Alistair Hardaker | Image: The Collections Trust Find an Object website
Platform for museum deaccessioning replaces Museums Association service, offering free listings for object transfers within the public domain.
Collections Trust has launched Find an Object, a platform for listing deaccessioned museum items that are available for transfer to other museums or organizations within the public domain.
The website replaces a service previously managed by the Museums Association and becomes part of the Collections Trust website. Users can upload items they plan to dispose of, search for objects and make speculative requests for items they wish to acquire. Registration is required to upload items, but the service is free.
Objects are listed with images and text descriptions that include their current location and condition. The platform includes bulk upload functionality from the Museum Data Service and other files, search features and a map function showing available items by geographical area.
Collections Trust CEO David Gelsthorpe led the development. He said: “The platform has been more than a year in development and contains lots of new features such as a new search, easy bulk uploads from the Museum Data Service and other files and a map function that shows what’s on offer near you. It will hopefully make life a bit easier for everyone who wants to find a new home for objects that aren’t treasured.”
Gelsthorpe recently wrote about his first year in the role for Advisor.
David Gelsthorpe: My First Year as Chief Executive of Collections Trust
The platform is now live with over 100 items listed. Current listings on the Museums Association website will remain available until 18 May 2026, after which the service will be taken offline. Members with active listings are encouraged to repost items to the new site.
