A public consultation has now commenced in order to gather views on the development of a new national strategy to guide the future of museums and galleries across Scotland.

The consultation phase was started at Museums Galleries Scotland's (MGS) Collaborating to Compete conference by culture and external affairs secretary Fiona Hyslop.

Two major consultation events are set to take place in Edinburgh (14 October) and Glasgow (2 November) as part of the process, with the final document to be published in January.

Scotland's museums and galleries sector currently welcomes 25 million visitors each year and contributes an estimated £800m to the national economy.

Hyslop said: "This is an important milestone in the creation of the National Strategy. It brings us closer to securing a sustainable future for Scotland's museums and galleries."

A consultation document and online survey will be available until 8 November.

www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org