Mapping Museums Lab is a research initiative focused on studying museums in the UK. Located at Birkbeck, University of London, and Kings College London, the lab combines computer science, data science, geography, and museum studies. It includes various publications, projects, and data resources aiming to better understand museums’ role in society, impact and challenges.
Researchers and enthusiasts alike can access the lab’s comprehensive datasets and analytical tools via books, articles, and open-source code as: Mapping Museums Database UK Museums 1960–now
There are several projects the lab conducts that explore museum operations, closures, analytics, and their experiences during the pandemic. Such as:
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Museum Closure in the UK 2000-2025: Using transdisciplinary methods the project examines the spatial distribution of closures, distinguishes between closure types (e.g., mothballed versus disbanded), and documents the flow of knowledge and objects after closure. This project examines museum collections, outreach and temporary museums to determine if exhibits are scrapped, sold, stored, or reused. To critically reassess notions of permanence and loss within the museums sector, a Knowledge Base will be developed that models and stores the collected data.
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Museums in the Pandemic: As part of this project, museum challenges and adaptations to the pandemic are evaluated, contributing to a deeper understanding of museums’ resilience and vulnerabilities in the future. Using web-scraping techniques, natural language processing, and sentiment analysis this project examines the effects of COVID-19 on UK museums. Further, interview-based research analyzes what contributed to museums’ closure, resilience, and risk in the face of a pandemic.
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Mapping Museums: Analyzed the expansion of UK museums between 1960 and 2020 and collected data on over 4,000 museums, revealing a rise in small, independent museums and a focus on local history, war, and transportation. Founder interviews highlighted personal experiences and social change, providing insight into the development and history of museums. (available via the Bishopsgate Institute Archive website; Detailed information on our methods resources on the Mapping Museums project website)
Moreover, the lab organizes events such as seminars, lectures, and conferences on topics related to museums.
Museum Analytics: This conference series aims to bring together museum studies scholars, data scientists, cultural policymakers, and geographers to discuss and debate museum analytics and frame the development of this field.
Our Take
A truly inspiring initiative, Mapping Museums Lab explores museums’ role in society, impact, and challenges while creating solutions to support their growth and development. Everyone is welcome to access the lab’s comprehensive datasets and analytical tools to explore the world of museums in depth. As part of the lab’s pandemic research, several meaningful projects are conducted focusing on museum operations, closures, analytics, and their experiences amid this crisis. Moreover, the lab’s events bring together museum studies scholars, data scientists, cultural policymakers, and geographers to discuss and debate museum analytics and frame the development of this field. With its innovative research, the Lab is transforming the way we understand and appreciate museums and their impact on society.
I want to learn more:
Mapping Museums project website
