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About

The UK Registrars Group is a non-profit association set up in 1979. It provides a forum for exchanging ideas and expertise between registrars, collection managers and other museum professionals in the United Kingdom, Europe and worldwide.

The group strives to establish and promote standards of good professional practice through publications and seminars and to support national and international standards in relevant fields of work.

Particular emphasis is given to documentation and records, physical care, loans & exhibition logistics and cultural sector legislation. The Group also seeks to provide advocacy and representations in relevant consultations and sectoral developments, where required by its membership.

Individual membership is open to all those involved in the care, management, interpretation and display of collections in museums, art galleries, heritage centres or any other similar organisations. In addition, corporate membership is available to those companies which supply services to the museum and gallery sector in general.

The website is our main form of communication with members, non-members, other museum professionals and non-museum workers alike. News, events and job adverts are also sent via our news bulletin, which goes out monthly by email to all members.

We aim to share our work with others and are happy for you to download and use our information.

UKRG Committee

Interested in joining the committee? Read about what the roles entail here or contact an existing post-holder here.

Jen Kaines

Chair

I am currently the Head of Collection Services at Royal Armouries, the UK’s national museum of arms and armour. I am passionate about collections management and the role of the registrar in the cultural sector. I have now spent over 25 years in collections management and registrar roles in small independent museums, universities, local authorities, nationals and a time in an international museum. I jointly developed and led the highly successful Registrars: Training for the Future programme, a unique programme within the UK in partnership with the University of Leeds & Leeds Museums and Galleries for 13 years, wanting to share and build knowledge on all matters museum registrar. I am really pleased to have been appointed Chair of UKRG. I have been a member of UKRG since the start of my time in museums and have always found UKRG and it’s members to be an incredibly useful and supportive organisation. I was the Newsletter Editor back in the days of paper copies and sending them out in envelopes, and a term as Treasurer. Now I am looking forward to building on the incredible work of previous Chair’s, committees and UKRG as a whole into the future.

Sara Mittica

Secretary

I am currently the Collections Registrar at the University College London, where I hold responsibility for all the registration activities for the Grant Museum of Zoology, the Art Museum, the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, and the Pathology Museum (housed at the Royal Free Hospital in North London). Prior to this I was Registrar at the Government Art Collection, Deputy Head Registrar for the V&A, and I covered various registrar roles at the Museum of London, Leeds Museums and Galleries and the Royal Museums Greenwich. In 2017-2018 I was Content Lead for the organising committee of the European Conference for Registrars 2018 in London, which I loved! I am excited to be part of the UKRG Committee and to contribute to the spirit of collaboration and knowledge-sharing, that is so strong within this wonderful network.

Ellie Taylor

Treasurer

I am currently an Assistant Registrar at Royal Armouries, where I work on a variety of projects including historic long-term loans, acquisitions, disposals, and our expanding temporary exhibition programme. I really enjoy the unique challenges that come from working so closely with the national collection of arms and armour. I have also previously worked at Leeds Museums and Galleries as a trainee registrar, as part of the collaborative Registrars: Training for the Future programme. I am excited to be joining the UKRG committee as Treasurer and to help contribute to the brilliant collective work and knowledge sharing the team undertake.

Dan Smernicki

Corporate Officer

I am currently Touring & Programme Manager, V&A Dundee, where I hold responsibility for developing and leading V&A Dundee's international exhibition touring programme, and oversee the management of its programme of loans-in for exhibitions, projects and long-term displays. Prior to joining V&A Dundee, I was Senior Exhibitions Registrar at Tate Modern, and Registrar and Production Manager at Tate Liverpool, and was previously Gallery Registrar at Ingleby, Edinburgh from 2006-2016. I am delighted to be joining the UKRG Committee as Corporate Officer, and very much look forward to supporting the work of UKRG and connecting with our corporate members over the next two years.

Susannah Darby

Events Officer

I am currently Registrar (Projects) at Imperial War Museums, Duxford. I manage a programme to return or renew the museums' historic and long-term loans. I have previously worked as Loans Registrar at Birmingham Museums Trust, an Assistant Registrar at National Museums Scotland and a Collections Information Officer at the Science Museum. Throughout my career, UKRG in general and its events in particular have been an incredible source of information and connection, and I look forward to giving something back to the organisation as an Events Officer. I am keen to be a strong voice for registrars working with 3D collections and museums outside London. I am an organised and experienced Registrar, and served as Web Officer from 2014-2016. I valued that experience and look forward to working closely with my fellow Events Officers and the rest of the committee to continue arranging inspiring events.

