Behind the scenes at the National Museums Collection Centre

By Carenza Murray, Work Experience Student with Collections Services

Hello everyone!

I’ve been the work experience placement at the wonderful National Museums Collections Centre in Granton for the last surprisingly short five days. For four days I’ve been based in the Collections Centre but on Tuesday I was in the National Museum of Scotland itself. If you - yes, you! – haven’t been yet, then you should go: the Museum is amazing in size and structure, and magnificent in its collection content, as, including the reserve collections, they have over four million objects and counting, in case you were wondering.

Monday

After arriving at the National Museums Collections Centre on a rather cold and dreary morning, what struck me at first was the very friendly and warm welcome from the staff at the Collections Centre. I thought it would be full of people who were going to be depressed and stocked up on way too much caffeine, but no, there was a surprisingly happy atmosphere for a Monday morning and some genuinely nice people too!

I was given the tour of the Collections Centre buildings (only five currently contain collections, as some of the older buildings are being demolished to make way for a shiny new storage building) and I was startled by the sheer size of the site. I’m not exaggerating when I write that it’s huge. When I first walked into Building 14 (the first building in the tour of the site), I was overwhelmed by the vast size of it; the buildings were all like the TARDIS.  I was quite unresponsive throughout the rest of the tour because I was speechless!

From whale bones to frogs pickled in jars the Collections Centre has it all.

In the afternoon, I learned how to handle the artefacts with the care that they require. I found it amazing how close conservators get to objects. I was able to see these objects from a conservator’s point of view, so with that came an almost overwhelming sense of responsibility. After that I knew that my work experience week was never going to be ordinary.

1, 2, 3 Lift! A lesson in object handling, and packing practising on an office chair,
before getting close to real objects.

Tuesday

Tuesday entailed a different venue to explore: the Museum itself on Chambers Street.

I was given a tour of this site: mind-blowing isn’t it? It’s hard to take in the actual age of some of the objects: when I was shown the Early People section of the Museum it was very difficult to think that the objects on display are over thousands, if not millions, of years old.

From the terrific T-Rex to the amazing amethyst geode, the range of collections of the Museum are spectacular.

On Tuesday afternoon, I was taken to the Loans and Collections Development departments, where I learned how objects are loaned and transported to and from the Museum, such as the current Vikings! exhibition, which is mostly on loan from the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm. I was also shown the ADLIB database, which contains information on most of the objects in the collection and their whereabouts. I found this very intriguing, especially the amount of work the system actually requires. You need to enter information about each component part of an object individually, for example, a teapot and its lid have separate object records.

Wednesday

Half way through the week, Wednesday involved looking at artefact conservation and paper and textile conservation back at Collections Centre HQ.

In the morning with the artefact conservators, I looked at how to conserve objects and the various different methods which can be used. It was incredible how varied their work can be. One day they’ll be working on some taxidermy, the next day they could be working on some objects made entirely of glass. It also struck me how precise you have to be in this work: a mistake could mean that an irreplaceable object is damaged beyond repair.

The afternoon entailed learning about the conservation of Paper and Textiles. The fragility of these objects is unbelievable, how they survived centuries of different owners and conditions is something I can’t understand. I made a padded hanger (which I think I made rather clumsily). These help to conserve clothing. They stop any acid within the wooden hangers from damaging the textile, and also support the costume seams. I was able to use my hanger on a piece of clothing, (after three attempts with different outfits) we found it fitted into a beautiful pink dress covered in small flowers which had a great level of detail and accuracy.

Third time lucky; the padded hanger fits!

Thursday

Thursday’s tasks included some work in the Analytical Research labs and a look at the conservation of different works of Engineering.

I was very excited about Thursday morning as Analytical Research is in some ways similar to what I want to do when I’m older: forensic anthropology. It didn’t disappoint. With the Analytical Scientist, I looked at different ways to analyse objects to find out many different things. It was a great insight into the way we understand objects.

Engineering conservation was very interesting in the afternoon. I was shown around another section of storage in which there were contraptions of all kinds. It was great to see that many of the items in storage still actually function. Some of the objects come into the Collection Centre in pieces, and some of the time the engineers have to guess what they would have looked like, which requires a great deal of patience. They then rebuild the object, and to see the finished piece is amazing. It’s rare to get the chance to see behind the scenes at Granton, so keep an eye out for any opportunities that come up, like Doors Open Day last year.

