Where did I put that? Location Control during Capital Projects

By Faith Nolan, Collections Assistant, National Museum of Ireland

Keeping track of the location of objects and specimens is, probably, one of the most important tasks carried out by the registration, and curatorial, staff of the National Museum of Ireland (NMI). A key task during the Natural History Decant project was maintaining location control. It was one of the highest priorities for the entire project team, but especially for my Registration Collections Assistant colleague and myself.

What is the Natural History Decant project?

The Natural History Capital Project is a major project being carried out to refurbish the Natural History Museum on Merrion Street. Before builders and architects could get in to carry out the necessary investigative work, all of the specimens in the building needed to be removed – or decanted – from the building. Work on the first phase of this project began back in 2020, when the specimens on the upper balconies were decanted so that a crash deck could be built, and the roof could be investigated. The Museum reopened to the public for a few years before the final phase of decant began in 2024.

What is location control, and why is it important

Location control does what is says on the tin – staff keep a record of where every museum object and specimen is, and when it moves. The collection of the NMI is held across multiple curatorial divisions and buildings, so keeping track of everything can be quite complex. Our collections management system, Axiell Collections, allows us to create a specific database of all our locations, and we can link each object record to a location record. That way we can cross reference an object to a location and a location to an object. Depending on the size of an object we can track it to a room in a building, or to a shelf in a room. In some cases, for very small objects to a slot in a drawer!
Much of the core work of the museum would be difficult if we could not quickly and easily locate the objects in our care. Exhibitions, research, environmental controls, and object conservation all depend on knowing where the objects are. This activity is so important that it is one of the primary procedures outlined in the Spectrum standards and is a key component of the Heritage Council’s Museum Standards Programme for Ireland. It has been a key part of work described in previous registration corner articles on inventory work and dissociation, and work placements in the Registration Department.

How did we maintain it?

The decant of the Natural History Museum on Merrion Street was a complex project which required all the specimens to be removed from their cases, photographed, condition assessed, packed, and then transported to the stores. The specimens were then treated by freezing or quarantining, before being cleaned and shelved.
So how did we keep track of each specimen as they went through this process? The answer is lists, lists and more lists! (Fig. 1)
As we removed specimens from their cases, we checked them off the list of all objects in that display case (Fig. 2). This allowed the Registration team to keep track, and flag any specimen which may have been moved. As they were being photographed (Fig. 3) a photograph register was kept so that the images could be used as aids for audits, and condition assessments. The images also had the side benefit of enhancing the object records.
As they were being packed, the Collections Assistants packing them created a list of what was in a stillage, crate, RUB or archive box, so that we could track them when they were in transit (Fig. 4). It also allowed us to know what is in the “box” without having to open it, reducing unnecessary handling of the specimen.
As the specimens, boxes, crates and stillages were being packed into the truck a member of the team made a note of the specimen, crate, box or stillage number on the Transfer sheets (Fig. 4). We also recorded the transfer details. Then as the truck was being emptied at the store, a member of the Registration team, either the Natural History Documentation Officer, or one of the Registration Collections Assistants on site that day marked off each one as they went into the freezer, quarantine, or straight to shelf in the stores. Once a specimen was cleaned or released from quarantine, it was shelved (Fig. 5), and the final step of the journey was complete when the new location was updated on Axiell.
As a result of all these lists and transfer records we are able to update Axiell record for around 9,000 specimens moved during phase 2 of the Decant Project! I was able to record the movement of the specimen as part of the Museum’s location control procedures, and to keep track of any treatments applied. This information will allow curators and conservation colleagues to identify if any stress was placed on the specimen. It also allows us to maintain our pest management procedures for the object stores.

Collections Trust (2025) Primary Procedures. [online]. Available from: https://collectionstrust.org.uk/spectrum/primary-procedures/ [accessed 18 August 2025)
Foley, J. (2024) “Work Placement at the National Museum of Ireland: A Transformative Experience”, Registration Corner. [online]. Available from: https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Collections-Research/Registration-Department/Registration-Blog/Work-Placement-at-the-National-Museum-of-Ireland-A [accessed 18 august 2025]
Nolan, F. (2023) “Match making Reuniting objects and object numbers”, Registration Corner. [online]. Available from: https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Collections-Research/Registration-Department/Registration-Blog/Match-making-Reuniting-objects-and-object-numbers [accessed 18 august 2025]
Nolan, F. (2024) “Day in the life: An Inventory Assistant”, Registration Corner. [online]. Available from: https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Collections-Research/Registration-Department/Registration-Blog/Day-in-the-life-An-Inventory-Assistant [accessed 18 August 2025]
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