Speakers: Elizabeth Johansson-Hartley, Collections Officer, Museum of Gloucester
We will provide an overview of the NLHF funded project From Store to Store: Uncovering Gloucester’s Archaeological Treasures.
The project was designed to resolving long standing storage concerns and the need to continue accepting new archaeological archives. We will explore the challenges and opportunities facing Gloucester’s heritage, explaining how the archaeology collection has become central to the museum’s identity all while deposits mounted and storage spaces filled.
The Discovery Centre was launched to address the backlog and improve public access. Supported by funding from NLHF, Gloucester City Council, and other sources, the project aimed to process 3,000 boxes of archaeology, starting with those least well documented and in the most need of repacking.
By utilising a vacant retail space in the city centre we created a light, accessible workspace with a free engagement area that enabled us to run engagement sessions alongside the review and rationalisation works. We will highlight the vital role of volunteers with 93 people, contributing more than 840 volunteer sessions. All in all, a project that put collections management at the heart of public engagement.
Main image credit: Mikal Ludlow & Museum of Gloucester
Elizabeth Johansson-Hartley
