The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) was until May 2012 a

non-departmental public body In the United Kingdom, non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, the Scottish Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive to public sector organisations that have a role in the process o ...

and a registered charity in England with a remit to promote improvement and innovation in the area of museums,

libraries A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

, and archives. Its functions spanned the UK and it advised the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

on policy and priorities for these areas in England, receiving funding from the

Department for Culture, Media and Sport The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It holds the responsibility for Culture of the United Kingdom, culture a ...

(DCMS). The last chairman was Sir Andrew Motion (lately Poet Laureate) and the last chief executive officer (CEO) was Roy Clare CBE. On 26 July 2010 it was announced that the MLA would be abolished under new proposals put forward by the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport,

Jeremy Hunt Sir Jeremy Richard Streynsham Hunt (born 1 November 1966) is a British politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2022 to 2024 and Foreign Secretary from 2018 to 2019, having previously served as Secretary of State for Health a ...

, to reduce the number of public bodies funded by the government. Its functions relating to museums and libraries were transferred on 1 October 2011 to the

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council o ...

, and those relating to archives to The National Archives. Some staff were employed until May 2012 to carry out remaining responsibilities including the appointment of a liquidator.

History

The MLA was originally established as the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries in 1931.Museum and Galleries Commission
, The National Archives, UK. It was set up following the recommendations of the Final Report of the Royal Commission on National Museums and Galleries, produced in 1929 and 1930. The Standing Commission was renamed the Museums and Galleries Commission (MGC) in September 1981 and given additional responsibilities. The MGC was a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

and incorporated under a

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

on 1 January 1987. In April 2000, the MGC and the Library and Information Commission were combined into Re:source which was later renamed the MLA Council. The MLA was represented in London by MLA London, a separate charity that received core funding from the MLA. In 2003 the MLA was a stakeholder in the ''Framework for the Future'' report that set out a vision for the future of public libraries in England. In 2008, working with The National Archives, the MLA developed a consultation document on "21st Century Archives". In 2009 the MLA published "Leading Museums" a vision and action plan for museums. The MLA took over the running of the Designation Scheme, which began in 1997 under the auspices of the Museums and Galleries Commission (MGC). It was expanded in 2005 to include archives and libraries as well as museums that had pre-eminent collections of national or international importance held outside of national institutions. 135 collections had been awarded Designated status by 2011. After the abolition of the MLA the Designation Scheme was taken over by Arts Council England (ACE).

References

External links

Archived version of Museums, Libraries and Archives Council website hosted by the National Archives
* {{Authority control Organizations established in 1931 Organizations established in 1981 2000 disestablishments in England Museum organizations Organizations established in 2000 *Museums, Libraries and Archives Council Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster Library associations in the United Kingdom Defunct public bodies of the United Kingdom Department for Culture, Media and Sport 1931 establishments in England