Cars and carriages in the National Museums Collection Centre.

Friday

My fifth and final day at the National Museums Collections Centre included a look at ways that objects from the collections are photographed.

I saw the range of objects that photography has to work around and I can tell you now, it’s not a walk in the park! Glass particularly is difficult. The photographers have to work around so many different objects and take photographs with a great deal of care. They also have to work with many different camera angles, and work with a high level of accuracy. It was very intriguing, but I don’t have a very high level of patience so I found it quite trying to get the perfect angle for an object.

So that’s it for my round up of my week here at Granton. It was a great experience and an unmissable opportunity. It was good to work with such great people and I am so lucky to have gotten the chance to work here.

Thanks for reading!

Hopefully, this blog gets your ‘seal’ of approval!

(What? Was that too cheesy for you?)

 

Running like clockwork: a day with Engineering Conservation

By James Gulland, Support Assistant, Facilities Management

The ‘Across the floor’ programme at National Museums Scotland encourages staff to spend a day with another department, to find out more about what that department does and learn from their working practices.

Having worked in maintenance engineering for over thirty years, I was keen to learn more about Engineering Conservation. Coming from a manufacturing background, I was interested in finding out more about the difference between our working environments.

Working as a support assistant I am regularly involved in transporting artefacts and objects, so I looked upon this as an opportunity to further my knowledge of Collections Services. I have a particular interest in clocks and was delighted to find out I would be working with the Tod Head lighthouse, which is clockwork driven.

This first-order dioptric flashing light was presented to the Museum by the Northern Lighthouse Board and is being reassembled at the National Museums Collection Centre. It was designed by Messrs Stevenson, civil engineers, of Edinburgh, with the optics constructed by Henry-Lapaute of Paris. The optics are very different from any others we have in the National Museums Scotland collection, such as those from Eilean Glas and Inchkeith and the Tay leading light, made by the Chance Brothers of Birmingham, or Sule Skerry’s optics, which were made by Barbier et Bernard of Paris.

Working alongside Darren Cox at the Collection Centre, I was occupied cleaning and identifying various parts of the clockwork mechanism in preparation for reassembly. I found it really interesting that a lighthouse lamp could be clockwork driven, although the fact that it had to be wound up every half an hour seems impractical!

Working on the Tod Head lighthouse mechanism.

I also spent time working on a pendulum clock movement. Darren dismantled the movement, pointing out the various parts and explaining their function. I was then given the task of assembling the clock movement. After successfully achieving this, I then proceeded to dismantle and assemble the clock once more to familiarise myself with this practice.

Working on a pendulum clock.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Across the floor day with Engineering Conservation and appreciated the insight into their work. After this experience, I would welcome the opportunity to work directly with the Engineering Conservation team in the future.

Interested in the workings of clocks and lighthouse mechanisms? See the Ritchie clock, Millennium Clock and Midsummer Chronophage and two lighthouses lenses from our collection in the Grand Gallery and Discoveries gallery at National Museum of Scotland.

 

Twists and turns: stabilising an artefact for the David Livingstone exhibition

By Jill Plitnikas, Artefact Conservator

What are these four conservators so busily repairing? A net for catching antelopes! This interesting object is part of the new temporary exhibition Dr Livingstone, I presume? currently on at National Museum of Scotland. The net was collected by Livingstone himself and is one of a number of objects in the exhibition which were sent back from Africa to what was then the Scottish Industrial Museum, now the National Museum of Scotland.

Working on the antelope net in the conservation laboratory.

The South African net is made from the bark of the baobab tree (probably Adansonia digitata). One of the most versatile trees in Africa, the baobab is a source of food, water, fuel and much more, including plant fibres used in the making of cordage. The bark has been processed to form 2-ply S-twist cords, which have been knotted in turn to create the net’s structure. The entire object is over 3.5m in length and 1m in width.

When the net was examined in the lab, it was discovered that many of the cords were completely or almost broken, a condition likely resulting from use.

One of the many damaged cords.

Two Textile Conservators and two Artefact Conservators then put their heads together to devise a method for repairing the damaged cords.

