criticized the decision of SMG to appoint Shell as a major sponsor of this exhibition.{{cite web|title=School climate strikers urge boycott of Science Museum show over Shell deal|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/apr/26/school-climate-strikers-urge-boycott-of-science-museum-exhibition-shell-deal|language=en-GB|access-date=2021-10-20|publisher= The Guardian}}

Throughout 2021 SMG is hosting Climate Talks which are a series of online talks, Q&As and events exploring problems arising from climate change.{{fact|date=August 2021}} In October 2021, the SMG announced that a new climate change gallery to be opened in 2023 at the Science Museum would be sponsored by an arm of coal producer Adani Group.{{cite web|title=London’s Science Museum agrees sponsorship with arm of coal producer Adani Group|url=https://www.ft.com/content/fea13e56-927c-42cc-b1de-b4a4bbe691f9 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/fea13e56-927c-42cc-b1de-b4a4bbe691f9 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|language=en-GB|access-date=2021-10-20|publisher= The Financial Times}}

SMG continues to work to reduce carbon emissions from operations, recruitment and supply chain, and by using resources efficiently.{{Cite web|title=Sustainability Policy|url=https://www.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/about-us/policies-and-reports/sustainability-policy/|access-date=2021-06-17|website=Science Museum Group|language=en-GB}} On 15 April 2021 SMG announced that it expects to achieve overall Net Zero/Carbon Neutrality by 2033.{{Cite web|title=Towards net zero|url=https://www.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/our-work/sustainability-approach/towards-net-zero/|access-date=2021-06-17|website=Science Museum Group|language=en-GB}}

Collection

The collection includes:{{cite web|title=SMG Collections|url=https://sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/about-us/collection/ |publisher=Science Museum Group|access-date=2018-09-14}}

Over 380,000 of the items in the Science Museum Group's collections are available to view online at its Search Our Collection web page.

Chairman and Directors

The chairman of the group is Sir Tim Laurence who was appointed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vice-admiral-sir-tim-laurence-kcvo-cb-appointed-as-chair-to-the-science-museum-group|title=Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, KCVO, CB appointed as Chair to the Science Museum Group}} on 1st January 2024, succeeding Dame Mary Archer who had served from 2015. {{cite web|title=Prime Minister appoints Dame Mary Archer as new Chairman of the Science Museum Group|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-appoints-dame-mary-archer-as-new-chairman-of-the-science-museum-group|access-date=26 February 2015|publisher=British Government}}{{cite web|title=Prime Minister Reappoints Chairman to the Board of the Science Museum Group|url=https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/about-us/press-office/prime-minister-reappoints-chairman-board-science-museum-group|access-date=8 May 2015|publisher=Science Museum Group}}

The following have been directors of the National Museum of Science and Industry, the Science Museum and the Science Museum Group:

The following have separately been directors of the NMSI:

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite web

| title = Science Museum Group – About us

| publisher = Science Museum Group

| url = https://sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/about-us/

| format = aspx

| access-date = 2017-12-05}}

{{cite web

| title = Science Museum Group Annual Report and Accounts 2011–12

| publisher = Science Museum Group

| date = 2012-07-11

| url = http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1213/hc03/0382/0382.pdf

| access-date = 2012-11-10}}

{{cite web

| title = National Accounts Classification Decisions – May 2012

| publisher = Office for National Statistics

| date = May 2012

| url = http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/na-classification/national-accounts-sector-classification/classification-update---may-2012/monthly-update---may-2012.xls

| format = xls

| access-date = 2012-11-10}}

}}

External links

  • {{Official website|https://sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk}}
  • [http://www.ssplprints.com/?ref=wiki&ad=sspl1 The official print website] – containing over 40,000 images from the various museum collections

{{Science and technology in the United Kingdom}}

{{Department for Culture, Media and Sport}}

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Category:National museums of the United Kingdom

Category:Science and technology in the United Kingdom

Category:Museums sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Category:Non-departmental public bodies of the United Kingdom government

Category:Museum organizations