Access
Identifying barriers which prevent participation and developing strategies to dismantle them. These barriers may be:

• Physical
  Are buildings, collections, events, physically accessible to everyone?
• Intellectual
  Do they exclude people who do not have extensive background knowledge or people for whom English is an additional language? Can they be used by people with learning disabilities?
• Cultural
  Do we reflect and represent the interests, life experiences and culture of the community served?
• Attitudinal
  Is the environment welcoming, especially to new users? Do staff have an open attitude to diversity? Are we focusing on our users and potential users?
• Financial
  Do any charges made deter people on low incomes? Can families, pensioners, unemployed people afford to use our services?

Collections and resources

• We use this term to cover collections, book stock, archive deposits and other holdings.

Communities

• These are the current and potential users of our services.

Consultation

• Consultation means giving people the opportunity to shape the services that we provide so that they will feel motivated to engage in learning and to enjoy themselves.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

• Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a systematic approach to professional up-dating. It recognises that everyone has different learning needs, and to address these needs we must plan ahead. The principle of CPD is that it should be an ongoing or career-long process. It embraces all activities that lead to learning whether these be work-based, formal learning programmes or informal activities. It is good professional practice, which enhances career prospects and leads to greater personal confidence.
  

Education Policy

• Many museums and archives have produced education policies in recent years. These usually summarise the overall philosophy, beliefs and general approach to education, and how it relates to other key functions. An education policy sets out the broad direction for education and covers areas such as audiences, market research, learning needs, types and quality of provision, exhibition development, evaluation, marketing, the availability of and implications for resources, training of staff and volunteers, and partnership working. In some places the term 'education' is still used to refer only to work with school groups and it is now generally considered that the expression 'learning' signals a broader philosophy/approach.(See Learning)
  

Evaluation

• The assessment of a project or event against its objectives; a judgement about the value of the achievements of the project. We do not evaluate users themselves unless they have articulated specific learning objectives - it may then be possible to evaluate whether their learning objectives have been met.
  

Generic Learning Outcomes

• A system of using five general groups of learning outcomes to categorise the personal learning outcomes that users of museums, archives and libraries describe and experience.
  

Interpretation

• Used especially in museums as describing and/or explaining to others the meanings and contexts of objects - i.e. the 'wrapping' around objects which is created for exhibitions etc. Also used as the ways in which people understand or interpret their world - 'personalised meaning-making'.
  

Learning

• Learning takes place when someone is stimulated, motivated or inspired and undergoes some kind of personal change. The term learning is used instead of 'education' because it emphasises that all users and staff collaborate in and benefit from activities which increase, skills, understanding, engagement and which change behaviour and attitudes. It also emphasises that these activities are centred on the learner's experiences.
• In some institutions, the word 'education' is used to refer only to work with school groups although in others it incorporates learning for everyone. Some consider that the term 'education' can be misleading as it signals a narrow approach which ignores the wider potential in museums, archives and libraries of lifelong, informal learning for all.
  

Learning champions
People who may be members of staff, elected members or trustees, volunteers or friends who can

• make a convincing case for learning as a top priority for the museum, archive or library - profile and resources - staff, budgets, time, spaces
• act as passionate advocates with external stakeholders with learning remit - such as Learning and Skills Councils, LEAs
• persuade funders of the valuable and unique contribution of museums, archives and libraries in inspiring learning
• effectively engage, inspire and support users in their learning
• keep learning and changing themselves as a result of their experiences.
  

Learning environments

• Includes both physical and virtual environments, plus many other factors - such as staff welcome and dialogue with users.
  

Learning opportunities

• This refers to a broad range of activities, programmes and experiences that are provided by museums, archives and libraries. These might include information skills programmes, ICT taster sessions, reading groups, evening classes, day-schools, workshops, conferences, seminars, beginners' events, open days, web-based learning resources, books to borrow, catalogues, talks/visits, roadshows, exhibitions, work experience programmes, school programmes, after school clubs, research programmes.
  

Learning organisations

• An organisation in which people at all levels want to challenge and to change things, are continually looking for new perspectives, and make constant shifts in their thinking and behaviour.

Learning and access strategy

• A learning and access strategy sets out a plan for developing provision to inspire and support accessible and inclusive learning. It is about change and improvement rather than describing the status quo. A learning and access strategy is a working tool that identifies a vision for learning and access, sets clear aims and then describes how these will be delivered over a period of time. Although an organisation may have a longer-term vision for learning and access, a strategy should cover a period of around two years. Inspiring Learning for All provides a good starting point for developing this. It enables museums, archives and libraries to assess the strengths and weaknesses of what they do and then to identify priorities for improvement.

Learning styles

• Learning style theory has considerable implications for the way in which museums, archives and libraries plan and deliver their learning provision. It is now understood that people perceive and process information in very different ways. There are a range of different learning style models.
• Howard Gardner, for example, identified that we do not have a fixed single IQ, but a range of at least seven or eight different forms of intelligence. We tend to develop some of these intelligences more than others and prefer to use them. Much of the current work on improving learning and teaching in schools, promulgated by the University of the First Age, is based on Gardner's research.
• Honey and Mumford have developed a learning styles inventory to help people understand their own learning preferences. This assumes that we have one dominant learning style, activist, reflector, concluder or pragmatist, and that to become truly effective learners we need to develop our capacity to learn in a range of different ways. (also see current thinking - learning styles and alternative learning approaches - downloadable document)

Measure (ref: measure learning)

• A system of comparing and contrasting characteristics of something using standard units. We use the Generic Learning Outcomes (GLOs) as standard units to explore and assess the character of learning in museums, archives and libraries and to report on it using numerical data. We also 'get the measure' of learning (understand it) using the GLOs and describe it using qualitative data. The two types of measurement combine to give breadth through statistical data and depth through descriptive accounts.

Partners
The term partners is used to describe the range of organisations that we might work with to improve the breadth and quality of learning provision for users. Partners might include:

• other museums, galleries, libraries and archives
• other departments within your parent organisation
• funders; statutory bodies; regional bodies eg: regional development agencies
• education authorities; lifelong learning departments; youth services
• community, voluntary and special interest groups
• residential establishments
• arts organisations
• tourism forums
• commercial organisations
• national and local media
• learning and skills councils; business links
• prison services
• environmental groups; health trusts, health authorities, hospices
• people with specific talents and skills such as artists, freelance education workers, IT specialists, writers, craftspeople, academics, actors.

Research methods

• The methods used to carry out research into learning. For example you might carry out a survey (method) using a questionnaire (tool).

Research tools

• Term that refers, for example, to questionnaires, interview guides, focus group guides used to gather data.

Resources

• See collections and resources

Stakeholders

• Any people and organisations who have a stake or interest in the museum, archive or library.

Staff

• Staff includes all those people working in the museum, archive or library, whether paid or unpaid.

Users

• Anyone using your services, for example, visitors to your museum, archive or library; people making enquiries; students and academics; members of your governing body.