RAMM’s Public Task

Background

Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery (RAMM) cares for world-class collections that document the natural, social and cultural history of the city and its environs within a regional, national and international context. It provides access to them and safeguards them for future generations.

The Museum is a public body funded by Exeter City Council. As a Major Partner Museum, it also receives investment from Arts Council England. Management of the Museum is undertaken by the Museum’s Manager & Cultural Lead, who reports to the Chief Executive and in turn to the elected members of Exeter City Council.

In undertaking its collections management, public engagement and core support activities, RAMM produces quantities of documents, as defined under the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005, the supply of which falls within its Public Task.

Public Task Statement

RAMM’s current Public Task for the purposes of the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005 and as amended in 2015 (the Re-Use Regulations) consists of its functions under current Exeter City Council Objectives as well as objectives set in its current Management Agreement with Arts Council England. It also includes functions under related legislation, such as the Museums & Galleries Act (1992), Public Records Act 1958 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

The Museum service holds and uses documents for the following purposes within its public task:

-  The provision of access to the collection and exhibitions: in the Museum, on loan, in partnership with other museums, cultural and educational establishments and in all and any media formats.

-  The conservation, maintenance, development, safety and security of its assets, including the collection, buildings, infrastructure and grounds.

-  The direct or joint production or commissioning of content related to exhibitions, conservation, informal and formal learning and other content whether directly or indirectly related to the collection.

-  The direct or indirect distribution of that content, whether in printed, filmed, digital or any other form of media.

-  Satisfying its statutory and individual obligations.

The service considers that the supply of some documents is outside its public task and the scope of the regulations. For the avoidance of doubt, these include but are not limited to:

-  Documents created or commissioned by the service for commercial consultancy, training or supply of goods and services and other commercial purposes.

-  Documents commissioned from the service by third parties for their own purposes.

Requests for documents created as part of our public task may be refused for reasons including but are not limited to:

-  Cost of making the information available.

-  The service deeming the end use of the information to be inappropriate, such as being culturally insensitive.

This statement is regularly reviewed and is due to be considered no later than 2018. If you have any queries on this public task statement you can submit them using the Contact us form: www.rammuseum.org.uk/contact-us/

Appendix

The following table summarises the Museum Documents whose supply is within the scope of the Museum’s public task, whether they are available for re-use and the terms on which they are available.

1. Generally available for free re-use / 2. Re-usable at a charge / 3. Not available for
re-use
Documents available through the Museum’s Web-site
www.rammuseum.org.uk/ / Images
http://bit.ly/ECCcharges
Section H
Contact us: www.rammuseum.org.uk/contact-us/ / Documents, not falling within columns 1 or 2, which have not been used by RAMM or third parties for a purpose other than the initial public task purpose for which they were created.
Re-use may be approved on application to.
Contact us: www.rammuseum.org.uk/contact-us/
Documents available for non-commercial educational and academic purposes
Contact us: www.rammuseum.org.uk/contact-us/ / Video/film clips
http://bit.ly/ECCcharges
Section H
Contact us: www.rammuseum.org.uk/contact-us/ / Any documents where re-use would be against the public interest having regard to:
(a) the Museums’ policies;
(b) the safety and security of the Collection or the Museum’s premises;
(c) the safety, security and privacy of any person;
(d) in the case of human remains held in the Collection, the principles set out in ‘Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums’ (DCMS 2004)
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/3720.aspx
and
(e) in the case of cultural property generally, the principles set out in ‘Combating Illicit Trade: Due Diligence Guidelines for Museums, Libraries and Archives on Collecting and Borrowing Cultural Material’(DCMS 2005)
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/3697.aspx
Documents expressly produced for free and unrestricted public access
Contact us: www.rammuseum.org.uk/contact-us/ / Audio recordings
http://bit.ly/ECCcharges
Section H
Contact us: www.rammuseum.org.uk/contact-us/
Documents available to the public under the Public Records Act 1958
Contact us: www.rammuseum.org.uk/contact-us/ / Information within books, catalogues and other publications
http://bit.ly/ECCcharges
Section H
Contact us: www.rammuseum.org.uk/contact-us/
Documents in which a third party owns intellectual property rights
Documents, other than the above, and not falling within column 3, which have been used by RAMM or third parties for a purpose other than the initial public task purpose for which they were created.
Contact us: www.rammuseum.org.uk/contact-us/ / Documents to which exemptions to disclose in Part II of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 apply.
Parts of documents consisting only of logos and branding.