First objects move into Collections Teaching and Research Centre

The University's museums are preparing to move thousands of objects into the new Collections Teaching and Research Centre (CTRC) ahead of its opening in 2025. Tom Boggis, Head of the CTRC, and Zoë Simmons, Head of Life Collections at the Museum of Natural History, talk about the Centre, the first objects moving onsite and what lies ahead.

Architect drawing of the Collections Teaching and Research Centre

What is the Collections Teaching and Research Centre? 

Tom: In 2019, Oxford’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM) embarked on an ambitious venture, investing over £12m to transform a storage space into the new Collections Teaching and Research Centre (CTRC). Situated within the Reuben College development alongside the Radcliffe Science Library, this strategic project for GLAM aims to preserve and enhance accessibility to the University's renowned historic, cultural and scientific collections. After years of meticulous planning, the CTRC is set to open its doors to Oxford and external researchers in 2025, offering unprecedented access by appointment to its collections.

Specially designed, high-end, sector standard racking in the Collections Teaching and Research Centre

Where is the CTRC located? What will it contain in terms of collections and facilities? 

Zoë: Located at the heart of the University beneath the lawn of the Museum of Natural History, the CTRC will serve as a repository for hundreds of thousands of objects and specimens from the Ashmolean Museum, History of Science Museum, Museum of Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum. Beyond the physical space, the Centre signifies a commitment to safeguarding the world’s diverse cultural heritage while supporting cutting-edge object-led research and teaching initiatives. The CTRC has world-class facilities, including long-term storage, conservation and digitisation studios, a large-scale walk-in freezer, quarantine space and purpose-built teaching rooms. Drawing upon various disciplines, the CTRC will house objects and specimens spanning art, archaeology, anthropology, textiles, science and natural history.

This initiative wouldn’t be possible without the Collections Move Project, could you tell us more about this? 

Tom: Central to this huge transition is the Collections Move Project, a seven-year endeavour spanning from 2019 to 2026. This initiative aims to audit, pack and consolidate museum objects previously scattered across ten off-site locations in Oxfordshire. The numerous objects and specimens will find a new home in two new facilities: the Collections Teaching & Research Centre in central Oxford and the Collections Storage Facility in Swindon.

Packing musical instruments from the Pitt Rivers Museum, ready for moving into new facility, February 2020 by Ian Wallman

Who will be able to use the CTRC and what will it be used for?

Tom: Designed to be a centre of scholarly activity, the CTRC caters to the diverse needs of Oxford and external academics, researchers and students. While primarily serving as a space for better access to the collections, research and teaching, in future it could be used for outreach and engagement, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing beyond academia. From individual researchers examining single objects to dynamic teaching with the collections, the CTRC offers numerous opportunities for object-led teaching and interdisciplinary research. Access to the Centre will be by appointment for researchers, students and pre-booked groups. 

What are the key benefits to the academic community? 

Zoë: While the CTRC is one of just a few, similar facilities across the UK, its scope and ambition set it apart. The Centre offers several key benefits to the academic community, including increased opportunities for object-led teaching at all levels, a dedicated, professional space for accessing collections and improved care of collections (including documentation and digitisation). The space will offer enhanced opportunities for research – to bring so many collections from different disciplines and museums in one space allows for both efficient and more creative avenues of research. By reducing the physical barrier of collections being spread across multiple off-site buildings, staff and researchers have greater opportunity for discovery, learning and interdisciplinary connections, along with greatly improved access to collections. 

Drawers of Entomological Materials move into the Collections Teaching and Research Centre, March 2024 by Ian Wallman

What can you tell us about the first objects moving in? 

Zoë: In March 2024, the first objects to move into the Centre were drawers of entomological material from the Museum of Natural History’s nationally-significant British insect collections, marking an exciting and significant milestone in the project. As awareness of the climate and biodiversity crisis increases, such museum collections are vital for researchers and academics in understanding the extent of species loss and ecology damage, as well as evaluating conservation efforts that are underway. 

Looking ahead, what is still to come? 

Tom: The Collections Move team now embarks on a complex year-long journey of object relocation. The process will include freezing, transporting, quarantining and installing collection objects and specimens in specially-designed high-end sector standard racking and cabinets in the CTRC.

Museum Collections in temporary storage ready to be moved into a new facility, December 2022 by Ian Wallman

The Collections Teaching and Research Centre is scheduled to open its doors to researchers in 2025.