Royal College becomes ‘Museum Transformer’

29 Apr 2024

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow has become one of 19 organisations to join the Museum Galleries Scotland (MGS) Museum Transformers Programme, aimed at making its collection more accessible to everyone.

The two-year programme, developed by an MGS expert advisory group and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, aims to empower Scotland’s museum workforce to make changes to help all people access culture.

It is designed to take an anti-oppression approach, focusing on anti-racism and anti-ableism, maximising the momentum of the College’s previous diversity, equity and inclusion work.

Claire McDade, Heritage Lead for the College, said: “As a College, we are committed to working inclusively with all our communities and we are delighted to have been selected to take part in the Museum Transformers programme. This is an amazing opportunity to work across the College, and with our partners, to learn together and further embed an anti-oppressive approach to our work.”

Other participants in the programme include National Galleries Scotland, The Glasgow School of Art archives and collection, and the V&A Dundee.

Sheila Asante, Delivering Change Programme Manager at Museums Galleries Scotland, said: “We’re thrilled to have 19 museums and galleries become Museum Transformers. These organisations are already undertaking anti-oppression work to improve access to culture and this programme will support them to fully embed it across their organisation. As part of the programme they’ll form a changemaking cohort that will share their learnings with the museum sector.”

The College was founded in 1599 by the granting of a Royal Charter from King James VI. Its founding members set out to regulate and improve the standards of medicine, surgery and pharmacy in the West of Scotland. Today, as the College approaches its 425^th year, it has more than 16,000 members in 100 countries and continues its mission to improve patient care around the world through education, training and assessment.

The College’s heritage collection tells the story of medicine – and the history of the city. It includes thousands of medical and surgical instruments, including some of the earliest vaccination kits, rare books, archives and pictures spanning six centuries.