Presentation by Suzanne Keene (UCL) on her research into more effective ways of promoting the use of Stored Collections, based on her Collections for People research programme.

1. Collections for People: making stores work harder 1 – About collections www.ucl.ac.uk/storedcollections/ www.suzannekeene.info Pilgrim Trust

2. Those difficult questions I suppose you use the objects to change the things in the exhibitions? Hmm, exhibitions don’t work quite like that I suppose people come and work on the objects for research? Please don’t ask how many people ... Why do you have collections when you can’t display them? Ah, they’re the heart of the museum, you see But can you afford the storage cost if they are only useful for a few researchers? But they’re for the future!

3. How did we get here? Cataloguing the natural world Mass production and consumerism Urban development - archaeology Disappearing worlds - ethnography

4. Admit it, we just love to collect

8. Authenticity value – research eg, authenticating Vermeer: depends on 100’s of humbler objects

9. Symbolic value – identity Canada Europe (Vienna) Australia UK

10. Historical value – learning

12. Spiritual values - history, memory, discovery

13. Aesthetic value – enjoyment of beauty

16. Use values and even “Non-use” values Existence value Option value Bequest value Prestige value

17. Future museums?

18. Future museums? My hero! Mark Dion, installation artist

19. Next, some evidence