The establishment of a computerised database for the artefacts, documents, photographs and memorabilia belonging to the Berkshire Medical Heritage Centre. (360G-Wellcome-080075_Z_06_Z)

We wish to set up a computerised inventory/database of the collection of medical artefacts, documents, photographs and memorabilia belonging to the Berkshire Medical Heritage Centre. Currently some 3000 artefacts are recorded in a hard-back Museum Documentation Association (MDA) accession register. Descriptions, locations, images and accession numbers would be transcribed to the database using the ADLIB Museum Lite software package. Our target audiences are : a) members of the general public with an interest in either local medical history or medical history in general. b) patients and relatives. c) members of the hospital staff. d) professional groups in training within the hospital (currently all trainee nurses and postgraduate trainees from the departments of anaesthesia and surgery). e) professional medical groups from outside the hospital ( eg recent visits from The British Society for the History of Medicine and the Historical Medical Equipment Society). f) local history societies and other local societies or organisations (eg Probus). g) schoolchildren, in conjunction with Reading Museum Loan Boxes scheme (we have 2 boxes in circulation and are currently organising a third). h) anyone wishing to undertake academic research in the history of medicine. In the past we have concentrated on the educational aspects of the collection and have tried to inspire an interest in medical history. The completed database would also allow us to readily retrieve information for anyone with specific research interests. In addition it would greatly assist us in monitoring the whereabouts of items and in the planning of tutorials, displays and exhibitions.