Nikita Payne

Events Officer (shared role)

I am an Assistant Collection Registrar at Tate, where I manage and coordinate registrarial procedures related to the safeguarding, transport, and display of Tate’s collections within its loans out programme. With experience spanning both public and private sectors, I’ve worked closely with internationally acclaimed contemporary artists, artist estates, and cultural not-for-profit charities. Throughout my career, I have developed expertise in collection stewardship, exhibition, and catalogue project management, as well as strategy planning, policy development, and governance. As Events Officer for the UKRG, alongside my role share colleague Hannah Williams, I am committed to advocating the diversity of ambition, collective successes and experiences our sector innovators and registrarial collaborators. Any inquiries related to presentations or venue hosting opportunities, please do not hesitate to get in touch! It’s always a joy to discuss ideas.

Hannah Williams

Events Officer (shared role)

I began my career in registration at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich where I worked across acquisitions, loans and exhibitions. I then went on to work for a private art gallery in Toronto, Canada before settling in London and embarking on my current role as Assistant Collection Registrar in the Loans Out team at Tate. In addition to registration, I have worked in archives and records management as well as visitor experience and services. I am delighted to be joining the UKRG Committee as Events Officer on a job share basis with Nikita and look forward to working alongside our fellow Events Officer Susannah and the wider committee to bring you some amazing events. If you would like to be part of a future event in any way, please do reach out, we would love to hear from you!

Hazel Shorland

Membership Secretary

I am currently a Touring Collections Coordinator at the Natural History Museum, managing the transport and installation of our international touring exhibitions. I travel to venues all over the world, working with a wide variety of specimens from prehistoric sharks to modern butterflies. Prior to this role I worked at the British Library for four years as Loans Coordinator, focusing on inwards loans for our own exhibitions, as well as reactive loans out. Before this I worked at the Royal Armouries as Assistant Registrar, and have been a member of UKRG since I started there in 2014. As Membership Secretary, I look forwards to getting to know the existing members of UKRG better and hopefully welcoming a few more on board.

Aileen McEwen

Professional Development Officer

I am currently Assistant Registrar at National Museums Scotland where I am responsible for the administration of short-term loans out, long-term loans in and a vibrant temporary exhibitions programme. I have worked in the sector for 6 years, across built heritage, galleries and museums in Northern Ireland and Scotland, bringing a regional perspective and first-hand experience of the effects of BREXIT on international transport.  To me, the heart of UKRG is collaborative working, and I'm looking forward to being part of that in my role as Supporting Officer, working across lots of exciting projects with the rest of the Committee. 

Liz Mylod

Supporting Officer

I have worked at Historic Environment Scotland as a collections manager and registrar since 2021, and I am currently focused on improving environmental control and security at selected sites across Scotland. I have a PhD in medieval history, and started my career in museums and heritage as a trainee registrar at Leeds Museum and Galleries and the Royal Armouries. Since then, I have worked in registration, collections management, and project management roles in both national and local authority museums. This will be my second time on the UKRG committee: I am looking forward to supporting the work of the committee and meeting with UKRG members at events.

Hannah Murray

Communications Officer

I'm currently the Senior Registrar at the Arts Council Collection. My previous roles include Registrar at The Klesch Collection, Collection Registrar (Loans) at Tate, and Assistant Exhibitions Manager and Assistant Registrar at the Royal Academy of Arts. Prior to this, I worked in different galleries and museums in Aotearoa New Zealand. I’ve always admired the dedication and hard work of the UKRG, and I’m looking forward to fulfilling my role as Communications Officer in the coming years, keeping members up to date with ‘all things registrar’ via our E-Bulletins and social media channels.

Lizzie O’Neill

Website Officer

I have been at The Hunterian, University of Glasgow since 2015 and in my current role as Digital Collections Manager since 2016. Prior to this l worked in local authority museums in a curatorial role. Like most museum roles my role is very varied, l manage loans in and out and use of the collections in the Collections Study Centre alongside overall management of the collections management system and all collections data. I have experience in handling large multidisciplinary international loans out and l also teach a course on Collections Management for the University of Glasgow’s MSc Museum Studies programme. As Website Officer l am looking forward to contributing to the great collaborative work of UKRG and ensuring the website continues to offer a supportive environment where members can engage and connect.

UKRG Constitution

The objectives, membership and terms of reference for the UKRG committee are highlighted within its constitution.

The Constitution was last updated at the 2019 AGM, to download the current constitution as a PDF please click below.

Download PDF