The collections

2019

Collection management

Collection management aims to look after the cultural heritage for future generations and includes all activities and measures that ensure that the collections are looked after, documented and made available to the general public. The collections must be available for use and dissemination in the museum, and for the general public in general for research and dissemination.

The museum's collections today consist of more than 90,000 objects, 2.65 million photographs, 145,000 books and periodicals and 1,670 shelf meters of archive. The collection work in 2019 has, alongside the ongoing management work, been focused around the revision of the Medical Museum's collection and the museum's collection of objects related to the ICT field in connection with upcoming exhibitions, as well as the digitization and making available of DEXTRA Photo.

In 2019, 240 objects and 2,906 photographs were registered in the museum's databases. The museum's Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, which has been deposited with us since 1967, was returned to its owner in 2019.

DigitaltMuseum is the museum's most important publication channel for the collections, where registration data and photographs are published with as open rights as possible to provide the greatest possible use. At the end of 2019, 34,886 objects and 67,608 photographs are available at DigitaltMuseum. Photographs from Oslo are also available on the website www.oslobilder.no . The museum uses central shared services within collection management, such as the websites kulturnav.org, digitaltmuseum.no, oslobilder.no and the database Primus. The museum has permanent responsibility for two authority registers in KulturNAV. These are the personal register Persons Industrial History and the organizational register Industrial Companies.

Intake of O.Væring's photo collection

In 2019, with support from the Sparebankstiftelsen, the museum bought a collection of photographs by O. Væring. The around 3,000 images are photographs of architecture and urban environments, taken from around 1930 to the 1950s, and will form an important supplement to the museum's collection from the architectural photographer Teigen's photo studio.

The material will be repackaged and digitized, and registration is planned to begin in 2020.

Collections from the former Telemuseet

The Telemuseet's collections were incorporated into The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology through a business transfer at the turn of 2018. Two listed buildings at Rundemanen, Bergen radio transmitting station with engine house, are part of this heritage.

It is the transmitter station for Bergen Radio, which is located on Rundemanen, about an hour's walk from Fløyen.
The museum is concerned with conveying the history of Bergen radio, Rundemanen, in and around the broadcasting station. In June 2019, the museum had a positive meeting with Museum Vest in Bergen, regarding communication work for the broadcasting station.

The fact that the radio station is located in the catchment area for Bergen's drinking water sources means that there are very strict rules for connection to water and sewage. This is a prerequisite for visits by school classes and in 2019 work was carried out to investigate drilling for water and tailoring a closed system for a septic tank. The county conservator is positive about this. The application will be sent to the municipality in early 2020.

From the former Telemuseet, a specialist library of 6,000 volumes was also included. However, the Telemuseet did not use the same library system as The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology . In 2019, the museum's librarians started a manual conversion from the Telemuseet's book database in Tidemann to The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology 's ALMA. All books that are moved from the Telemuseet's magazine at Fet to the premises at Kjelsås are treated in a heat chamber for insect disinfection.

Digitization of DEXTRA Photo

In 2019, the work with the DEXTRA Photo collection was primarily linked to the basic catalog work, in order to obtain a better overview of the material to be processed in the coming years. In addition, the work on further development and streamlining of the digitization and registration work has continued.

The digitization work at the museum must combine the highest possible quality that does justice to the original material with resource-efficient production. In 2019, the museum has therefore invested in additional equipment that handles large volumes. The museum has been an adviser to other museums, has had study visits and hosts in the field of digitalisation.

As of 2019, a total of 22,121 photographs from DEXTRA Photo were published at Digitalt Museum. These have been downloaded in good resolution 3,525 times for free use.

DEXTRA Photo is owned by Sparebankstiftelsen DNB and is deposited at the museum.

Management of the Medical Museum's collections

Work on the registration and conservation of human remains in the museum's collections has continued since last year.

The objects in the Sunn Sjel exhibition have been revised ahead of their removal in 2020.

Review and registration of items related to the old Eye Department at Rikshospitalet has been done in connection with the Blind Spot project. Information gathering has taken place in collaboration with professionals in the area.

Targeted work on the revision of the artefact collection from Rikshospitalet stored at Gjerdrum has begun as part of the collection management work linked to the Medical Rooms exhibition project.

Collection work

Lending and borrowing of museum objects

The museum lends objects and archival material for exhibitions at museums and institutions at home and abroad. In 2019, the museum has lent objects to the Popsenteret, Ringve Musikkmuseum, Stortinget, Museum Nord, Henie Onstad Art Center, Norwegian Oil Museum, Forsvarets Museums, Nordkappmuseet, Norwegian Road Museum and the University of Oslo. Some of the loans have included courier services and assistance with assembly.

In total, the museum has around 40 active lending cases.

We have borrowed objects from approximately 50 institutions and private individuals for several of our permanent and temporary exhibitions.

Photographer

In 2019, the museum's photographer has particularly worked with object and collection photography related to new exhibitions for the history of health and medicine and the upcoming ICT exhibition.

Making sound and film available

In 2018, the National Library was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture to prepare a plan for the digitization of film and audio material in Norwegian museum collections. In 2019 The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology as a pilot institution, worked closely with the National Library in the mapping work, and has delivered audio material for digitization. In 2020, the museum will hand over all of its film and video material when the actual digitization begins at NB in Mo i Rana.

Preservation

Conservation at the museum is linked to exhibition, lending and collection management work. In 2019, the focus has been particularly on the parts of the collections that are relevant for upcoming exhibitions. The climate in all magazines and showrooms is logged and objects are exhibited in climate-controlled stands where necessary.

In 2019, use of the museum's warming chamber for insect remediation has been more thoroughly incorporated into the collection management at the museum. All intakes and all object material coming to and from the museum are disinfected in the heating chamber. Guidelines have been developed for renting out the heating chamber to other players.

In 2019, the object conservators began work on planning the implementation of IPM (Integrated Pest Management) at the museum.

Library

The library contains one of Norway's largest collections of technology and industrial history literature, in addition to an extensive collection of medical history and science history literature. The book collection has grown by 10,000 volumes and now amounts to 145,000 volumes.

The library's manual system of used classification numbers with associated terms is now made available electronically with access from all workplaces. There were just under 3,500 records.

Key figures for the collection work

Year	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014
Number of items estimated	91 643	91 611	60 000	60 000	60 000	60 000
Reg items in Primus	76 906	76 611	49 560	48 768	47 782	45 509
Reg. items current year	295	27 051	792	986	2 273	276
Published items DigitaltMuseum	34 548	33 767	16 148	15 862	15 810	12 596
Number of photographs (estimate)	2 653 000	2 650 000	2 200 000	2 200 000	2 200 000	2 200 000
Reg. photo in Primus/photo station	161 302	160 302	102 654	74 256	68 542	64 807
Reg. photo current year	1 000	57 648	28 398	5 714	3 735	1 666
Published photographs DigitaltMuseum	67 608	67 116	43 090	42 140	24 772	19 621
Number of archives	480	478	128	126	_	_
Registered archives in Asta	405	391	25	23	_	_
Registered archives in the current year	14	366	2	_	_	_
Published archives on the Archive Portal	45	31	15	11	_	_