The Project

This project was completed in February 2003 and reports on the Project have now been printed and circulated. They are also available in Adobe Acrobat from these web pages.

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Proggers, Picks and Postcards: A report on the Durham Community Collections Project

The Durham Community Collections Project was undertaken in an attempt to gain a clearer understanding of local history collections held outside of established museums, libraries and archives and to look, in particular, at the extent, quality and state of preservation of these collections. It was not a comprehensive audit of every historical artefact or archive held within the communities, but an overview of those made available. This report highlights the issues relating to collections that are held outside of the professional world of museums, libraries and archives. It provides an overview of the collections held; looks at areas such as the quality and significance of the collections, stewardship, access to the collections, sustainability of groups and funding. It also touches upon the strong desire, in the county, for heritage centres and, in particular, the desire for more display of recent coal mining heritage.

Report of Proggers, Picks and Postcards.pdf (48 pages, 12kb)

Durham Community Collections Project: A report for groups holding community collections

The purpose of this project was for Durham County Council Cultural Services to gain a better understanding of the important work being undertaken in local communities in looking after the county’s cultural heritage. It was felt that, with a greater understanding of the groups and their activities, staff within Cultural Services would be in a better position to offer support and advice to community groups to ensure that the heritage of the county is protected and made accessible to others.

This report was produced at the end of the project and is aimed at groups holding collections. It summarises the state of collections made available for audit; indicates the type of support that exists in the county in caring for these collections; identifies proposals for development and draws out some of the generic issues of supporting groups with collections; whilst at the same time recommending a way forward for County Durham. A major part of this report gives advice on caring for the different types of collections that exist in the county and sources of funding available. This advice if offered in the form of fact sheets.

Report of Durham Community Collections.pdf (35 pages, 78kb)