Collections Management
Curators have responsibility for the long-term survival of the collection. The health of artefacts both in store and on display must be checked regularly to ensure that they are not corroding, drying out or otherwise deteriorating. The temperature and relative humidity (dampness) of the air is also monitored and controlled.

Keeping track of things
Correct and up-to-date records are vital to a curator. Records including conservation, research and analysis are added to the computer database as they become available; photographs and special care requirements are attached. The records include location and details of movements from one location to another which is vital when hundreds of thousands of objects are involved.

 

Access, access, access!
The collection is then accessible. When the records are up to date, the objects are safe to handle (subject to individual guidelines) and ready to give up their hidden secrets.

Some objects are prepared and mounted for permanent or temporary display or used as teaching and handling collections; others are published in articles, books and on websites such as this one.

Hundreds of boxes of finds have to be stored.