Behind the Scenes.

Museums are institutions that collect, safeguard and make accessible artefacts and specimens, which they hold in trust for society.
(Museum Associations, 1998)

The main definition of a museum is that it must have a collection. This can be a collection of anything, ranging from art to zoology! Many museums collect a wide range of objects covering lots of areas. Others only collect a very specific type of object.

The first role of a museum is to look after the objects in their care that have already been collected. This ensures that they will not be 'lost' and are passed on to future generations.

The second role of museums is to continue to collect objects to represent the community and the area in which they are based.

The third role is to make these objects accessible to people. This can be done through exhibitions, education and outreach work. This guarantees that people can use the collections for learning, inspiration and enjoyment.

The Herbert

The Herbert was opened on 9th March 1960. It is named after Sir Alfred Herbert, a local industrialist, who gave money to set up the museum. He founded Alfred Herbert Limited, at one time the world's largest machine toolmaking company.

The Herbert works with the people of Coventry to explore and celebrate the creative and cultural heritage of all of our communities. Currently, it is in the middle of a major redevelopment, which is scheduled for completion in 2008.

The Herbert has about 225,200 objects and items. These comprise of Archaeology, Natural History, Social and Industrial History, and Visual Arts collections. These collections are used for lots of things. These include Life Long Learning sessions, exhibitions, outreach work and academic research as well as loans to other museums. Some of the significant cross-disciplinary collections from the museum can be seen in this online display.

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