1.  Norwich Castle Museum Study Centre at the Shirehall is a resource centre for Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service. It houses much of the Natural History, Archaeology and Art collections, as well as libraries, conservation laboratories and study facilities.

  2.  Although we are a museum, rather than a science centre, much of the work we do is science-based and many of our staff are science-trained. Apart from the work associated with the care and cataloguing of the collections, we provide access to scientists and others who want to use them and we mount exhibitions and displays which incorporate them. In addition, several of the staff are actively engaged in scientific research on the collections and their care.

  3.  As part of the Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service, the Study Centre is funded primarily from the Norfolk County Council budget. (It is part of the Cultural Services Department, along with Libraries and Archives.) As the lead Hub for the East of England, we also receive Central Government money through Renaissance in the Regions. Several staff members are employed through this source. We also receive occasional funding from various grant-awarding authorities, such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, for special projects.

  4.  Public engagement takes several forms, both in the Study Centre and in Norwich Castle Museum.

4.1  We lead public tours "behind the scenes" in which the scientific work of the Museum and the scientific nature of the collections are described by a Science Curator.

4.2  We mount displays and temporary exhibitions outlining the scientific basis of museum research and collections care.

4.3  We have regular activity days with "hands-on" experiences for the public—such as Science Week at the Castle, and Geology Day at the coast.

4.4  Learning Department staff have developed science sessions using the collections that cover primary through secondary age groups, involving Key Stages 1, 2 and 3. They also address the Early Years group, which involves the under 5's. Science-related sessions have also been delivered to "gifted and talented" groups. Science Week involves sessions for schools as well as general audiences.

  5.  We are able to help young people develop an interest in scientific careers, and provide practical training and experience in several ways.

5.1  Staff members answer enquiries about scientific careers in museums.

5.2  We provide work-experience placements for Year 10 students from local schools. The work we provide for them always includes some science-based activities.

5.3  We take on summer students through the Nuffield Science Bursary Scheme for sixth-formers. This involves a four-week science project based on the collections.

5.4  We provide work placements for postgraduate students from museology courses at the University of East Anglia and conservation courses at University College, London and the University of Lincoln.

5.5  We are also planning to offer MSc projects, based on the collections, to geology postgraduates from the University of East Anglia.

5.6  We provide opportunities for voluntary work in the Museum. This can lead to volunteers applying to do further training (museology courses, for instance), and can provide the necessary initial experience which is a pre-requisite for almost all museum jobs.

June 2007