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Up To Date Records

Many museums in Scotland care for collections which have existed for many years, and which have been recorded according to varying historic standards. It is an unfortunate fact of museum work that object records might become disassociated with the objects they relate to, or indeed that objects may not be able to be identified in object records, for various reasons.

The fact that a museum is able to identify discrepancies in their object records indicates that their object records are usable and up-to-date, and they have been diligent in undertaking inventory work and questioning historic assumptions. It is a sign that their collection records are being appropriately managed now and that they are serving their purpose of object identification and organisational accountability.

This issue highlights the need for all museums and galleries to invest appropriately in collections care and back of house expertise in order to appropriately preserve, conserve and locate historical artefacts. Back of house expertise is also vital to record the contexts and stories around objects in order to represent all of Scotland’s communities.