About Us
SEMLAC is the regional development agency for museum, library and archive activity in the South East. We will work to improve the quality of museum, library and archive provision in the South East in order to maximise the sectors’ contribution to the region’s distinctive cultural, social, educational and economic life and identity.
We cover the 19 county and unitary authority areas within the Government Office for the South East (GOSE) region. This includes 74 local authorities spanning Milton Keynes to the Isle of Wight to Medway.
SEMLAC organisation
SEMLAC began operation in April 2002. It includes the staff of the former South East Museums Agency is wholly cross-sectoral and includes new staff from the library and archive sectors. A Board of Directors governs the agency and includes people from the museum, library and archive sectors as well as others with a variety of board skills and regional knowledge.
SEMLAC is funded through a core grant from The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) - (formerly known as Resource), and from additional grants and partnership funding. We are committed to working with both our museum, library and archive partners and with other national, regional and sub-regional bodies.
The background to SEMLAC
In 2001 MLA stated that Single Regional Agencies (SRAs) for museums, libraries and archives were to be established in all the English regions by 2004. SEMLAC is one of the first SRAs to be established.