How did we prioritise our Cataloguing project at Staithes Museum?

We’ve been hard at work at Staithes Museum on a big, behind-the-scenes project: cataloguing and photographing our collection. It’s not the kind of job visitors usually see, but it’s absolutely vital for looking after the objects in our care and making them more accessible — not just in the museum, but online and in our research archives too.

Thanks to support from Museum Development Yorkshire, we were able to purchase new cataloguing software and take part in essential training that gave us the skills and confidence to get started. With those tools in place, the next challenge was figuring out: where do we begin?

Here’s how we decided to prioritise what to catalogue first.

1. Objects on Display

We started with the objects currently on display in the museum. These are the items our visitors see and ask about every day, so making sure they were properly documented and photographed made perfect sense. It also gave us the chance to check their condition and update the labels and stories around them.

2. Photographs

Next up: the photograph collection. These images are full of clues about life in Staithes and the surrounding area, from fishing families to fancy dress parades. Many of them have never been digitised or identified. By cataloguing these early, we can start sharing them more widely — and hopefully tap into the memories of local people who might recognise a face or location.

3. The Top 50

Before we acquired the collection, an expert valuation identified the 50 most valuable items. We made these a priority for cataloguing, as they are important for insurance, exhibition planning, and fundraising. They’re also often among the most significant or unusual objects we hold — and we’re excited to share them with a wider audience.

4. Documents and Research Files

We then turned to the box files of research, local history, and typewritten oral history transcripts. These documents are a goldmine of information — from memories of World War I to details about shops that once lined the High Street. They take time to process, but they give context and colour to everything else in the museum.

5. Easily Accessible Boxes

Let’s be honest — sometimes we just needed to keep up the momentum. So we also worked on boxes that were easy to reach and didn’t require a step-ladder or digging through awkward storage. It might sound simple, but this made it possible for staff and volunteers to make steady progress, even on busy or short days.

6. The "Other Stuff"

Every collection has it. The awkward, oversized, slightly mysterious, or unloved items that don’t really fit anywhere else. They may not be the stars of the show, but they’re part of the story too — so while we're tackling them last, they haven’t been forgotten!

What’s Next?

Our inventory and cataloguing project is an ongoing process — but we’re proud of the progress we’ve made so far, and grateful for the support that helped us get started. A big thank you to Museum Development Yorkshire for funding our software and training. With their help, we’ve taken a huge step forward in caring for the collection, sharing our stories, and making Staithes’ heritage more accessible than ever before.

If you’d like to hear more, or even get involved, let us know — there’s always something fascinating waiting to be discovered.