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Designation Development Fund Evaluation

MLA appoints Firebird PR to evaluate the Designation Development Fund

Following an open tender, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) has appointed Firebird PR to evaluate the Designation Development Fund for Libraries and Archives.

The Designation Scheme identifies and celebrates the pre-eminent collections of national and international importance held in England's non-national museums, libraries and archives. In 2009, 10 years after the inception of the Scheme, we were commissioned to review its impact on the sector and present our findings to the Executive Board.

Building on the results of our independent assessment as well as previous rounds of the Designation Challenge Fund for museums and galleries, libraries and archives became eligible for grant funding in 2010. Four Designated Collections were awarded funding for projects in target areas including collections care and research, accessibility and sustainability:

British Postal Museum & Archive
John Rylands Library, The University of Manchester
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Special Collections, University of Reading

The purpose of our evaluation will be to assess the impact of this round of Designation Development Funding on library and archive grant recipients and to offer recommendations on the future of the Fund in the context of the Government’s recent Comprehensive Spending Review.