Handling collections and conservation

Why do you need a handling collection?

One of the main justifications for teachers bringing groups out to visit the museum is the fact that children can interact with real objects rather than just look at pictures of things in books or on the internet. Having a handling collection which the children can touch, pick up, turn around, smell, etc is a memorable experience which can be a hook on which to hang lots of information. Artefacts can also sometimes have a texture which can only be seen on close physical examination and this is part of investigating what things are made out of and the techniques used in their manufacture. For all these reasons it is important to try to get a handling collection together which will be a core activity in any workshop session.

The artefacts

Depending on what period of time you are concentrating on, or which particular story you want to illustrate, artefacts can vary in their availability. While it is nice to take things out of the museum collection they must be things that can take a lot of handling. Occasionally things do get broken, no-matter how carefully the sessions are run, so if things are too fragile or too rare then it is probably not worth the risk. However, it is possible to pick things up from car boot sales and junk shops and also ask around to see if there is anything interesting lying around people’s garages or sheds. You can then build your narrative around the objects that are available and then tie them in to other artefacts which may be on display but not suitable for handling.

It is also possible to get things from other museums who sometimes clear things out of their collections which are surplus to requirement and often not in the best condition. These things are usually free of charge to other museums as there are ethical implications to do with the sale of objects held by public institutions. These types of object disposals are advertised in the Museums’ Journal (Museums’ Association) or sometimes on the internet.

If objects in the handling collection are damaged in some way, this does not detract from the story they tell; rather it emphasises that the artefacts in the museum are real objects that were made for people to use and that they had a life before they were collected. The damage itself may have a story to tell: how did it get broken? Who broke it? Was it being used as a tool? Did someone throw it away or lose it? Where was it found?

Replicas

In the absence of serviceable originals, replicas can often be very useful especially if you want children to experience what it was like to use or wear things from the past. For example, you could have a replica bar-lug cooking pot to illustrate how it could be suspended by rope over a fire without the rope catching fire as opposed to a pot with external handles which would be used for other purposes, or some replica Roman bronze pins to show how they were used to hold the toga in place. The important thing here is to explain that these things are exact copies of the things that were found from the past and explain how and why some things have not survived intact.

Storage and transportation

A plastic box with bubble wrap inside, a foam block and a telegraphy instrument wrapped in bubble wrap.

Image: Plastic box, foam block and bubble wrap for transport.

Whether or not you intend to do any outreach work or provide loans boxes for schools, the same rules apply to storage. Original artefacts should be checked for damage or infestation before being kept together. The condition of all objects should be recorded in a standardised way and re-checked on a regular basis to ensure that there is no deterioration over time. If there is you may well have to re-consider the ethics of including such pieces in a handling collection.

Storage of different types of object is dependent of the optimum conditions for the materials they are made out of. If you do not have any expertise of this type in your museum you should ask for advice where necessary. Hub museums should be providing this sort of support anyway but most larger museums would be happy to look things over for you if requested.

Generally speaking it is advisable to keep everything wrapped separately. Things that are not breakable can be wrapped carefully in bubble wrap or acid free tissue paper, while for pottery, glass or anything else that is delicate the best option is to use rigid foam cut to shape for each individual item. For easy storage and carrying, large plastic boxes with clip-on lids are ideal.

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