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Trustee Chairman Nicholas Barker states this clarification, “The facts are that as the Museum has insufficient funds to cover its running costs, it is legally obliged to close while its trustees explore other options for keeping it going. When this process is complete, a public announcement will be made.”

The first meeting of the Type Museum Society took place at the Museum last Wednesday, well attended on a wet and windy night at almost no notice. 30 people left their contact details, a group will liase with the trustees. A second meeting will take place tomorrow Wednesday 31.05.2006 18:30 to carry the campaign forward. Many people have signed up online at http://groups.google.com/group/typemuseumsociety Where a digest of messages of support can be read. There’s another two days worth to be added!

The Stephenson Blake and older hand-foundry materials would largely transfer in rights to the V&A. The DeLittle Wood Type Collection may prove to be still partly owned by the surviving Mr Delittle. The materials acquired from the former Clowes Museum & the Austen Composition collection both of great type language importance may have other safeguards built in (or not). This is only if the Type Museum fails as an entity in its own right and the collections cannot be kept accessibly together.

The principal concern is having gathered these materials and begun to see the profound educational value of having the processes side by side it is this very synergy that is at risk.

The staff were laid off last week. And I am receiving communications that indicate that the Museum is closing to the public.
The Museum on a shoestring has been working really hard to build a new purposeful and credible plan for the future - it needs all the support; and publicity it can get in a renewed drive for funding to put it on a firm foundation. For Type’s sake !! These collections are without equal and represent - in or close to working condition - the evolution of type technologies.

For more information and to show your support, see: http://groups.google.com/group/TypeMuseumSociety

If anyone can help us get some journalists interested in writing up the real threat of losing these materials and resources - please pass them on. We now have a domain http://www.typemuseumsociety.org/ and a very modest site at the moment - just an anchor point. But if some of you haven’t been inside the vault at the Type Museum recently you may like to follow the Typographic Treasure link.