Bodmin Keep is the historic home of the Army in Cornwall. The former headquarters of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry houses a museum with 20,000 items, covering over three hundred years of military history. It has a collection of weaponry, uniforms, personal letters and belongings.
Object and general storage areas within Bodmin Keep
Whilst at MCC Museum I was seconded to the Keep to undertake an audit for re-accreditation purposes. My starting point was a survey into the state of the collection carried out some years previously. The Museum wanted to know where they were in relation to that audit, what had been achieved, what was still outstanding and what new issues had arisen.
Before visiting I read the existing document and highlighted things I wanted to investigate. I had numerous email and phone conversations with the Director/Curator to fully understand the scope of my brief. I then spent a week on site at Bodmin Keep, talking to as many staff and volunteers as possible about their issues and challenges, but also what they thought was working well and any ideas they had.
Whilst I had a brief to work to, I made sure to factor in time for any other issues that might arise. This meant that I had time to help with a risk assessment about gallery use and assisted during a Hazardous Objects survey undertaken by an MOD specialist.
As the audit concentrated mostly on storage and cataloguing that was my main focus. I spent time looking over a sample of their catalogue records and physically inspecting the storage areas and how items were stored. As I too worked day-to-day in a busy museum I saw how the restrictions of too few staff, unsuitable buildings and lack of space can impact on collections care.
After the visit I produced a 40 page report on my findings and observations. I tried to be as constructive as possible and offer advice on how to remedy issues and practical ways to approach tasks that needed doing. I hope I reassured them that they were no worse than any other museum.
I was pleased to hear that the report I wrote was presented to the Management board and used to assist in gaining funding for a conservation treatment project.