Taxonomy and Taxidermy: Linking Natural Science Collections in Wales
Federation of Museums and Art Galleries in Wales
Funded by Esmee Fairbairn Collections Fund
January 2013 – January 2016
Progress Report January 2014
Summary
‘Linking Natural Science Collections in Wales’ is a three-year project led by the Federation of Museums
and Art Galleries in Wales and funded by Esmee Fairbairn Collections Fund. Amgueddfa Cymru –
National Museum Wales and CYMAL are major project partners. The aims are to implement the
concept of a Distributed National Collection (Museums Strategy for Wales 2010-13), and to increase
the profile and use of natural science collections in Welsh museums. A series of collections reviews in
the 20 partner museums establish the nature and extent of collections, which will be digitized and
made publicly accessible via the online portal Casgliad y Werin Cymru – Peoples’ Collection Wales. This
is accompanied by a number of training opportunities for the Welsh museum sector, community and
Welsh language involvement, the provision of education resources for schools, and a touring
exhibition.
Major achievements during the first year (2013) were:
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Establishment of partnerships with 20 museums across Wales.
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Development of an appropriate collections review methodology.
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Completion of the first four collections reviews.
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Cooperation with the team working on the restructuring of Casgliad y Werin Cymru – Peoples’
Collection Wales, resulting in the requirements of natural science data being considered
during the restructuring of the database.
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Establishment of collaborations with the education sector and the Welsh language sector,
leading to more than 20 joint volunteer projects as well as the provision of at least two
summer placements for Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol students in local museums.
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Provision of informal training and two training courses for local museum curators and
volunteers.
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Work started on terminology control in both English and Welsh.
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National and international publicity for the project through the use of newsletters, magazines,
a conference, workshops, and social media (Twitter, Facebook, blog).
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Objectives
The project takes forward the Welsh Museum Strategy objective to develop the concept of a
Distributed National Collection and establish a network of natural science collections across Wales.
The aims of the project are to make these collections more accessible through a range of
opportunities for audiences to engage with and explore these collections. In addition, training is
provided for curators to enable them to use their collections beyond the project. The project will make
a significant contribution to the long-term future of natural science collections across Wales and
therefore to their potential to be shared with the public. It will lead to a better public understanding of
natural science collections.
There are three main objectives:
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In the initial stages, an audit of natural science objects and collections will be undertaken
across Welsh museums. Collections reviews will be undertaken by specialist curatorial staff
from AC-NMW. Another element of this part of the project is building skills, confidence and
capacity in individual museums through a training programme, so that they are better able to
review and use their collections beyond the project. Museum curators will then be able to
better understand and use their collections, and to share their knowledge with visitors and
users.
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The results of the collections reviews will be made available publicly in easily accessible form
via an online catalogue. A dynamic and shared on-line and exhibition based catalogue of
natural science collections across Welsh museums will enable anyone to locate particular
collections or objects, for example from their local area. This will form part of the provision of
learning and cultural access opportunities for audiences of all ages and abilities.
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The project will conclude with a touring exhibition of spectacular or significant natural science
objects from across Wales. The exhibition will celebrate Welsh natural science collections in
the context of current issues such as biodiversity and climate change and will be displayed in
at least ten museums across Wales and available digitally (with online resources) on Peoples
Collection Wales.
The project will work to agree terminology of specific concepts relating to natural science collections
and a standardised range of English – Welsh translations to create consistent (meta) data for both
traditional and on-line cataloguing. A successful outcome would be to provide a range of exciting
opportunities for audiences to engage with these collections and explore current issues – in museums
or online. We would hope to establish a network for natural science collections and continue to
promote a better sector and public understanding of natural science collections as a result of this
project.
Key objectives of the funded work during the first year of the project (2013):
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Select 20 museums across Wales and establish partnerships.
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Plan and undertake reviews of the natural science collections in the partner museums.
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Advertise the project and promote natural science collections through newsletters, media and
social media.
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Work with Peoples’ Collection Wales to make this online database suitable for the
presentation of natural science data.
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Start planning educational resources.