After testing out a few different materials and techniques, we decided upon using paper twists to replicate the cords.  The paper chosen to form the twists was a Japanese mulberry or kozo paper, which is made from the long inner bark fibres of the paper mulberry or kozo tree (Broussonetia papyrifera). Mulberry paper is a popular repair material in conservation as it has considerable strength because of its long fibres, is chemically stable and available in a variety of weights.

Strips of three different thicknesses were first cut with feathered edges to reproduce the varying cord diameters found in the net. The paper was then toned with watercolours to produce three different shades of brown.

Toning the Japanese mulberry paper strips with watercolours.

Once the shade and thickness of the paper was matched to the cord to be repaired, the conservator created the twist with her fingers, wound it around the damaged cord, and secured it in position with wheat starch paste.

Twisted paper strips ready for use.

Applying the wheat starch paste.

Securing the paper twist to the damaged cord.

After the repair of around fifty damaged cords, the net was finally stable enough to go on display in the Livingstone exhibition!

One of the mended cords.

Dr Livingstone, I presume? runs at National Museum of Scotland until 7 April 2013.

 

Doors Open Day at the National Museums Collection Centre

By Wendy Turner, Head of Collections Services

On Saturday 22nd September a happy band of museum curators, conservators and collections managers led groups of visitors around the National Museums Collection Centre as part of Doors Open Day 2012. In preparation for this I was asked to show STV reporter Laura Piper around the site. You can see the report from the day on the STV website here.

Doing that visit got me thinking about my job and led me to declare “I’ve got the best job”. In my new role as Head of Collections Services I am based at the Collection Centre and this means I am surrounded by millions of fantastic objects and specimens and work alongside an incredibly talented team of people.

Wendy shows off some of the shoes in our collection at a previous Doors Open Day.

At the Collection Centre we research, conserve, preserve, and photograph the collections, preparing them for exhibitions at our other sites and for lending them in Scotland, the UK and internationally. Our excellent facilities enable researchers and visitors from across the world to come and study our collections.

Since the mid 1990s we have been developing the site, constructing state of the art buildings to house our collections in. Most recently we constructed a new building to house the collections that had been stored in cramped and challenging conditions in the basement of the National Museum of Scotland. We’re now working on designing another new building to house some of our collections which are currently stored off site. This work supports us in regenerating our displays and is helping us to improve access to our reserve collections.

I’ve worked for National Museums Scotland for over twenty years and as I say in the video every day is different and that’s why I think I’ve got one of the best jobs in the country.

See photos from the day and hear Wendy’s commentary in the video below, reproduced here with the kind permission of STV.

 

Fifty Shades of Grey: Cleaning and conservation of David Watson Stevenson’s plaster models

By Charles Stable, Artefact Conservator

One of the challenges museum conservators  have to face when cleaning historic objects is learning the difference between new dirt, historic dirt, degraded coatings and original surface finishes. All have an effect on the overall appearance of objects and, working with curators, conservators have to decide what needs to be cleaned, removed or kept to preserve the integrity of the object.

A collection of painted plaster models recently received by National Museums Scotland has presented just such a challenge to the Artefact Conservation department.

The National Museums have recently acquired a group of plaster models by Ratho born sculptor David Watson Stevenson (1842-1904). Stevenson is probably best known for his sculpture of William Wallace at the National Wallace Monument in Stirling.

The models have been brought into the conservation labs for condition assessment and treatment before they go on display in a temporary exhibition of new decorative art acquisitions entitled “New For You” in the National Museum of Scotland. They include two models of Robert Burns and a series of models of allegorical females, commissioned for a memorial in Oldham dedicated to John Platt, a Victorian industrialist.

Usually the public get to see objects when we have finished the conservation, however, in this exhibition we will be displaying the  pieces partially cleaned and repaired, to give visitors an insight into what is involved and how the objects will visually change once treatment is completed.

It is always exciting to get new acquisitions, and as a Conservator you get to see these objects at close hand. Sometimes all isn’t as it seems, and once you start working on a piece you start to uncover its secrets. In this case our investigations have led to the conclusion that some of the sculptures would have originally looked very different from how they do today. Using conservation cleaning techniques, we have been able to start restoring the original appearance of some of the sculptures.

The varnish layer on this plaster model of Robert Burns has aged and degraded, becoming a yellowy green. The varnish layer has been removed to reveal the original white scheme beneath. This is the model of the statue of Burns to be found in Bernard Street, Leith.

