Curator’s Update

[fg]png|Fig 1: KAS at Kent County Show|Image[/fg]

[fg]png|Fig 2: Jo Ahmet Research Visit|Image[/fg][fg]png|Fig 3: Conservation Audit Store Room|Image[/fg][fg]png|Fig 4: Andy Ward|Image[/fg]Members will recall that in 2022, we purchased the Ozengell Anglo-Saxon cemetery collection (see KAS Magazine 119, Winter 2022). This collection, numbering approximately 1,750 objects, is being conserved by CSI Sittingbourne. While this work has been undertaken, two specialists have viewed parts of the collection: Jo Ahmet, the former Kent Finds Liaison Officer (FLO), and Dr. Sue Harrington, a specialist in Anglo-Saxon cemeteries. We will publish their results in due course.

Thanks to an AIM & Pilgrims Trust grant, the Society is undertaking a conservation audit. This will allow the KAS to better use its space and collections.

I have also been working on putting together a digital accession register. Accession registers are vital parts of a museum’s documentation. The register will form the basis of our collection management system (CMS), which will allow visitors to our website to search our collections. Options for our CMS are being explored, with longevity and usefulness as the highest priorities.

My role as curator has also involved engaging with the public at events such as the Kent County Show, where we were able to showcase parts of our collection and promote our conservation work. We continue to build and develop our activities as we expand the Society's engagement with history and archaeology in Kent.

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