The RICHeS team recently visited the University of Liverpool, who kindly hosted our first regional workshop in March. During this visit, the RICHeS team had the opportunity to meet with the team leading the RICHeS collections project Reconstructing the ancient past: digital access and visibility of the Garstang distributed collection, led by Joanne Fitton, Deputy Director of Libraries, Museums and Galleries at University of Liverpool. This project aims to enhance the findability, accessibility and usage of the Garstang distributed collections.
The Garstang distributed collections
John Garstang (1876-1956) was a renowned British archaeologist known for his extensive excavations along the Egyptian and Sudanese Nile as well as Syria, Palestine, and Turkey. Between 1884-1983, the Egyptian Antiquities Service permitted excavators to retain a portion of their discoveries, leading to the global distribution of significant artefacts.
Whilst the largest holdings of Garstang’s finds and archives today are housed at the University of Liverpool, Garstang Museum of Archaeology and the National Museums Liverpool, many of these collections are widely distributed across various institutions. Unfortunately, the historical distribution of these artifacts was not well documented, leading to challenges in findability, accessibility and ability to study them.
Through their RICHeS project, the team at the University of Liverpool is building a comprehensive network of museums and sharing expertise across the northwest of England and beyond to enhance the accessibility and visibility of the Garstang collections. The project will also develop an online portal to publicise and map Garstang finds, that will be available in English and Arabic.
Leveraging modern technology for greater access to the past
During the visit, the RICHeS team explored both the Garstang Museum of Archaeology and the Special Collections and Archives, where Garstang artifacts and archives are stored. The project is committed to improving collection security, storage, research accessibility and ensuring safe access and documentation.
One aspect of the project is access to selected digitised archival records to facilitate online access. RICHeS is supporting the University of Liverpool in scaling up the digital infrastructure. The project is utilising the LMG Axiell Collections Management System that enables comprehensive management of collections data, including cataloguing, acquisitions, loans, storage and conservation. Additionally, the team are building on their existing infrastructure of AM Digital Quartex and Humap for geospatial storytelling. A new Collection Information and Access Developer joined the team at the beginning of April and RICHeS are excited to welcome them to the conservation and heritage science community.
Building collaborative networks
This RICHeS project is enabling deeper collaboration between the University of Liverpool and National Museums Liverpool, as well as more widely across the northwest of England and beyond.
Soon after our visit to the project, we were delighted to hold our first RICHeS regional workshop in collaboration the University of Liverpool. These events bring together RICHeS funded projects with regional and local organisations to develop an innovative, collaborate and informed community. Further reflections on this event will be coming shortly.
Joanne Fitton shares:
“It is fantastic to be at a stage in our project when we can begin to see real change and development. Our physical building upgrades have started, to create a researcher consultation space, and having our team fully in place means we are able to start some key aspects of the work to create and collate data about the collections here and further afield. Being part of the RICHeS network is a great opportunity to raise the profile of the Garstang distributed collection, and for it to find its way into much more research practice than has been afforded the collection in the past”