Left: Allegorical female being cleaned with dampened cotton swabs to remove surface dirt. Right: The model viewed from above shows the contrast between the clean and dirty surfaces.

We are also starting to understand why some of the sculptures look the way they do now. The allegorical figure on the left has been overpainted. Further investigation shows that the figure was originally painted using copper based metal powders to imitate a bronze finish, giving it an appearance similar to the figure on the right. We  now believe the metal powders on the figure on the left  have corroded and stained the overpaint, causing the darkening to the face and arm.

The figure  on the  left has been overpainted. Originally it would have had a bronze effect finish similar to the figure  on the right.

The plaster models have also had to get some first aid treatment. In the past, prominent areas such as toes, fingers and limbs have been damaged by accidental knocks and bumps. Some of the applied paint on the sculptures is now loose and falling off and this has to be stabilised before any cleaning can take place.

Stabilising the fragile painted surface on the bust of Robert Burns.

The models also contain iron and copper wire supports called armatures. Due to damp conditions these armatures corrode, the corrosion expands forcing the plaster to spall off the surface and the armatures become weaker. In the worst case this caused the head to detach from the  body  of the figure shown below.

Above: The headless allegorical figure before and during repair with losses to the neck gap filled. Note the corrosion on the head of the figure’s sceptre, which has caused plaster to detach.

You can see the conserved models on display in the Grand Gallery at National Museum of Scotland.

The Stevenson models on display in the Grand Gallery.

 

 

Seeing the invisible

By Neil McLean, Photography Manager

Have you ever wondered who or what is lurking behind a faded photograph?

The photography section at National Museums Scotland is currently digitising our museums collection of pioneering calotypes from the two albums that belonged to Dr John Adamson, elder brother of Robert Adamson, of the famous early photographic partnership of David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson. These calotypes consist of a paper negative original (no longer present) which is then contact printed onto a fibre based paper to produce a positive image.

During the photography process I became aware that many original images had faded to either a blank sheet or a very faint outline. Although it is important to photograph the images as they now appear, the need to know what was originally photographed is compelling.

Discovery process

Because the chemical dyes in these faded originals are so washed out and the fibre paper is quite irregular, a process of shining light through the paper to enhance the images was not a suitable solution.

During experimentation I discovered that using a combination of Photoshop and Lightroom techniques, image enhancements were possible. I have discovered that this digital conservation process can be repeated for all relevant pictures in this collection. And so the discovery begins.

The results so far

Original faded negative image.

The same image (reverse positive) after digital conservation reveals a portrait of a woman.

Original negative image.

The same image (reverse positive) after digital conservation reveals a portrait of a woman.

Original positive image.

The image after digital conservation reveals a portrait of a man.

Original positive image.

The image after digital conservation reveals a table set for tea.

As you can see, the original tone is not always preserved. This is because, as part of the enhancement process, I am selecting localized colour tone and density and gaining detail and contrast. During this procedure tones will be sacrificed for definition gains. Also at this stage the image’s visual enhancement process is superseding the retention of colour. Further developments will include the retention of the original’s appearance.

Uncovering the unknown

So far in this development, people and objects have been discovered: the likelihood that the subject matter in these photographs has not been visible for over 100 years. We don’t yet know who these individuals are or where the objects were photographed. However, in addition to our collection, many other collections of photographs exist from the dawn of photography during the 1840s, the Hill and Adamson era, and the answers to these questions may lie there.

 

Wearable optical toys: how Victorian devices influenced a contemporary jewellery maker

A guest post by Karen Smith, final year student at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in Dundee

Back in January I was doing research into Victorian Optical Devices for my degree show work at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design. I had chosen to base my jewellery collection on Victorian optical devices and combine them with song lyrics to produce what I refer to as ‘Wearable Optical Toys’.

At the time I only knew a little about these intriguing devices and wanted to gain more insight into how they were made, what materials they are made from and how they worked. I contacted the National Museum of Scotland in the hope that they could help me out in some way.

I was lucky enough to get in contact with curator Tacye Phillipson. She gave me some background information on some of these devices, many of which I had no prior knowledge of. Tacye then arranged for me to visit the museum stores and view some of these items.

