The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7214 p342
7 September 2002

Society summary

Society appoints new keeper for museum collections

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has appointed a keeper for its museum collections. She is Briony Hudson, who for the past four years has worked as assistant keeper of social history at Wakefield Museum and Arts, a museum service run by the Wakefield local authority.

As well as safeguarding the condition of the museum collections, a major part of her role will be to continue to make the collections available as a resource for research, education and outreach. She will also work to develop a long-term strategy for the future of the collections.

Ms Hudson's appointment follows a Council decision last year to cut spending on a number of activities, including the museum, so that resources could be focused on modernising and reforming the regulation of the profession (PJ, 20 October 2001, p579). The then curator, Caroline Reed, was asked to work with the management team to identify options for safeguarding the collections.

In December 2001 (15 December 2001, p870) the Council approved a plan that would enable the museum to remain formally constituted, managed by professional staff and available for educational purposes. The plan allows the museum to retain its registered status and thus be able to continue to seek grant funding.