The Northern Ireland Museum Sector at the Beginning of 2022: Optimism, Omicron and Anxiety
The emergence of the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 coronavirus at the end of 2021 brought with it a renewed sense of uncertainty. Where the positive impact of vaccines had provided a sense of hope that we were reaching the end of the worst phases of the pandemic, in early 2022 this extremely virulent new variant brought new fears.
Against this backdrop, in collaboration with Northern Ireland Museums Council, the Museums, Crisis and Covid19 project conducted a short start of year survey for museum sector staff in Northern Ireland. This survey captured the feelings of staff at the turn of the year as well as some of their hopes for 2022.
Responses to the questions posed provide insights into the changing emotions and hopes within the sector as the pandemic moves from one phase to another. Capturing these reactions becomes ever more complex as the pandemic continues but moves down the pecking order in news coverage. The following is a summary of responses to each question.
As we reflect on the past 12 months, and plan for 2022, what do you feel are the prospects for yourself and your institution?
Despite continued uncertainties of the pandemic, there is a frequent expression of positivity. ‘We are an optimistic bunch’ in the museum sector, as one contributor phrased it. This is an optimism that has come, for some, from an ‘extended period of being open’, with museums able to open to the public in some form since the end of May 2021. This has brought with it ‘many more opportunities now to have actual “human’ engagements”, reiterating the importance of in-person contact for some museum staff.
Responses also reflect a change in museum practice, with multiple references to online activities and ‘new digital resource’. ‘Our skills have improved’ over the past 12 months, says one respondent, but there is continuing uncertainty, because of the employment structures: ‘Our infrastructure and resilience has been built on temporary contracted staff. Signals from the Government hint that funding for these positions may be pulled, and as such the important work on our heritage may be stopped in its tracks’.
This is reflective of broader economic fears for the sector: ‘the economic climate is not looking promising and it feels like challenging times will be ahead’. A sense of uncertainty when considering long-term digital provision reflects concerns already raised in our work-in-progress briefings, and represent a significant challenge for the sector in coming years.
We are aware of uncertainties for the museum sector around financial wellbeing; the capacity to deliver services, both in-person and online; and audience engagement and return. Are these your concerns?
While some respondents expressed concern over audiences being ‘reluctant to attend’ or ‘pay for events’ as a result of an increased number of free, online activities, this is not a universal experience. Others have seen audiences ‘keen to return’ to museums and are feeling buoyant because of a promise that budgets will return to pre-pandemic levels.
One respondent felt that, as a government-funded institution, they were offered essential job security through the pandemic, leading to ability to continue to deliver a public service. For others, the capacity to deliver online and in-person activities is still dependent on ‘government departments coming forward with funding’. This is a reminder of the variation across the museum sector, depending on whether the museum is national, local authority or independent.
Amongst many, there is concern that 2022 will ‘be financially challenging, but not necessarily as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic’. Concern turns to issues such as the ‘rising cost of utilities’ and the impact of the increased cost of living on disposable incomes. One respondent made a very clear recommendation: to respond to financial uncertainty, ‘centralised funding support has to be made available, in a joined up approach to support the entire sector’. Continued funding to support a sector hit not only by the pandemic, but also a decade of austerity, is essential.
While in early January 2022 there was a broadly positive feeling for the year ahead, this is countered in part by financial uncertainty. In addition, one response gave a sense of tensions within the sector between front of house staff and management. One front of house staff expressed frustration that concerns around visitor numbers and congestion were dealt with not on the day but ‘weeks later’, recommending action to ensure ‘front of house staff feel safe’.
This is reflective of clear frustrations that are exacerbated when museum leaders are not viewed as showing adequate concern for their staff. As we move towards, hopefully, a more positive outlook, it remains integral that the wellbeing of staff throughout the sector is supported both through external funding and internally through conscientious leadership.
What should we advocate for, to support the resilience and wellbeing of museum sector staff right now?
With regard to advocacy priorities, financial support (from both arm’s length agencies and government departments such as the Department for Communities) remains the most important factor in responses, as ‘all other issues flow’ from financial resourcing.
We agree with our respondents, who insist financial support should be directed towards supporting staff. ‘Staff are knackered at this point’, as one response phrases it. With continued staff absences, some museums are ‘scaling back extras’ (reducing what they can provide) to better make use of staff time. Within museums, support is asked for through further staff training and flexible working arrangements, including hybrid working.
There is also a call to advocate for the community role of museums, reflecting a key component of the Museums, Crisis and Covid19 research project. The importance of museums as a ‘support [for] wider community resilience needs to be raised and underpinned by meaningful data and evaluation’. This respondent argues for the creation of partnerships that provide a ‘louder voice for museums’, particularly regarding their role in supporting community resilience and wellbeing.
Another respondent views the role of advocacy as emphasising ‘the important role museums can play’ in the recovery from the pandemic. It is a priority for the Museums, Crisis and Covid19 project to advocate for the value of museums on these terms, providing evidence that supports these assertions where possible.
Closing Comments
This start of year survey was a useful snapshot of feelings amongst museum staff at the turn of the year. We under took this survey because it is important to be mindful that, since March 2020 when museums first closed, the impact of the pandemic on individuals, communities and workplaces has been continually shifting. As a result of this, our outlook and experiences have varied from one phase of the pandemic to another. This survey helped us grasp those nuances at a pivotal time, when a new year was beginning.
Since the completion of the survey, there are new and heightened global challenges. The war in Ukraine has had a devasting impact on that country and people, with the impacts being felt internationally.
Looking to the years ahead, the recovery-conversation will include far more than reflections on the long-term impact of Covid-19. Instead it will combine what we learned from the pandemic, with responses to humanitarian crisis arising from the war in Ukraine, the rising cost of living, and climate change. The Museums, Crisis and Covid19 project has shown the museum sector is resilient and has deep community links. It is that foundation we will build on going into the future. It is also that foundation that should be supported by local and national government policy and funding.
If you would like to comment on the points made above please contact us at: museumsandcovid@ulster.ac.uk