About the Barbados Museum and the Memory of the World Project

Documentary heritage reflects the diversity of languages, peoples and cultures. It is the mirror of the world and its memory. But this memory is fragile. Every day, irreplaceable parts of this memory disappear forever.

UNESCO has launched the Memory of the World Programme to guard against collective amnesia calling upon the preservation of the valuable archive holdings and library collections all over the world ensuring their wide dissemination.

The Barbados Museum & Historical Society has been acquiring objects for over six decades, and currently possesses in excess of 250 000 artifacts including documents and records that are of cultural, historical and environmental importance to Barbados and the region.  In addition to the collection, preservation and documentation of these artifacts, the Museum is also mandated to make its collection available to all sectors of the society.  In light of this the Museum proposed and submitted a nomination proposal to include the historical documents housed in its Shilstone Memorial library to the Memory of the World project in 2001.  That proposal forms the rational for the basis of the current proposal before you that of implementing a collections management programme for the documents relating to slavery, slave trade and the attendant society created in the formation of colonies in the New World.  The historic documents encompass the documentary heritage of enslaved peoples of the Caribbean and speak to one of the defining moments in world history.  It is necessary at this time to systematically research and inventory the records housed in the collection of the BMHS. Within which a comparative study of historical documents in the region will be undertaken to ascertain the uniqueness of the collection held by the Barbados museum to result in a compilation of a bibliography of extant documentation on slavery.

Traditionally, the Museum has serviced the public by providing a range of services beyond the exhibits that are permanently on display or mounted temporarily.  The Education Department offers programs for teachers and students, both at the primary and secondary school levels.  These programs serve to increase awareness of local/regional heritage, and the Society's resources are heavily used by students preparing for the Caribbean Examinations Council and Advanced Level examinations in subject areas such as History, Geography, Art and Literature, as the Museum houses a wealth of information that is not otherwise available on the island or elsewhere within the region.  The Museum also provides training services to students at the university level through internships that offer exposure to several aspects of collections management.

Several Government Departments rely on Museum resources to assist in their planning and development strategies. Maps and plans, as well as archaeological information and other documentation have been used to determine the possible significance of various sites and sensitise the policy makers as to the ramifications of the development of such sites.

In addition to the aforementioned groups, the Library of the Museum also facilitates the general public in their research, particularly in the areas of family history and genealogy, architecture, natural history, Caribbean history, art history, transport and famous personalities.

The ability of the Barbados Museum and Historical Society to serve their audience in the ways described above, and to expand and improve these services is contingent on the efficiency with which the professional staff of the Museum can manage their collections. Sound collections management processes will facilitate the continuity of the knowledge management chain and strengthen the institutional capacity of the Museum to fulfill its mandate and serve the public.

This project will involve the development of a comprehensive electronic information management system that will integrate the data pertaining to specified collections housed by the Barbados Museum & Historical Society, after which further collections data will be added.  The development of this system will require the conservation assessment of documents, inventory and cataloguing of documents related to the Slave Trade and Slavery, and the resultant family history including digitization of documents both written and printed and the development of a database application to ensure better access to the public.  With the completion of the database a development of a Compact Disc based on extant documents relating to slavery will be undertaken which will be utilised by students and researchers.