Abstract
In March 2020, museums and heritage sites faced indefinite closure as the United Kingdom government sought to curb the spread of a new virus. Covid-19 brought a new kind of crisis to the heritage sector, but it also brought a learning opportunity. This article outlines a research project, conducted at the height of the pandemic, which sought to assess the museum and heritage sector crisis management response to Covid-19.
In the summer of 2020, ten interviews were conducted with managers working in UK museum and heritage sites. In addition, contemporary literature relating to the impact of Covid-19 on the sector was reviewed. Three key themes were identified and explored:
Experience and planning;
Impact on staff;
Coordination and collaboration
The article concludes with recommendations to improve crisis management in the future and offers practical resources as a starting point for greater sector preparedness.
Notes
1 The UK includes several devolved nations (Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland) which have their own governments in addition to the central UK government.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Rachel Mackay
Rachel Mackay has been working in museum and heritage operations for over 15 years. She is currently the Manager of Historic Royal Palaces at Kew, based at Kew Palace in London. During the pandemic, she created The Recovery Room (therecoveryroomblog.com), a space to share resources and research around the impact of Covid-19 on the museum and heritage sector. She was subsequently named one of the top 50 Museum Influencers in the world by Blooloop and shortlisted for Covid-19 Special Recognition at the 2021 UK Museums and Heritage Awards. The dissertation she produced for her MA in International Heritage Management, completed in 2020, formed the basis for this article.