National recognition for Johnson Birthplace Museum

Published: 07 June 2010

The Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum has been awarded Full Accreditation by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). The national scheme recognises Museums which operate to high professional standards in caring for their collections and providing excellent services for their visitors.

The Museum, which is situated on the corner of the Market Square, previously held ?Registered' status. The Registration scheme was replaced in 2004 by the new and much more detailed Accreditation scheme. Staffordshire was one of the last areas that the new scheme was rolled out to, and the Birthplace applied in January this year. Many new developments have been made at the Museum while preparing for the award including a wider range of special events and activities for children and families, improved information for researchers, new ?welcome' leaflets for visitors and a scheme of outreach talks for groups. As well as the improvements for visitors a great deal of work has gone on behind the scenes, cataloguing and caring for the over 6000 items in the Museum's collection and archive.

Joanne Wilson, Museums and Heritage Officer for Lichfield City Council, said: "We are delighted that the MLA has awarded the Birthplace Museum Full Accreditation. The staff and volunteers at the Museum have been working very hard towards this recognition for a number of years, and we are committed to continuing to improve our services to ensure that the Birthplace Museum remains a fantastic attraction that Lichfield can be very proud of".

The Museum is open every day of the week from 10.30am ? 4.30pm (11am ? 3pm in winter) and admission is free, so why not visit to discover why the Birthplace Museum is so highly regarded. There is often something new to see: the current exhibition ?The Art of Words: Lichfield Calligraphers celebrate Samuel Johnson' is on until June 30th, and on Saturday June 19th visitors can see calligraphers at work and try their hand at writing with a Quill pen and ink. For more information on visiting the Museum, the collections or our events and activities pop in to see us on Breadmarket Street, call 01543 264 972 or visit our website at www.samueljohnsonbirthplace.org.uk.