Adam abstract 2008
Spreading the word: making our knowledge available
The Department of Coins and Medals at the British Museum holds the UK’s national collection of numismatic material. As one of the world’s largest numismatic collections, however, the Museum’s remit to make its holdings as widely accessible as possible extends far beyond its London site.
Within the Museum, visitors can view exhibitions or make use of the Department’s Study Room, which opens the reserve collections to the public – academics and non-specialists alike. But an extensive loans programme enables the collections themselves to travel to new audiences both within the UK and overseas. The Museum’s online collections database and broadcasting unit make use of fast-developing technology to disseminate curatorial knowledge in new and innovative ways, unlimited by geography.
This paper will explore how the Department records and disseminates knowledge about its collections to colleagues and visitors, inside and outside the Museum.