The Museum maintains catalogue records for all objects that are owned by the Museum, or on loan to it. As a museum registered with the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) it works to an agreed standard for documentation of collections. In common with many museums the quality of records maintained in the past often fell below the standard required today, therefore some records are less than full.
The Museum uses a system called Catalist designed for museums to maintain records. It enables a range of items of data to be captured and recorded. You may ask the Museum to provide you with information about the following:
· the provenance or origin of an object – what we know about where it came from and its history.
· the physical composition of the object – what it’s made of.
· the dimensions of the object.
· whether or not we hold any similar objects
· any opinion we may have of the significance of the object.
The Museum will not divulge any personal details of vendors of objects to the Museum, or of those who have loaned objects to the Museum, nor will the Museum disclose any information about the value of any object in its collections.
It is hoped that catalogue information will be made available on the internet in the near future but as yet no schedule of works has been completed.