Museum of London Ceramics and Glass project
Objective 1. New storage facilities and good physical access
The aim of the storage work was to develop a high quality storage facility where the collection could be well cared for an in environment that was easily accessible to staff, researchers and the public.
The collection is located in the Museum's Resource Centre, which also houses the Museum's archive of excavated material and its social and working history collections. The proximity to the London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre (LAARC) is already providing an invaluable resource for specialists who can now access both collections.
The collection fills one entire bay and includes a research area for specialists. This has space for several researchers, providing a small reference library, desks and tables and two PCs connected to the Museum's database and the web site. It is particularly useful to have this research facility integrated with the collection, a large proportion of which is vulnerable to damage from handling. The facility also provides a model for upgrading other storage areas within the Museum of London group.
The solution for the storage of the collection has been very successful, with 70% of the storage units providing visible storage. Staff have found the units easy to access and their performance (locking, dustproofing, durability) has been excellent. The material not in visible storage is better suited to drawer units because it is small, bagged (sherds), or flat (tiles). The large proportion of the collection which is visible reduces the amount of handling required to find objects and allows the objects to be on view safely for groups and events.
Introduction
Objective 1. New storage facilities and good physical access
Objective 2. Reorganisation and development of the information about the collection
Objective 3. Making the collection accessible through events, study days and on-line access