Antiques road show: Historical artifacts will be on display with mobile lending library

P.E.I. museums are getting ready to hit the road.

The government's new culture action plan includes mobile lending libraries for museum artifacts, but staff say only some museum pieces will be part of the road show.

"The objects that would be part of the lending library come from our working collection," said Lesley Caseley, registrar at the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation.

"We collect working collections with the purpose that they will be used for education. So we know that they're going to be handled. We know that they're going to be explored. And we keep in mind that they have to be hardy and that they may even be expendable."

The government has made the mobile museum lending library a priority in its five-year culture action plan.

More awareness needed

The museum foundation currently has one staff member who takes artifacts to local schools. Under an expanded program, staff would also leave artifacts for further study, just as library books are loaned to the public.

Contents of the mobile lending library would be available to schools and other community groups.

"It would be nice to get out to more schools," said Jason MacNeil, the museum education officer.

"For more people to be aware of what it is we do and how we do it and it would also be nice to have an ability to have some things go out to schools that the teachers and students can use for social studies."

'Really enjoyable'

MacNeil took a trunk full of artifacts to the Grade 8 social studies class at Stonepark Intermediate School in Charlottetown on Thursday. The metal box contained a variety of Canadian and British military equipment dating back to the War of 1812.

Student Ashley Rooney tried on an authentic great coat and helmet from the First World War.

"It's really fun. I really enjoy history so this is really enjoyable," Rooney said.

"Being able to put it on makes it feel like you actually did it. Like you're part of it, part of history."

Staff with the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation will now begin consulting other museums across the country to develop ideas and themes for exhibits in the mobile lending library.  It could be a year or more before the mobile lending library hits the road.

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