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Deliver training to partner museum curators and volunteers.
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Start planning the touring exhibition.
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Engage with various communities.
Achievements
Collections Reviews
20 museums across Wales were selected to become project partners. Selection criteria were:
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Museum accreditation,
Federation of Museums and Art Galleries in Wales membership,
Willingness to participate,
Good geographical spread across Wales.
A partnership agreement was devised which contains details about expectations, obligations and
benefits; this was available to partner museums both in English and Welsh.
To learn about current similar collections reviews two museums in England were visited, and
approximately 12 other institutions were asked for advice on methodology. Consequently, a
methodology was developed based on significance assessments. Criteria were:
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Standardisation of all reviews within the project,
Efficient capture of the maximum amount of information within the brief time allocated to
each review,
Ease of use by multiple reviewers, some of which may only be involved once, therefore
needing to be able to learn to use the methodology quickly.
The methodology was trialled using a small collection (herbarium) at Newport Museum and Art
Gallery, and as many museums as possible were visited by the project manager in preparation of each
review. In one case (Swansea Museum) this led to the partner museum establishing a volunteer
project (six placements) to improve the accessibility of information available about the mineral
collection prior to the review, to enable a smooth review.
Both the reviewers and the partner museums were thoroughly briefed prior to each review.
Reviewers were all from the Department of Natural Sciences at Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum
Wales (AC-NMW), a major partner within the Linking Natural Science Collections in Wales partnership.
Allocation of reviewers from the most relevant specialist disciplines, and the number of reviewers, to
each museum was based on:
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Pre-review questionnaires, which had been sent out to the partner museums to establish the
approximate holdings of each museum (type of collection, e.g. fossils, insects, shells, etc., and
approximate size of these collections in tens, hundreds or thousands of specimens),
Publicly accessible collections information (Fenscore, reports, previous reviews).
During the reviews each reviewer was paired up with a local museum staff member or volunteer. The
reviewer assessed the specimens while the staff/volunteer entered the data into a laptop.
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Four reviews (Abergavenny Museum, Rhayader Museum and Art Gallery, Radnorshire Museum,
Cyfarthfa Castle Museum) have been undertaken so far (delays are due to restructuring at AC-NMW
but can be absorbed within the project), and a further 13 are scheduled (some museums are
combined in a single review). The reviews undertaken so far have revealed an astonishing diversity of
collections, including world-class collections (for example, the fossil collection at Radnorshire
Museum) and a lot of locally very relevant material, such as a local moth collection at Cyfarthfa Castle,
a holy rhubarb leaf at Abergavenny Museum and a very good geology collection at Rhayader Museum.
In addition, links between AC-NMW curators and staff in the partner museums have been established
and/or strengthened.
Online catalogue
All available data for natural science collections in Wales (previous collections reviews and reports,
CYMAL documentation, Fenscore) have been collated. The results of the collections reviews and other
data about respective collections will be made publicly accessible via the Peoples’ Collection Wales
(PCW) website, a one-stop-shop for collections of all kinds in Wales.
The start of Linking Natural Science Collections in Wales (LCW) coincided with a project to renew PCW,
and from the beginning a close relationship was formed between the two projects. Suggestions by
LCW about requirements for data fields and the inclusion of natural science data led to the PCW team
building these into the new database, so that the new version will be more user-friendly from the
point of view of natural science data users and administrators.
A delay from the side of the PCW team (original launch planned for September 2013, now January
2014; currently undergoing user testing, which LCW is involved with to provide feedback on usability)
resulted in no data being uploaded as yet but the data are almost ready and can be transferred as
soon as PCW will have been launched.
Exhibition
The exhibition will represent the diversity of natural science collections being cared for by museums in
Wales. An outline exhibition proposal was written, with more detailed planning scheduled starting
early in 2014.
Education
AC-NMW Learning staff are going to be involved with the development of teaching resources but due
to restructuring there has been a delay. Work is now scheduled to commence in Spring 2014. Funding
had been applied for separately with and approved by Careers Wales to enable two teachers to be
released from school and spend some time advising LCW on the direction of development for
education resources; financial cutbacks meant that this was ultimately not realised.
