OMJ - Deep Roots - Patience and Persistence

20 September 2023

If you want something to last, it needs deep roots. Deep roots take time to grow. Our experience in creating the ‘Our Museum Journey’ (OMJ) blog matches this principle. We’ve worked steadily, with ‘growth spurts’ of activity here and progress slowing there, continuing to add content illustrating packing up, moving out and temporarily storing items and relocating the service.

We’re a small team of volunteers and staff, led by Lorenda, the Museum Volunteers Manager. Our drive and energy have been tested in these early months, as ideas and concepts have become content posted online.

 

Pottery in boxes

Jenny, a long-standing museum collections volunteer (and temporarily re-deployed as a volunteer decant packer), mentored the OMJ team in finalising the design and operation of its blog. Kit and Gavin up skilled themselves to assist. They attended a video skills workshop in Salisbury in mid-April, facilitated by Wessex Museums, learning how best to use smartphones to create engaging media. “What’s not to like about learning new social media skills?” said Kit. The trio’s shared interest and enthusiasm for Poole’s history is evident in that Jenny and Kit are committee members of the affiliated Poole Museum Society, whilst Gavin serves on the Poole Maritime Trust’s committee.

Gavin’s contributions have included audio interviews of some of the decant volunteers who packed exhibits, ready for removal to their temporary store. Those recordings were made in a quiet spot within the museum, amongst recently packed storage boxes and newly emptied exhibit cases. Everyone praised the decant training workshops and the hands-on work that followed. “It’s not for the faint-hearted”, one of them said, “removing and packing rare, delicate and valuable exhibits”. Joe (the museum’s documentation assistant) was interviewed too and was delighted how well the decanting work had gone.

Equipment training

The growing numbers of photos, audio recordings and short videos being compiled and posted online are forming a digital mosaic of our museum’s journey.  We hope the public will enjoy watching the story unfold, and later will celebrate with us the Museum’s return, rejuvenated, and renewed, those deep roots having paid off. 

Wool Hall

Blog posts