Public Task Document

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales (Amgueddfa Cymru/AC-NMW) is an independent chartered body (Royal Charter No. RC000369) and an independent registered charity (Charity No. 525774), which receives its principal funding through grant-in-aid from the Welsh Government as a Welsh Government Sponsored body (WGSB). The current public-facing title of the organization is Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, or simply Amgueddfa Cymru.

The Board of Trustees is responsible for governance, financial management and the assets of the organisation. It meets on a regular basis, in public, to conduct its business. The sixteen members of the Board of Trustees of the Charity are appointed by the Welsh Government and Amgueddfa Cymru, in numbers set out within the supplemental Royal Charter and in accordance with the principles of open selection as recommended by the Nolan Review. Management of the Museum is undertaken by the Director General and Directorate.

Our Charter (1907, revised 1991 and 2006)

identifies our purpose as: ‘the advancement of the education of the public … by the comprehensive representation of science, art, industry, history and culture of, or relevant to, Wales, and generally, by the collection, recording, preservation, elucidation and presentation of objects and things and associated knowledge, whether connected or not with Wales, which are calculated to further the enhancement of understanding and the promotion of research’.

As the chief repository of three-dimensional material relating to Wales’s natural and cultural heritage and of international material that helps to define Wales’s place in the world, our collections currently extend to some 5 million items. These encompass social and industrial history, archaeology, art and the natural sciences and including artefacts, scientific specimens, paintings, prints and drawings, paper archives, digital files, photographs, recordings and publications.

The collections are held in trust for the people of Wales and exist to serve society. They are at the heart of our service to the public, used by our staff to enable the museum experience, the online experience, learning, research, participation and our contribution to making a difference to Wales, including their use externally in an ever-wider range of ways for enjoyment, learning, inspiration, research and discovery. As such they are a crucial part of role of Amgueddfa Cymru and the cultural and scientific infrastructure of the nation.

Our Vision

‘Inspiring People, Changing Lives’

defines our purpose as ‘to inspire people through our museums and collections to find a sense of well-being and identity, to discover, enjoy, learn bilingually, and to understand Wales’ place in the wider world’. The five strategic commitments within the Vision are:

Making a difference to Wales: Changing lives, by working with local and national organisations to create a happier, healthier and more sustainable Wales, with access to culture for all, and a thriving economy

Museum experience: Visitors enjoy high quality museums, exhibitions, and public spaces for enjoyment and learning

Digital experience: user experience a connected and accessible digital museum for engagement, creativity and learning

Learning and creativity: everyone has a wealth of opportunity to learn, research and create

Participation and inclusion: individuals, families and communities throughout wales and beyond, shape and take part in inclusive and accessible cross-cultural activities for all

In fulfilling both the requirements of the Charter and the aspirations of the Vision, Amgueddfa Cymru produces quantities of ‘documents’, as defined under the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015, the supply of which falls within its ‘Public Task’.

This statement describes Amgueddfa Cymru’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)

Public Task

Amgueddfa Cymru’s ‘public task’ consists of its functions under its Royal Charter, those required to deliver and communicate the Vision, which from 2015 onwards is ‘inspiring people, changing lives’ and any other functions that the Board of Trustees considers appropriate. It also includes the functions under related legislation, such as the Data Protection Act, General Data Protection Regulations and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. It also includes objectives set for Amgueddfa Cymru by the Welsh Government in the

annual remit letter

as well as the provision of general advice relating to its core expertise to the public sector in the UK.

Amgueddfa Cymru 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 conservation, exhibitions, informal and formal learning, science and humanities research 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
  • The licensing of rights for the commercial or non-commercial usage of its content by third parties
  • The raising of funds in keeping with its charitable status

It is Museum policy that all such documents are produced or acquired for the purposes of carrying out all the activities within its Public Task worldwide.

More information about the categories of Museum documents available for re-use and the terms on which they are available can be found in the

Schedule

to this statement.

Integral to our Public Task is the responsibility of the organisation, which cares for the country’ national collections, to share information about our core purpose, our work, events and activities with the people of Wales and beyond.

Questions about the Museum’s public task statement may be submitted via email to: FOI.Requests@museumwales.ac.uk

Complaints about the decisions made by the Museum under the Regulations may be submitted via our comments and complaints procedure.

This statement of the Museum’s public task is regularly reviewed.

Schedule

A large proportion of Museum documents are available for free at the point of publication through the Museum’s publication scheme.

Other documents are available for re-use but at a charge depending on the purpose of the re-use and/or for providing digital copies of paper originals.

Click here for a summary list

of available documents and conditions of re-use.

The Museum 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:

  1. Documents created or commissioned by the Museum’s trading subsidiaries for commercial consultancy, training or supply of goods and services
  2. Documents commissioned from the Museum by third parties for their own purposes
  3. Documents created or commissioned by the Museum’s trading subsidiaries in relation to the creation, design, fabrication, production, manufacture, distribution, publication and sale of membership, conferences and events, souvenirs, film and images, merchandise, food, drink and other products

If you cannot find what you are looking for, please submit a request via Email to FOI.Requests@museumwales.ac.uk providing the following information:

  • Your name and an address for correspondence (e-mail or post)
  • The document(s) requested
  • The purpose for which the document is to be re-used.

The Museum will respond to your request within 20 working days.