A new think tank comprising 10 representatives from museums across Scotland has met for the first time at the University of Glasgow in order to discuss the future of the sector.

The Museums Think Tank was set up following the Museums Summit earlier this summer to make recommendations to the Scottish Government as part of a draft national strategy that will determine the future direction of Scottish museums. Members of the group include Jim Arnold, director of the New Lanark Trust; John Leighton, National Galleries Scotland director; Stewart Brymer, Dundee Heritage Trust chair; Bailie Liz Cameron of Culture and Sport Glasgow and Frank Little, the City of Edinburgh Council's museums manager.

National Museums Scotland director Gordon Rintoul; Rachel Skene, development officer at Strathnaver Museum; Jim Tildsley, Scottish Maritime Museum director; Ewen Smith, Hunterian Museum and Gallery director and Sharon Webb, director and curator of Kilmartin House Museum make up the rest of the group. Culture minister Michael Russell said: "A solution to the issues facing Scotland's museums will not come easily and I have told the group that we must be completely open-minded and look at all opportunities for both what can be achieved, and how we can achieve it."

The think tank will present recommendations at a second meeting in the spring.