Bristol’s M Shed
I had a wonderful time at the SHCG conference last week. Taking place over two days at Cardiff Story and Bristol’s M Shed, it brought together a variety of people working in the sector to hear presentations about interesting work and to discuss current and future practice. I really enjoyed meeting people from different museums, and the atmosphere was very friendly and welcoming. So much so that I was voted onto the SHCG committee! I’m really excited to get involved.
RAF uniform dress jacket
Today I have been practising my neatest handwriting and smallest stitches in order to label some items which are being added to the museum’s collection. Careful completion of accession documentation and object labeling is crucial in keeping a clear record of what excactly is in the collection and tying up an object with the information we hold about it.
Today it was the turn of a collection of items relating to one man’s service in the RAF during the Second World War. He was a pilot and we have received his battle jacket, flying helmet, and flight suit, as well as several dress uniforms. These items are fascinating in themselves, but also present an interesting lesson in labeling different kinds of objects.
I have installed my first ever proper museum display! It is a celebration of the upcoming Diamond Jubilee, and includes objects from previous royal jubilees. I’m really pleased with how it turned out. Here is a pic of the finished display:
I have enjoyed putting together the display, although it is surprising how much time it takes!
John Peel at home
Online museums are an exciting recent element of the museums world. They are extremely accessible, allowing people to explore objects and to contribute and share their stories independently. This is an interesting development for social history, where there has been an ongoing debate in recent years about the balance between interpretation of objects by curators and by visitors themselves.
Ross Parry’s edited collection of essay, Museums in a Digital Age, is really interesting for further reading on this topic.
In thrilling news for music fans this week, the first portion of the personal record collection of the late DJ John Peel has been launched online.
Following positive feedback on the object labels I drafted last week, I have now been asked to draft the panel for the display on which I am working. The panel is a larger block of text which provides information on the topic of a display.
The rules for writing labels apply here also: write in short, direct sentences and in clear, straightforward terminology. Panels have the added responsibility of capturing the interest of the visitor and encouraging them to stop and look at the display – and to read more.
Case containing examples of Victorian clothes
‘One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.’ – Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums
This week I have been trying to draft the labels for two displays on which I am working (of which more later). This is a rather more difficult task than you might imagine.
The Herbert’s main social history exhibition for this year, From Highfield Road to Wembley Way, was launched at the end of my third week. The exhibition celebrates the 25th anniversary of Coventry City FC’s FA Cup win.This is the first time I have worked on the installation of a large exhibition, and I’ve discovered that it really is all hands to the pump!
As suggested by the inclusion of Wall-e in my last post, I love robots. So I was very excited, on arriving at the Herbert, to discover Herbot, the museum’s mascot for family friendly interpretation and activities.
The welcoming of families is a really central part of the Herbert’s philosophy, as it opens up the museum to people from across all communities. The museum won the Guardian Family Friendly Museum award in 2010.
If you are visiting, look out for Herbot in the galleries and ask for a family-friendly guide at reception.
Sadly, there are no dancing robots in the stores, nor does the musical Hello, Dolly! play on a continuous loop. There are, however, an awful lot of dolls.
I have been tasked with reviewing the storage and documentation of the Herbert’s collection of dolls, beginning with over 300 collected by a single donor. This project will last the duration of my traineeship. As well as building on my documentation, handling and digitisation skills, I’m hoping to develop my knowledge of materials and dating. I may even develop a minor specialism in doll collections, which would make my inner seven year old very happy.
This week I took part in a Collection Conversations session, which is run during the school holidays at the Herbert. These take place in What’s In Store, which is an area where visitors can see objects from the collections as though they were in a museum store. For the session, the curators chose a few objects and visitors could touch them and talk with the curators about them.I really enjoyed the session. It was great to see children and adults enthused by the objects. Seeing small children being curious about objects and enjoying being in a museum is wonderful – the next generation of museum visitors! Several young boys were very excited to hold the 200 million year old mollusc fossil, and we had fun guessing what the woolly mammoth tooth was.
The Life Curatorial 