Reflections on a Lapworth Museum Scholarship

Museum work had always seemed like a far-off ideal to me; a career tucked away behind red velvet ropes and “do not touch” signs, reserved only for a select few who had dedicated their lives to academia or public education. Such artistic, historical and scientific institutions had had such profound influences on my personal and academic life that the idea of actually working within one had become almost unimaginable. Simply put, I had aspired to work within a museum, but never thought the opportunity would come so soon, if at all.

Thankfully, I had grown out of these bitter views long before discovering the Lapworth Museum’s 25-year-running internship programme. I had paid several visits to the Museum in the past, and so was excited to hear that the opportunity was available to all students within the University’s School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. Though I doubt I was able to conceal my feelings of awe during the interview process, I was nonetheless fortunate enough to earn a position alongside fellow students Honna Mahmood and Lucy Blincoe.

During the four-week programme, we were integrated into the tight-knit Lapworth team, each of whom went above and beyond in both allowing us to explore the many facets of museum life, and making us feel welcome. Though we worked on a range of digitisation, public education and social media projects, the majority of my time was spent with the Masirah Ophiolite collection.

This sizeable collection of over 800 geological specimens, gathered in Oman during the 1970s by Frank Moseley and Ian Abbotts, has been widely referenced in contemporary literature relating to geochemistry, magmatism and local geology. However, the collection had not yet been labelled or entered into the Museum's database. In fact, until a project earlier this year, there was no internal index of the items other than the appendices of the original thesis. Our task involved examining each individual hand specimen, cross-referencing their ID numbers against their catalogued lithologies, labelling them and committing all relevant information into Excel. This information would then be logged into the Museum’s collection management database, Mimsy XG, for easy future reference and access. Of the specimens we accessioned, most common was gabbro, followed by dolerite and limestone, though a wide range of other material such as serpentinites, fossils and pillow lavas were also present.

Nearer the end of the month, I had the opportunity to gain more extensive experience with the Mimsy XG software. This arose when we were sorting a separate, unorganised collection, looking up and relocating an eclectic range of specimens to their correct areas in the stores based on attributes such as age, location of origin, or species. After moving them, we would update their database entries to match their new locations.

Alongside this, we were able to explore a more practical form of digitisation. The Lapworth’s Virtual Museum utilises a range of fascinating technologies to create a digital, accessible and interactive copy of the Museum that can be explored from anywhere. One aspect of this process involves creating models of specimens using structured light 3D scanning, which we had the chance to experience. First, we identified objects that were suitable for scanning; for instance, reflective items may be unsuitable as they interfere with the flashing lights emitted by the equipment. We then used the scanner itself, which takes a series of photos from different angles and distances in order to create a digital scale model of the item. Finally, using Artec Studio software, we aligned the dimensions of the separate scans and refined the final products to make them as clear and accurate as possible.

As enjoyable as these experiences were, spending weeks in the company of rocks and fossils had begun to take its toll. So, when the Museum’s Family Fun Days rolled around, I was eager to lend a hand. During the two events, “Wonders of the Ice Age” and “Colossal Creatures and Tiny Treasures”, we organised drop-in stands featuring a selection of objects that the public could interact with and discuss. Some of these items included dinosaur claws, cave bear teeth and a sabre-toothed cat skull cast. We also integrated an interactive dinosaur trackway puzzle that proved very popular with younger audiences. Having the chance to deepen visitors’ experience of the Museum by showing off specimens and providing additional information felt extremely rewarding, as I believe that a personal touch goes a long way in creating a memorable atmosphere.

We further interacted with the public using the Museum’s social media accounts. After selecting particular items of interest from the collections, we photographed, researched and wrote captions for each. I was excited for any opportunity to explore the collection of over 300,000 items, but to be able to study and share those that piqued my interest was a welcome bonus.

To conclude, this scholarship has opened my eyes to the enormous value that museums provide, and the extent of the inner working that they require. Working so closely with people of such diverse backgrounds and specialities has been incredibly valuable, and has made clear to me the benefits of interdisciplinarity and varied perspectives within such a space. I encourage not only those with an interest in museums, but much broader fields too, to consider opportunities like these; museums, as founts of inspiration for future generations, need as much input as they can get. I’m very grateful to the Museum Team and my fellow students for making my time so enjoyable, and whilst the rock dust on my fingers may soon fade, I’m certain my fond memories will not.