Curator Julie Orford was kind enough to show me around. Being able to examine these items up close and actually see how they are made was not only fascinating but also invaluable to my design work, allowing me to translate these optical devices into wearable objects.

Here are a few photographs from my visit to the museum stores.

Zoetrope

Peep show

Peep egg

After my visit I set about designing for my degree show collection. Here are some pictures of some of the items I came up with.

Zoetrope Ring Stands (2012). Based on the song ‘Butterfly on a Wheel’ by The Mission. Tops are spun to animate butterflies inside. Rings are removable and can be worn.

Phenakistoscope Spinning brooch (2012). Again based on the song ‘Butterfly on a Wheel’ by The Mission. Spin wheels in opposite directions to animate butterflies.

Peep Show Brooches (2012). Based on the song ‘Through Glass’ By Stone Sour.

Peep Show Brooches (2012). Peep Show has three separate brooches.

Without being able to visit the museum and actually get to see these optical devices I think I would not have been able to fully appreciate how these objects worked and I am very thankful to both Tacye and Julie for being so helpful. My visit also helped to affirm that a career in a Museum is something I would like to pursue.

If you are interested in seeing more of my work the Duncan of Jordanstone Art School Degree show opening night is 18 May from 6pm-9pm. And there after the Degree show is open until 27 May. Please come along and see some amazing creations. You can find out more at the Duncan of Jordanstone Degree Show website and also at my blog.

 

Plastics, preservation and prosthetic limbs: three months in the department of Conservation & Analytical Research

By Dr Margaret J Smith, Science Conservation Intern

In June, I began a year’s Institute of Conservation (ICON) internship as a Science Conservation Intern, funded by Heritage Lottery Fund. The first three months were spent at the analytical research labs of the Conservation and Analytical Research Section (CAR) in Granton.  Having been a research chemist for 18 years prior to my internship, where I worked on a variety of multidisciplinary projects, the skills acquired during that time have helped me enormously in my new role.

In recent decades, museums have become aware that objects made from plastics (polymers) are subject to degradation from heat, light and moisture as well as physical damage. Sometimes termed modern materials, these objects can be anything from an acrylic sculpture to a PVC raincoat.  This has resulted in concern regarding their lifespan within the heritage sector and therefore significant research on their properties, degradation and long-term storage is a key issue for museums with significant object collections of modern materials.  While at National Museums Scotland, most of my time was spent working on these modern materials.

Projects

Examing, detailing and photographing the Plastics Handling Collection

This collection contains a huge variety of plastic objects, primarily manufactured in the 20th century, illustrating the development of plastics from the semi-synthetic to the synthetic. This allowed a database of these objects to be created, which will be used in the future to monitor degradation and inform curators of likely areas of concern specific to each polymer. All these objects had been photographed in 2000, although not described in detail, and visual comparisons were made using this photographic record to their current condition.

FT-IR Polymers Library

Modern materials such as polymers can be identified and their condition determined using Attenuated Total Reflectance/Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR/FT-IR). This technique creates a spectrum which provides a unique fingerprint of the polymer based on the vibrational energies of the molecules present in it. The technique allows objects (if small enough) or parts of larger objects to be studied non-destructively. The technique is very fast as no sample preparation is required and scans can take as little as one minute depending on the detail required.

CAR has an extensive collection of polymer samples obtained in the 1990s from companies such as BASF, BP and Courtaulds. Using these polymers I created libraries which can now be used in the future to identify unknown materials.

Working in the Conservation & Analytical Research lab.

Prosthetics

National Museums Scotland recently obtained a collection of prosthetic limbs which are fabricated from a variety of polymers and metals and cover a period of prosthetic research and development in Edinburgh from the 1960s to the present day. The driver for such prosthetic development was to fit children born with no or shortened limbs due to the anti-nausea drug thalidomide.

My part in this project has been to assess the current condition of a selection of prosthetic limbs and to determine the materials they have been constructed from. I have done this by using three analytical techniques: Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) (used for polymer identification and quality) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) (used to identify metals) to identify the materials and X-rays to determine the internal mechanisms present in the limbs. The subsequent analysis showed that the metal used in the mechanism was stainless steel. The prosthetics also frequently have fabric fastenings and coverings and in older samples leather is sometimes used.

Examining a prosthetic limb in the lab.

