Pacific Collections in Scottish Museums: new resources available

In November 2014 resources were launched at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh to provide information on Pacific collections in Scottish museums.  This was the culmination of a 20 month partnership project funded by the Museums Association's Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund involving National Museums Scotland, Perth Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Aberdeen Museums, and Glasgow Museums. The project aimed to carry out a review of collections from the Pacific region held in the four partner museums, as well as connecting with other Scottish museums. The project also aimed to develop and trial a method in knowledge transfer between current specialists and museum professionals without prior experience and knowledge of Pacific collections. 

The findings from the Review have already sparked keen interest from academics and others in the field. It’s hoped the resources will open up wider international engagement with the collections in terms of further research, and its associated outputs - exhibitions, community projects, digital information or otherwise. Another important outcome has been the wider museum sector’s engagement with the Project and the appetite in Scottish museums for further similar work to be undertaken. 

Two key resources are available online now:
-          Review of Pacific Collections in Scottish Museums, which gives an overview of some of the collections in Scotland. You can download the Review here
-          Introduction to Pacific Collections, intended for future ‘new’ or non-specialist curators to guide them through developing their knowledge of Pacific collections. You can download the Guidance here 

You can find also out more on the website and through the Blog