Services

Research Facilities

The Study
The Study is a quiet area in the Museum of Reading for the public to carry out research and other creative projects. You can use the Museum's database to examine objects from the collection which are not on display, including the extensive insect collection.

Research Room at store
A newly refurbished research room is available for the public to carry out research. It is possible to examine objects from the collection which are in storage, including archaeology, botany, costume, geology, social history, zoology. Visits are invited from specialists and beginners, geologists and artists alike. Cross-disciplinary projects are encouraged. Advance booking essential.

Works on paper study area at the Museum of Reading
On Thursdays you can find out more about the works on paper collection by looking at some of the many drawings, prints and watercolours stored in the gallery. These original artworks show views of Berkshire – come and see how the county has changed. You can also search the Art Gallery database. Advance booking essential.

Museum Loans

Reading Museum Service lends objects from its collections for display in exhibitions at other museums throughout the world.
Recent examples include:
        * Bronze Age metalwork from the Thames Water Collection on display at the River and Rowing Museum in Henley, Oxfordshire
        * Beetles and moths to accompany and help interpret illustrations in the Warne Archive from Beatrix Potter's book, 'Peter Rabbit's Garden' as part of an international touring exhibition to Canada, the USA and Japan.

Talks

Reading Museum Service provides a range of talks for adult groups held at the Museum or at venues in the Reading area. A fee is charged for this service - please contact us for further details. Talks are an important means of gaining a greater understanding of the Museum and its collections.

The following topics are currently available as talks

General
        * The Development of the Galleries at Museum of Reading
        * 'Now and Then'
        * Careers in Museums
        * Introduction to the Collections - Art, Archaeology, Local History, Natural History
        * Introduction to the Museum Education Service
        * Dr Joseph Stevens: Victorian medic, antiquary and the first Curator of Reading Museum

Information Technology
        * Museums in the digital age

Archaeology
        * The Archaeology Collection of Reading Museum Service - Handaxes to Cannonballs
        * The Silchester Collection - Finds From the Roman Town
        * The Thames Water Collection - 'Secrets from the Depths'
        * Roman Writing - Inscriptions and Graffiti

Art
        * Introduction to the Art Collection - 16th century until the present
        * Local Scenes Before Photography - Drawings, Prints and Watercolours
        * Introduction to the Craft Collection - 20th century studio craft, applied art and ethnography

Natural History
        * Green Space: The development of Reading's environment

Contemporary History
        * The Huntley & Palmers Collection - Items from Reading's Biscuit Industry
        * Reading : People & Place - 1,000 years history of the town
        * World War II Evacuees
        * The Reading Bayeux Tapestry

We cannot guarantee the availability of particular talks, contact us well in advance to avoid disappointment

Consultancy

Reading Museum Service has established a reputation for excellence in museum education, learning and outreach, and a national profile for its loan service. Over this period more than fifty museum services from all over Britain, including two from overseas, have taken part in Reading consultancy days, in addition to specific days organised for teaching staff both in the museum and at other venues.
We have offered a range of consultancy days including sessions organised as part of a two year DfES funded evaluation project, a regional GEM (Group for Education in Museums) session entitled 'Looking at Loans' and a variety of days programmed to suit individual organisations as required.
Any requests for consultancy days from museum services and the education sector are welcomed by Reading Museum Service.

For further details on the services offered on this page please contact us at the address on the contact page