Jean Muir Collection

National Museums Scotland holds a variety of jewellery, hats and buttons by Jean Muir, which form part of a larger collection relating to this iconic designer. The jewellery in the main is made from plastic (polymers), some transparent and others pieces colored. In addition there were some silver pieces.

The conservation reporting and creation of new accessible storage solutions for these objects was carried out by Clare Berthommier, a visiting intern. As part of her task she wished to identify the materials these objects were made from, as this would help her to decide how they should be stored. Clare and I worked together on identifying the plastics, and we also found that some of the jewellery was made from silver. Some of the bracelets were flat discs, which were ideal for FT-IR scanning using the ATR attachment. Of the pieces analysed all were identified as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) often known by names such as  Perspex or Plexiglass.

Visits and seminars

While at National Museums Scotland I accompanied a group of scientists and curators on a visit to the Clinical Research Imaging Centre at the Royal Infirmary Edinburgh. Work had been carried out there on the scanning of mummies from the collection.

I attended the Getty funded Research Network Meeting on Modern Materials in June. The purpose of the meeting was to create ideas for future projects in the understanding and preservation of modern materials. Delegates from a variety of countries attended this event.

On 28 July Dr Jim Tate and I visited Dr Andrea Hamilton at the Centre for Materials Science and Engineering at Edinburgh University to view and discuss the capabilities of the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) they have within their department. Our application was to use AFM to monitor the degradation of the surface of plastics as an aid to understanding the degradation process in addition to other techniques.

I visited Hampton Court on 17 August with other ICON interns. The day kicked off with a talk by Miriam Langford, the Treatment Conservation Manager. In it she described the projects we would view, which included the conservation on a tapestry based on a design by Raphael, Queen Anne state bed and Queen Victoria’s dolls. The rest of the day was spent viewing the studios and as a scientist it was very enlightening to see conservators at work: it highlighted the dedication, skill and patience required by them.

On 23 August I visited the Liverpool museums. In the morning a tour of the conservation centre took place, where we viewed the conservation and restoration of model ships, of which the museum has many as a result of Liverpool’s famous shipping past. After lunch we were taken on a visit to the recently opened Museum of Liverpool, designed by the Danish architects 3XN. It has an eclectic mix of objects ranging from Liverpool’s sea trading past to Beatles memorabilia.

Reflection

The three months of my internship have been busy, varied and motivating. I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to be part of the HLF Internship program. My time at National Museums Scotland has given me a real insight into the museum sector and how it operates. It has been a mix of lab work, research reading, visits, being part of meetings and planning future work. From day one I felt part of the team and I hope that I contributed to the CAR department. I anticipate that the relationships I have made here will continue throughout my internship and perhaps beyond.

 

Photo sharing with Fife Museums Forum

A guest post by Claire Robinson, Fife Museums Forum

How can museums share their collections with as many people as possible without access to much-needed financial resources or staff time? This was the exciting challenge faced by a steering group within the Fife Museums Forum, a collaborative network for museum professionals working in museums across Fife, charged with the task of publicising member museums and their diverse collections.

Following the example of leading museums, including National Museums Scotland and the V&A, we decided to reach out to museum audiences by embarking on a project to create a Flickr photo-sharing group for the Fife Museums Forum.

At the outset of the project, we were aware that members of the Forum had very varied levels of experience of photography and using social media. In order to ensure the success of the project, we would have to provide some form of training and support on both counts.

We got in contact with Megan Combe, National Partnerships Officer at National Museums Scotland, who very kindly offered to arrange a workshop on ‘Studio Photography for Social Media’ as part of the Knowledge Exchange programme. As part of their Responsive programme, the workshop would be in partnership with the Fife Museums Forum, but open to anyone outwith the Forum who had a real need for the course.

On 27 September representatives from museums across Fife, from Dunfermline to St Andrews, left the Kingdom and travelled to Edinburgh ready to be let loose on the world of social media and photography!

In preparation for the afternoon training session, Megan had asked attendees to dust off their cameras and practise their photography skills by taking a few shots of museum objects. Armed with cameras and a lot of enthusiasm, representatives from the Forum thought that it would be a good idea to combine our ‘homework’ with a visit to the newly-redeveloped National Museum of Scotland. We enjoyed exploring the galleries and taking photographs of some of the fascinating objects on display (and even had time to sample one of the National Museum’s new cafés)!

