About
The Museum Data Service is a joint initiative by Art UK, Collections Trust and the University of Leicester, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Get a quick overview of what we’re aiming to achieve, see who’s involved and find out what happens next.
Sharing data
Any UK museum, or museum-like collection, can be part of the Museum Data Service. We offer a free and easy way to share your collections data, on your own terms. Use us to open up your collection catalogue to everyone, or keep some things restricted to certain people only. You can even use us as a secure and confidential backup for all your collection data.
Even better, we can take your collection in any format and however you can get it to us. It couldn’t be simpler.
Using data
From spring 2024, anyone will be able to search across millions of object records and make use of them, subject to licensing and other restrictions the source museums might set. We think it will take up to a decade to include all object records from all UK museums.
In the meantime we’re compiling collection-level summaries for the 1,700 Accredited museums and will also publish these in spring 2024.
Upcoming events
Introducing the Museum Data Service
Over coming years, MDS will change the way museums and their users work with collections and with each other. Find out how the service will benefit your museum or research, how it will work and how you can get involved.
Introducing the Museum Data Service
Over coming years, MDS will change the way museums and their users work with collections and with each other. Find out how the service will benefit your museum or research, how it will work and how you can get involved.
Getting ready for MDS
A great strength of MDS is that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Each museum will have its own reasons for signing up and these will influence how much data is shared and on what terms. This session is for those who want to explore the data-sharing options offered by MDS.