17. Objects Experiences
Facts Narratives
“Our first duties are to collect,
conserve and display material
culture, to protect the
nation’s treasures and to
showcase the high points of
human creativity”
18. Objects Experiences
Facts Stories
“Our first duty is to create an
open, welcoming
environment in which people
can come and enjoy the
experience of beautiful,
inspiring things”
19. Objects Experiences
Facts Stories
“It is not the objects
themselves, but the
connections between them
and the stories they can tell.
Our duty is to weave stories
and objects together to help
people understand the world
around them”
20. Objects Experiences
Facts Narratives
“Our first duty is to provide an
authoritative record of the
development of the natural
and man-made world. We
must collect and preserve
type specimens and objects
based on our authoritative
and scientific knowledge.”
41. Tomasz has a right to believe that someone is out
there sorting out the important and interesting stuff,
learning about it, keeping it safe on his behalf
44. While we were busy in the storeroom, the world got a
whole lot more complicated...
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51. Who owns it?Who owns it?
Why do we
have it?
Why do we
have it?
What is it
connected to?
What is it
connected to?
Who collected
it?
Who collected
it? Where was it
found?
Where was it
found?
What is it?What is it?
Where is it?Where is it?
What is it
made of?
What is it
made of?
How big is it?How big is it?
How much is
it worth?
How much is
it worth?
52. Who owns it?Who owns it?
Why do we
have it?
Why do we
have it?
What is it
connected to?
What is it
connected to?
Who collected
it?
Who collected
it? Where was it
found?
Where was it
found?
What is its
context?
What is its
context?
What makes
it unique?
What makes
it unique?
What is it?What is it?
Where is it?Where is it?
What is it
made of?
What is it
made of?
How big is it?How big is it?
How much is
it worth?
How much is
it worth?
Why should I
care?
Why should I
care?
What does it
mean?
What does it
mean?
What story
does it tell?
What story
does it tell?
How do I
relate to it?
How do I
relate to it?
What does it
help me
understand?
What does it
help me
understand?
Is it ethical/
political/
moral?
Is it ethical/
political/
moral?
53.
54.
55.
56. We create connections between the things in our
collections to help Tomasz understand the world
better
57. Tomasz has to be free to wander the paths
we create, create his own, or tell us why a path is
broken and should lead somewhere else...
58. Documentation isn’t about creating certainty, it’s
about finding a way to manage uncertainty and
change in the world around us
59. The big challenges…
Get more visitors
Do more stuff
Make more money
Be loved by our supporters
Stay relevant
Stay interesting
…have big solutions
Be true to our cultural values
Make relationships
Share the workload
Be open to new knowledge
Be confident & excited about our role
60. Tomasz (and 7bn of his friends) trust us to look after
their culture because we do the job properly.
61.
62. Decisions about what to do and how to do it become
a lot simpler when you think about Tomasz...
He’d want us to collect the important stuff
He’d want us to look after it
He’d want to be able to find and use it online
He’d want us to welcome him and his friends
He’d want to know he can trust us