Collections
The Museums Office of the Velocity Interoperability Network holds the national collections of the Velocity Interoperability Network in trust for its citizens. The collections were assembled during the transition period from 10 August to 5 September 2026, when fourteen member organisations transferred twenty-six separate collections to the Office, and they are now arranged in seven divisions.
- 128,400
- Objects and specimens in the national collections at establishment
- 41,286
- Records catalogued to full standard and published in the first register
- 26
- Collections transferred by member organisations during the transition
- 7
- Divisions into which the collections are arranged
The divisions of the collections. Each division is held at the site of the museum that will show it, except the art, social and working life, and library and archive divisions, which are held at Westbrook until the National Study Centre and the Gallery of the Network open. The figures below are those of the first register, published on 6 September 2026.
| Division | Principal contents | Objects held | Records published | Held at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founding collection of the Network | Records, instruments and objects of the establishment of the Network | 4,120 | 4,120 | Central Exchange |
| Industry and engineering | Machinery, tools, models, patterns and technical drawings | 31,480 | 9,640 | Northgate Relay |
| Maritime and survey | Charts, survey instruments, vessel fittings and harbour records | 18,260 | 5,110 | Southbank Terminal |
| Natural sciences | Zoological and botanical specimens, geological samples, herbarium sheets | 46,900 | 12,300 | Eastfield Campus |
| Art | Paintings, prints, drawings and photographs | 9,340 | 4,916 | Westbrook |
| Social and working life | Clothing, domestic objects, trade signs and recorded testimony | 12,600 | 3,900 | Westbrook |
| Library and archive | Books, periodicals, plans, papers and manuscript records | 5,700 | 1,300 | Westbrook |
Of the 128,400 objects and specimens held, 41,286 have been catalogued to the Office's full standard and their records published, amounting to 32 per cent of the collections. The founding collection is catalogued in full because it was transferred with complete records; the natural sciences division, the largest by number, contains series of specimens that are catalogued in batches and will take longest to complete.
How an object is catalogued. The same five steps are followed for every object, whatever the division in which it is held.
Step 1: Receipt and numbering
Every object received from a member organisation is given an accession number, photographed and entered in the day book on the day it arrives at the store.
Step 2: Description
A cataloguer records what the object is, its materials and dimensions, its maker or origin where these are known, and the collection from which it was transferred.
Step 3: Condition assessment
A conservator records the condition of the object, the conditions under which it must be stored, and whether treatment is required before it may be handled or displayed.
Step 4: Provenance and rights
The Office records how the object entered the collections and any conditions attached to its transfer, including restrictions on display, reproduction or loan.
Step 5: Publication
The completed record is published in the register at the next quarterly reissue. Records that name living persons are published in summary only.
The register and its reissues. The register will be reissued each quarter until the whole of the collections has been recorded. The planned figures below will be replaced by the actual figures as each reissue is published, and every reissue is announced in the Newsroom.
| Register | Published | Records published | Share of the collections |
|---|---|---|---|
| First register | 6 September 2026 | 41,286 | 32 per cent |
| Second reissue | December 2026 | 58,000 (planned) | 45 per cent (planned) |
| Third reissue | March 2027 | 77,000 (planned) | 60 per cent (planned) |
| Fourth reissue | June 2027 | 96,000 (planned) | 75 per cent (planned) |
Acquisitions and disposals. The Office adds to the collections by transfer, gift and, exceptionally, by purchase from the funds allotted to it.
- What the Office collects
- The Office collects objects, specimens and records that document the founding and work of the Network, the industries and trades carried on at its sites, the natural environment in which it operates, and the working life of the people it serves.
- What the Office does not collect
- The Office does not collect objects whose origin cannot be established, objects that duplicate material already held without adding to what is known of it, or objects that cannot be stored or conserved to the standard the collections require.
- Offers of material
- Offers from members of the public and from member organisations are considered by the acquisitions panel, which meets monthly. An offer should describe the object, how it came into the owner's hands and its present condition. The Office does not value objects and cannot give valuations for insurance or sale.
- Disposal
- Objects are removed from the collections only where they fall outside the collecting policy, where they duplicate better material, or where they cannot be conserved. Every disposal is recorded in the register and reported in the quarterly statistics.
The full record of any object in the register may be requested from contact@museums.gov.vin, and requests are answered within ten working days. Objects not on display may be consulted in the study rooms from 18 January 2027; the conditions of access, the study room sessions and the terms on which objects are lent are set out on the Access and Research page. For the museums in which the divisions will be shown, see Our Museums; for cataloguing and conservation figures, see Statistics.