Social History Curators' Group

SHCG runs a programme of seminars, events and conferences every year. You can now download some speaker and trainer handouts from our past events.

20th April 2011

This masterclass was designed to equip participants with the confidence, skills and knowledge needed to maximise the potential of geology collections.

Friday 8th July 2011

Object dating handouts used during FirstBase skills development session.
 

Monday 7th February 2011

This seminar introduced participants to different fabrics and fibres. Participants explored the fabrics and fibres on display at York Castle Museum and gained an understanding of yarns and weaves. There was also the opportunity to use simple microscopy to identify the main fibre types. The session was run by Monument Fellow Mary Brooks.
 

Friday 24th September 2010

From the numerous drug jars, surgical implements and anatomical drawings held by the specialist medical museums to the odd tooth extractor, pill box or hernia truss we find in our social history stores many of us are faced with medical objects in our curatorial work. This seminar explored just what you can do with them, from the basics of knowing exactly what it is you’ve got to taking inspiration from those objects for inventive events, displays and projects.
 

Thursday 8th July 2010

SHCG's 2010 conference was packed with recession-busting tips from professionals in the know. Here are just some of the fantastic papers from the event.
 

Friday 16th April 2010

Our "What to do with wooden spoons!" seminar looked at approaches to interpreting, collecting and researching domestic objects. Topics covered on the day included the 1950s exhibition at MODA, interpreting domestic collections for children, collecting contemporary domestic material and the history of cleaning in the home. Here are Louisa Knight's presentation on the Documenting the Home project and Emily Toettcher's presentation on using audio visual guides to bring collections to life.
 

Monday 1st June 2009

Dr Jim Andrew focused on what patents can tell us about artefacts, and how to research them. Other common inscriptions such as hallmarks and registered designs were also covered. Delegates learned how to use a free online database to trace 20th century patent numbers.
 

5th June 2006

In 2006, we had another chance to run our very popular Whatchamacallits session, with guidance to help people identify objects.

Wednesday 23rd November 2005

Robin Emmerson of the Society of Decorative Arts Curators (SODAC) and National Museums Liverpool led a handling session on British pottery and porcelain for beginners, concentrating on the 18th and 19th centuries. Delegates learned how to recognise the basic technical types.
 

Monday 23rd June 2003

Crispin Paine introduced the way that museums tackle the fraught subject of religion and how that relates to religion's changing role in our society. Steph Mastoris looked at a range of objects associated with death in different cultures.
 

Friday 1st June 2001

Steph Mastoris introduced strategies for demystifying items, including dating using marks and inscriptions found on artefacts. John Rumsby discussed coins and tokens, including types commonly brought in for identification (handouts reproduced courtesy of Kirklees Council's Museums & Galleries Service and John Rumsby).
 

10 November 1999

A seminar all about wood and how to identify the various kinds.