British Museum to fully digitize collection after theft

By Muvija M

LONDON (Reuters) – The British Museum announced on Wednesday (18) that it plans to digitize its entire collection, citing the need to ensure public access to its vast catalogue, after reporting in August that 2,000 artefacts had been stolen or were missing.

The museum, one of the most visited in the world, is dealing with the fallout from the robberies, which highlighted internal flaws and led to the departure of its director.

“Essentially, we were the victims of an inside job carried out by someone, we believe, who over a long period of time stole from the museum and who the museum trusted,” chairman George Osborne told parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport committee.

“There are many lessons to be learned,” he added.

Osborne estimated that about 350 artifacts were in the process of being returned.

The museum, which holds treasures such as the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon marbles, fired a member of staff over the thefts, which are also being investigated by London’s Metropolitan Police.

The museum also stated that the stolen items included gold rings, earrings and other pieces of jewelry dating back to the ancient Greek and Roman periods, as well as small objects such as precious stones that were often set in rings.

“We have taken steps to improve security and are now confident that a theft of this type can never happen again,” the museum’s acting director, Mark Jones, said in a statement.

“But we cannot and should not assume that collection security, in a broader sense, can be achieved simply by locking everything up. I believe the most important answer to theft is to increase access.”

The proposed digitization project will take 5 years, with 2.4 million records to be uploaded or updated. Its collection totals at least 8 million objects, according to the museum’s website.