People sometimes think of museums as places where time has stopped – where old things go to be looked at, but not much more. Nothing could be further from the truth. The museum is a living research institution, constantly investigating and updating its knowledge for the benefit of academic study and public appreciation. The curators of all our different departments are responsible for gathering and recording information about all the objects within their area and discipline. For the history curator, the stories of people, places and events associated with an object will be important. For the natural history curator, it will be the scientific classifications and field collection details they focus on. All of that information is then captured, and becomes an invaluable resource for current and future generations to build upon.
