SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE

Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland is the national body charged with safeguarding the nation's built heritage and promoting its understanding and enjoyment. Its principal roles are to:

• Give statutory protection to monuments of national importance (by scheduling) and to historic buildings of special architectural or historic interest (by listing) and to protect them through the statutory consent systems
• Give financial support and advice to others to repair, manage, protect and conserve important parts of the built heritage
• Protect the 330 monuments in Historic Scotland's care together with the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh and the Royal Parks, and ensure their sound conservation and maintenance
• Ensure that archaeological surveys and excavations are carried out at sites threatened by natural forces or development
• Research and develop issues and develop skills related to the built heritage, and to raise the standard of conservation practice among owners, trade and professional groups
• Encourage visitors to properties in Historic Scotland's care and ensure that they enjoy and benefit from their visits
• Encourage knowledge about Scotland's built heritage.

Historic Scotland will continue to fulfil its remit to protect the built heritage and inform the Scottish people about this rich legacy. They will do this by working in partnership with a range of organisations which have a role in conservation, education and presentation. In particular, they will broaden their activities in relation to education. They will also work with other cultural and tourist organisations to promote sustainable tourism in the interests of the economy and of a wider international appreciation of Scotland's history and culture.

Museums and Galleries
Scotland has approximately 400 museums and galleries of different sizes, covering a range of subjects. These include:

• The National Museums of Scotland and the National Galleries of Scotland, statutory bodies run by Boards of Trustees appointed by the Scottish Ministers, with core-funding coming directly from the Scottish Executive
• Local museums and galleries, run and financed by local authorities
• Independent museums or galleries, run and funded by trusts, but often heavily reliant on local government grants and income from admissions and trading
• Regimental museums funded by the Ministry of Defence, sometimes with indirect support from Historic Scotland and with some income from admission charges
• University collections, which usually receive their core funding from their associated university, with special factor funding from SHEFC, sometimes supplemented by income from admissions and trading.

Museums and galleries make an important contribution to education, scholarship, citizenship, social inclusion and tourism. The Scottish Executive will work with those who manage and run Scotland's museums and galleries to remove barriers to access and create new access routes, such as SCRAN.

Our museums, galleries, and built and natural heritage are excellent educational resources. To maximise their potential we propose to support the further development of educational programmes and steps to present collections for young people.

Libraries
Libraries hold a wealth of resources in traditional print format and, increasingly, in digital forms. The Executive recognises the varied and wide-ranging contribution they make to the cultural life of Scotland and wishes to see high quality services and widely available provision. Libraries have important roles to play in education and economic development. Scotland's library sector includes:

• The National Library of Scotland, receiving its core funding directly from the Scottish Executive
• Some 700 public libraries, including 100 mobile units, administered and funded by the local authorities
• Libraries in Further and Higher Education
• Libraries in schools, Health Service libraries and other specialist libraries
• The Scottish Library and Information Council, an institutional membership organisation, part-funded by the Scottish executive, whose role is to represent the interests of the whole sector
• The Scottish Library Association, the professional organisation for library and information services.

All of our libraries enrich the cultural life of Scotland, but many were established to serve specific groups such as researchers and academic staff, students, health service workers and businesses. It is clear that public library services, with their 700 access points across the country, are particularly well placed to support a wide range of individual and community cultural activities. Their strengths are:

• Inclusiveness: services are available to everyone; access is free; they offer a safe environment within communities; they reflect community identity; and they are popular, with some 60% of the population registered as members
• Resources: libraries provide a wide range of materials for all sections of the community, for recreation and lifelong learning
• Comprehensiveness: they offer many activities and services, such as reading circles, book awards, writers in residence schemes and young writers' events, and some also play significant roles in arts events and festivals such as providing information, marketing and developing audiences.

Public libraries are now extending their traditional role by embracing new technology in preparation for the establishment, by the end of 2002,
of the Public Library Network which will support the National Grid for Learning, the Scottish University for Industry, and other lifelong learning initiatives. Pilot projects suggest that the availability of ICT facilities is attracting people who have not previously used public library services.

THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IS WORTH 2.5 BILLION TO THE SCOTTISH ECONOMY AND SUPPORTS OVER 170,000 JOBS