Egypt Centre

How has Modes helped you?

In March 2012 we purchased the Modes Complete package and since then, with the support of Modes and Culture Grid, it has been possible to put all our collection onto the Culture Grid.

As we are a museum with few staff and very little money, in 1997, putting our whole collection online, and moreover integrating it with a larger database, seemed like a pipe dream. However, with Modes Complete and Culture Grid, all that has been made possible.

Ever since the Egypt Centre opened in 1998 it had been our intention to make our catalogue as widely available as possible. While some colleagues had reservations, and in particular concerns that mistakes on our database could be seen by the whole world, we believed that the only way to be truly accessible was to make all our catalogue, warts and all available on the internet. Better still, if we could be part of a larger network, those wishing to access information would not have to first seek out the Egypt Centre in Swansea. Scholars of Egyptian antiquities recognised that they needed to interrogate the large museum databases for information, but our smaller collection was not known about. Realistically, unless it was part of a larger group it would all too often be ignored.

As a curator with little knowledge of computers (and still in a museum with limited financial resources), I was genuinely amazed at how easy it has been to upload our collection onto Culture Grid.

Overview of the organisation

Website: www.egypt.swan.ac.uk
Source: Dr Carolyn Graves-Brown

We are a museum of Egyptian Antiquities with over 5,000 items in the collection. As with any museum, our collection is fundamental. Our acquisition and disposal policy, conservation strategy and documentation are central to this and are requirement of Accreditation.

We use our collection to deliver a service for all ages and abilities defined as Inspiring Learning for All and we have an explicit aim to reach as diverse an audience as possible by widening participation. We incorporate all groups in the life of the museum and thus the University of Wales, Swansea.