The Redditch Local History Museum is pleased to receive donations of artefacts, photographs, documents and memories which record and illustrate the history and heritage of the town and the surrounding area.
Such artefacts are recorded in our archives for the benefit of future generations.
We also publish details of the artefacts we have, and, where appropriate, the story behind that artefact in the public domain for the benefit of current generations.
We are pleased to co-operated and work with other groups, such as the Redditch Local History Society (RLHS) and Redditch Area Past & Present (RAPP) facebook group to offer a permeant record of input or research they have collected.
This site, the “Redditch Historic Archives” is our main publishing format although material in our archives is often used at events and exhibitions and sometime published on other sites
For these reasons we have to obey and follow strict copyright, ownership and privacy rules and therefore cannot accept donation for which the copyright and ownership is clearly specified. In all case we endeavour to clearly state the source of donated & used artefacts.
Making Donations
It is very important to keep with legal and industry standards that every donation is recorded on “Modes” our Artefacts Acquisition, Recording and Management System. This ensures the artefacts are clearly identified and that the source and ownership is specified.
We have a limited team of volunteers processing and maintaining our archives and website so we need your help to make it as easy a possible to process you donation. There are several ways to make donations.
All Artefact donations are recorded on a Artefacts Acquisition, Recording, Management Document. if you make donations at the museum, volunteers will complete this form for you and ask you to sign it. If you are sending artefacts to the museum, it will be a great help to us if you would include a ccompleted and signed form with your donation.
A copy of the form can be downloaded by clicking the button below.
Artefacts Acquisition, Recording, Management Document (Version 4 – 23/06/2022)Email your Donations
If you have several images to send, or perhaps a multi-paged document it may be easier to send them as an email. As well as any images, please try to include information about the items similar to that requested on the forms.
Send you emails to archivist@rlhm.online
Post your Donations
If you don’t have ready access to emails or have photos or documents you are willing for us to copy and return, then you can post, or hand deliver them to 26 Newton Close, Oakenshaw South, Redditch, B98 7YR. A telephone call (01527 404365) beforehand may desirable if you are hand delivering to check that we are in.
Format of Donations
Where possible it is very beneficial to us to receive a donation as a word or pdf document that has been formatted into a ready “pastable” article or page. This is particularly true of memories and any other text based articles.
Similarly, images should be as high a resolution as possible and may require several emails to send.
Facebook Content
We are very pleased at the way the facebook page has stimulated interest in Redditch local history and in no way are we trying to compete with, replace or inhibit posting to that site. We are working with the full cooperation of the RAPP teams to capture local history information, particularly images and memories posted to that site, so that as they slip down their time-line it is not lost but transferred to the “Virtual Museum”.
To do this we need your help.
If you post original photographs, document images of memories of old Redditch, please also post them to us as outline above.
If you a feeling a little more helpful, and have read a RAPP topic with multiple feedback posts that you think in interesting, why not format that into a word of pdf document as above. This helps us enormously to add it to our site.
Processing Your Donations
One of the benefits of the facebook format is instant posting and response by others – we can’t replicate that. It takes days, sometime weeks or months, for us to process the backlog of data we have so your donation may take similar time to appear on the site. Do not despair, it will not be lost and will appear sometime.
If you would like to help us speed up the processing of donations, why not volunteer to join our archive team. Visit the Volunteering page on this site to find out more.
Donating Collections
Many people build up collections of artefacts over their lifetime. Such collections may be limited in size, may be based upon one specific topic or, in the case of people classed as “Local Historians” for example, may be varied and extensive.
Whilst actively involved in local history, most collectors are protective of their collections but often reach a point in their life when they have to relinquish that collections.
Sadly, we also see cases where illness, and indeed death, leave such collections vulnerable when relatives are not interested, or not capable of taking such collections on.
We feel that all collections should be protected and saved for future generations and, although a difficult subject to broach, all collectors should make provision for the future of their collection when that time arrives.
We therefore have two options that we encourage collectors to consider. Both options involve a “Donation Deed” which specifies the actions they want to take to protect their collections.
Firstly, the “Living Donation Deed” is an agreement between a depositor and the Redditch Local History Museum where, at a point in the depositor life, ownership of the collection is passed to the Redditch Local History Museum.
The second, the “Bequest Donation Deed” is an agreement between a depositor and the Redditch Local History Museum where, that upon the passing of the depositor, ownership of the collection is passed to the Redditch Local History Museum.
“Boiler Plate” versions of these two documents are given below. The details of the agreement need to be completed and the documents signed. Collectors should then ensure that these instructions are known to relatives or other agents to act upon them.
Living Donation Deed (Version 1 – 21/09/2020) Bequest Donation Deed (Version 1 – 21/09/2020)Note: These are pdf format documents for information only. Museum staff will provide complete copies ready for signing after discussion with potential donors.