{{Short description|British charity}} {{EngvarB|date=September 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox organization | name = Culture24 | image = Culture24 logo100px.jpg | type = | founded = 2001 | vat_id = | registration_id = | founder = | location = Brighton, England | origins = | key_people = Jane Finnis | region_served = United Kingdom | product = | mission = | focus = | method = | revenue = | endowment = | num_volunteers = | num_employees = 10 | num_members = | subsid = | owner = | non-profit_slogan = | former_name = 24 Hour Museum | website = {{ubl|{{URL|culture24.org.uk}}|{{URL|museumcrush.org}}|{{URL|letsgetrealconference.com}}}} | dissolved = | footnotes = }}

'''Culture24''', originally the '''24 Hour Museum''',<ref name=gov/> is a British charity which publishes websites, ''Culture24'', ''Museum Crush'' and ''Show Me'', about visual culture and heritage in the United Kingdom, as well as supplying data and support services to other cultural websites including '''Engaging Places'''.<ref name=gov/>

It operates independently, and receives government funding.<ref name=gov>{{cite web|url=http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/DG_10011029|publisher=Her Majesty's Government|title=Useful Contacts: Culture24|work=Directgov|access-date=24 November 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120132846/http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/DG_10011029|archive-date=20 November 2008}}</ref><ref name=charity>{{EW charity|085847}}</ref>

==Organisation== Culture24 is based in Brighton, southern England, and has ten employees.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://weareculture24.org.uk/about-us/meet-the-team/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929235552/http://weareculture24.org.uk/about-us/meet-the-team/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=29 September 2011 |title=Meet the team |publisher=Culture24 |access-date=21 November 2011 }}</ref> The Culture24 Director is Jane Finnis, who contributed a chapter to ''Learning to Live: Museums, young people and education''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ippr.org.uk/publicationsandreports/publication.asp?id=665 |title=Learning to Live: Museums, young people and education |editor=Kate Bellamy and Carey Oppenheim |date=13 May 2009 |publisher=Institute for Public Policy Research |access-date=14 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090524173815/http://www.ippr.org.uk/publicationsandreports/publication.asp?id=665 |archive-date=24 May 2009 }}</ref> and in March 2010 was named as one of 50 "Women to Watch" in the United Kingdom cultural and creative sectors by the Cultural Leadership Programme.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.culturalleadership.org.uk/women-to-watch/w2w/jane-finnis/ |title=Women to Watch: Jane Finnis, Director, Culture24 |publisher=Cultural Leadership Programme |access-date=14 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129134318/http://www.culturalleadership.org.uk/women-to-watch/w2w/jane-finnis/ |archive-date=29 January 2012 }}</ref> Past Culture24 chairman include John Newbigin, who was named as one of Wired Magazine's top 100 people shaping the digital world in May 2010.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/the-wired-100-positions-51-to-100 |title=The Wired 100 |date=1 April 2010 |magazine=Wired UK |access-date=14 June 2010}}</ref>

The charity was founded in 2001 as the ''24 Hour Museum'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/5b8ea24735dcdb90c75e9d21418e9642/compdetails |title=Culture24 company information |publisher=Companies House |access-date=14 June 2010}}</ref> when the website of the same name<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/342954.stm |title=24 Hour Museum Goes Live |date=13 May 1999 |publisher=BBC |access-date=14 June 2010}}</ref> became an independent company.

The organisation changed its name to ''Culture24'' in November 2007,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2008/jun/09/museums.culture |title=Virtually the best of British heritage |author=Jack Schofield |date=9 June 2008 |work=The Guardian |access-date=24 June 2010 | location=London}}</ref> and the website followed suit on 11 February 2009.<ref name=gov/> Culture24 is a registered charity and is funded by the UK government through Arts Council England (ACE).

==Purpose== The (now defunct) Museums, Libraries and Archives Council was working with Culture24 as one of its partners in furthering the council's digital agenda, specifically helping to deliver:

{{blockquote|More and better quality information on cultural opportunities to the public<br/> A coherent portal for cultural resources for teachers and learners<br/> Greater interaction with individuals and communities through use of Web 2.0 and social networking tools<br /> High quality standards in the management and preservation of digital resources.<ref>{{cite web | title=MLA's approach to the digital agenda | publisher=Museums, Libraries and Archives Council | year=2008 | access-date=24 November 2009 | url=http://www.mla.gov.uk/what/programmes/digital | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091113043405/http://www.mla.gov.uk/what/programmes/digital | archive-date=13 November 2009 }}</ref> }}

Culture24 also administered Museums at Night (UK) between 2010 and 2019, the annual weekend of late openings at museums, galleries and heritage sites.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.culture24.org.uk/museumsatnight |title=Museums at Night homepage |publisher=Culture24 |access-date=18 June 2010}}</ref>

==Websites== The main ''Culture24'' website is a guide to museums, public galleries, libraries, archives, heritage sites and science centres. It has a database of over 5,000 cultural institutions,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.culture24.org.uk/search%20results?f1=Type&t1=3O&d=List&n=20&s=alphabetical&sd=ascending |title=Culture24 venue search results |publisher=Culture24 |access-date=24 October 2012}}</ref> who are able to update the information about their activities. It features daily arts, museum, history and heritage news, and exhibition reviews. News stories are available as RSS newsfeed.

Culture24 also runs a site for children, ''Show Me'', which has online activities related to UK museums and galleries, including interactive games, quizzes and competitions. A section of the site contains guidance for parents and teachers about using online resources from museums and galleries.

In 2009, Culture24 was runner-up in the Nominet Trust Best Practice Challenge.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nominet.org.uk/digitalAssets/36431_BestPracticeChallenge_winners2009.pdf |title=Nominet Best Practice Challenge 2009 Winners |publisher=Nominet UK |access-date=14 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003210055/http://www.nominet.org.uk/digitalAssets/36431_BestPracticeChallenge_winners2009.pdf |archive-date=3 October 2009 }}</ref> The Culture24 suite of websites won the 2010 "best of the web" award (long lived category) at the Museums and the Web Conference.<ref>[http://conference.archimuse.com/forum/congratulations_mw2010_best_web_winners "Congratulations to the MW2010 Best of the Web Winners!"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120708174632/http://www.museumsandtheweb.com/forum/congratulations_mw2010_best_web_winners |date=8 July 2012 }} 16 April 2010.</ref> Culture24 is also listed as one of the Guardian's top 100 essential websites,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/dec/09/best-websites-internet |title=The 100 essential websites |date=9 December 2009 |work=The Guardian |access-date=14 June 2010 | location=London | first1=Jack | last1=Schofield | first2=Bobbie | last2=Johnson | first3=Charles | last3=Arthur | first4=Stuart | last4=O'Connor | first5=Mercedes | last5=Bunz | first6=Victor | last6=Keegan}}</ref> and one of the Sunday Times' top 10 museum websites.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article7016077.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720040833/http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article7016077.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 July 2011 |title=The 10 best museum websites |author=Mike Peake |date=7 February 2010 |work=The Sunday Times |access-date=14 June 2010 | location=London}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.culture24.org.uk Culture24 company website] * [https://museumcrush.org/ Museum Crush website] * [http://www.show.me.uk/ Show Me children's website]

Category:Organizations established in 2001 Category:Organisations based in Brighton and Hove Category:Virtual museums *Culture24 Category:Charities based in East Sussex Category:Museum organizations