During the summer of 2013 there was a public consultation for the new Cwricwlwm Cymreig, which
the project made a contribution towards.
Training
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Partner museums were consulted on training requirements.
The close relationship at the review stage between each reviewer and partner museum
staff/volunteer provided an important opportunity for informal training. This resulted in much
knowledge being passed to local staff and volunteers, increasing understanding of the collection and
confidence in the ability to use it for exhibitions and activities. In some cases the IT skills of local
volunteers increased as a result of being made responsible for data entry. Consequently, a number of
collections improvements are already being discussed in some partner museums, for example
upgrading existing and installing new displays, and improving the state of parts of collections to enable
their use for education and research.
A training course has been developed which will run consecutively at two different venues (at
Cyfarthfa Castle Museum, and at Powysland Museum) in March 2014. The purpose of the course is to
improve the understanding of the classification of natural science specimens, preservation and storage
of collections, documentation, and handling of specimens. This course is run in association with and
financed by CYMAL.
In addition, more than 20 student volunteers from Cardiff University have been working since
November 2013 on an Advice Pack for Natural Science Collections. While this is meant as a resource
for the partner museums, it also increases the links with the University as many of the students have
visited and spoken to their local museums in the process of undertaking their research. The booklet
will serve as a guide to partner museum curators; it will provide some background information about
the geology and natural history of Wales as well as giving information about:
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identifying specimens,
documenting and organising natural science collections,
storage of collections,
handling and conservation,
getting help.
In August a contribution was made towards a Natural Sciences Collections Association workshop on
Collections Reviews, held at the Horniman Museum.
Terminology and Welsh language
Presenting information from disparate sources requires some level of standardisation of both data
formats and terminology. Work is under way to develop a list of preferred terminology (in English and
Welsh) for the online database that will take account of terminology used by schools in order not to
interfere with the development of education resources targeted at schools.
Work on Welsh terminology will be undertaken by students from Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.
Volunteer projects have been agreed and defined with the Coleg and will commence during 2014.
Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol are also going to fund four-week summer placements of Welsh language
students with an education background in at least two of the partner museums. These will research
aspects of the collections and develop education resources.
Publicity
The project was publicised in a number of newsletters and e-newsletters (for example, the Federation
of Museums and Art Galleries in Wales newsletter YMAG, Museums Journal, Geological Curators
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Group newsletter, Natural Sciences Collections Association newsletter, Natur Cymru, National
Museums Directors Conference newsletter, CYMAL newsletter, Society for the Preservation of Natural
History Collections newsletter).
A regular blog is maintained and currently hosted on the AC-NMW website. Regular and up-to-date
information is distributed via a Facebook page and Twitter account.
In September a poster about the project (‘New concepts in the management of museum collections’)
was presented at an international conference in Germany.
In November a contribution was made towards the Museums Association conference in Liverpool in
the form of co-presentation of a workshop on distributed collections.
Learning Points
There is an enormous amount of enthusiasm by local museum curators – who are often social
historians – for the natural science collections in their care and for making improvements to these
collections to bring them into use.
This enthusiasm is almost always left unfulfilled due to large skill gaps of local museum curators with
respect to their natural science collections; the project is addressing some of these skill gaps.
With the best will in the world, schedules slip and everything takes much longer than originally
planned; in some cases more realistic time frames need to be adopted for activities.
Terminology control is not considered enough during curation, with resulting negative implications for
the searchability of catalogues. This also hampers integration of catalogues from different institutions.
This cannot be addressed by the project beyond raising awareness of the issue.
Additional information attached to this Progress Report:
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Project Plan,
Financial Plan (Project Funds).
Signature:
Date:
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Christian Baars |Project Manager | Linking Natural Science Collections in Wales | Federation of Museums and
Art Galleries in Wales | c/o National Museum Cardiff | Cathays Park | Cardiff CF10 3NP | Telephone: 07738
056638
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@LinkinCollWales
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LinkingCollectionsWales
|
Blog:
www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/blog/?cat=1764
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