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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.

Jacqui Austin

Corporate and Development Officer

I have been Lead Registrar for Loans, Touring Exhibitions and Partnerships at the National Galleries of Scotland since 2015. Prior to joining NGS I spent 10 years working freelance and on a project basis for National Museums Scotland, National Galleries of Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland as an exhibitions officer, touring exhibitions co-ordinator and loans registrar. I previously spent a decade working as a project manager for 3D design agencies who had many museum and gallery clients. I’ve worked with museums and galleries from Shetland to Sydney including one project renovating museum displays in Malawi! From 2017- 2018 I was on the UKRG committee as Events Officer and enjoyed the experience so much I’m back as Corporate and Development Officer. I am looking forward to contributing to the valuable work the UKRG do to support the sector and I look forward to meeting more members at events 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.

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.

Sean Crawford

Professional Development Officer

I am the Assistant Exhibitions Registrar at Tate Modern, responsible for assisting in the planning, coordination and successful delivery of our exhibitions programme. Previously having worked at the National Portrait Gallery, I have experience in Loans Out, Acquisitions, Long-term loans and displays. As the Professional Development Officer for the UKRG I am committed to promoting career development opportunities for our members across the sector and look forward to working closely with you all throughout my next two years in post. For any enquires relating to Professional Development, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and always welcoming to have a chat.

Daryl Tappin

Supporting Officer

I'm a Collection Registrar at Tate, coordinating loans out nationally and internationally. I have worked in registration at the Museum of London, Science Museum, Arts Council Collection, and the V&A, and have experience in long loans in and out, short loans in and out for exhibitions and displays, and acquisitions. I have worked in collections management for over a decade, having also worked as an Assistant Collections Manager at the British Museum and a Documentation Assistant at the Fitzwilliam Museum. As Supporting Officer and archivist I'm looking forward to supporting the rest of the committee in all the amazing projects they are working on, and meeting more of our members in person

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.

Rosie Martyr

Events Officer

I recently joined the Zaha Hadid Foundation in May 2022 where I am currently Registrar (Exhibitions), responsible for managing temporary exhibitions as well as incoming and outgoing loans. I really enjoy the collaborative and handson nature of my role, working within a small team, and getting the chance to support my colleagues in areas outside of the normal ‘registrar’ sphere – especially when heavy object handling is involved! Prior to ZHF I worked in a variety of roles both in and out of the Cultural Sector, I was Assistant Collection Registrar for the Loans Out team at Tate for 3 years, working with wonderful colleagues to support and coordinate a variety of large and complex loans and tours. I was also lucky enough to work for Bonhams auctioneers within the Books, Maps and Manuscripts Department, where I had the unique and exciting opportunity to catalogue and handle all types of literary ephemera (including but not limited to, Sylvia Plath’s typewriter and Ernest Shackleton’s Polar sledge). I am thrilled to join the UKRG committee as Events Officer and I look forward to delivering an exciting and engaging programme of events to support the membership and explore new topics.

Aileen McEwen

Supporting 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. 

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