A quick group shot before heading inside to explore the National Museum of Scotland. Representatives from member museums of the Fife Museums Forum: the Carnegie Birthplace Museum, Dunfermline; Kirkcaldy Museum, Fife Council, Kirkcaldy; Scottish Fisheries Museum, Anstruther; Museum Collections Unit, University of St Andrews, St Andrews; and the British Golf Museum, St Andrews.

A small selection of some of the photographs taken by the Fife Museums Forum.

After travelling to the National Museums Collections Centre at Granton, we joined colleagues from Verdant Works, Dundee and East Lothian Council Museums. Megan Combe then introduced us to Elaine Macintyre, Digital Media Content Manager, and Neil McLean, Photography Manager, who were to lead the afternoon session.

They shared with us some handy tips on museum photography and digitisation, including lighting and camera techniques. We also learned about online photo applications and some good examples of photo-sharing projects. In response to some of our member’s concerns about the possible loss of rights over images published online, Neil and Elaine gave some very useful advice about the management and use of digital images in social media. This was followed by a very informal discussion session where attendees could ‘ask the experts’ any questions that they had about digital photography and social media.

We also had the very exciting opportunity to see ‘behind the scenes’ in the Photography Studio at the Collections Centre. Neil gave us some very helpful and honest feedback on how we could have improved some of the digital photographs (of varying quality!) that we had taken in the Museum earlier that day. It was also very useful to find out how to take good quality photographs of museum objects without having a professional photographer’s studio and using inexpensive materials, such as large rolls of coloured paper and table lamps.

Photography studio at the National Museums Collections Centre at Granton.

Photography studio at the National Museums Collections Centre at Granton.

As a result of the Knowledge Exchange training session on ‘Photography for Social Media’, representatives from our member museums have been provided with the knowledge, skills and confidence to both participate in and take forward the Fife Museums Forum Flickr photo-sharing project. Since the Knowledge Exchange training session, members of the Fife Museums Forum have been avidly taking lots of snaps of their museums’ collections to include on the Flickr page. Equally importantly, our visit to National Museums Scotland and the Knowledge Exchange training session provided representatives of the Forum with a great opportunity to meet with and share experiences with museum colleagues from across Scotland. It was a great day out!

We would all like to thank the National Partnerships, Digital Media and Photography teams at National Museums Scotland for all their support and assistance with this project.

You can view the forum’s efforts at their new flickr group www.flickr.com/photos/fifemuseumsforum.

 

P3 pupils and manticores: work experience at National Museum of Scotland

A guest post by work experience student Jack Hocking

The prospect of seeing what goes on behind the scenes of National Museums Scotland was exciting, and I wasn’t disappointed. After learning to navigate my way through the warren that is the museum, and taking a good look at the exhibits, I found solace in the act of painting paper with tea and coffee to make it look ancient for a map-making workshop to be held in the museum.

My first day was mainly meeting people. Everyone was really friendly and welcoming. I had a meeting with Hugh, the Head of Digital Media, who gave me a talk on what the department does.  He even asked me what National Museums Scotland could do to attract more people in my age group.

We also went to the National Gallery to see an exhibition on prisoners’ art; I found that very illuminating.

Tuesday was quite a busy day, as was Wednesday, when I helped Fiona from the Learning and Programmes department with workshops for primary kids. There were around thirty primary 3s, bright little bundles of completely unsuppressable energy I tell you…

School pupils at the National Museum of Scotland.

That day I was also given an animal census in order to choose some animals for a trail round the museum.

On Thursday afternoon I visited the Collection Centre in Granton. It was amazing, there were huge machines bolted to floors, the insects were myriad and there were vertebrae bigger than my head! The thing I remember most about that visit was the very strange looking manticore (it was a manticore wasn’t it?) skull, the beast must have been HUGE!

Conservation staff working at the National Museums Collection Centre.

Friday, alas, the end of my work experience. And what an experience.  There was, of course, no better way to end the week than by compiling results from the evaluation sheets given to pupils and teachers after workshops. That day I learned a harsh lesson that not all work is fun…  But in the end I got a really nice card out of it and an amusing mug, so it’s not all bad!

Thanks guys !