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Wellcome Collection

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Wellcome Collection building lit up in green in support of Mental Health Awareness Week

About us

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Policies and plans

Our Access Policy sets out our commitment to maximising access to our museum and library, and to identifying the ways in which we achieve this across the organisation. The policy relates to all collections we hold, as well as our services, activities, facilities, content and programmes on site, off site and online.

Our goal is to inspire and support everyone connected with Wellcome Collection to create and maintain a culture that is inclusive and diverse. Nurturing different perspectives is explicit in our vision and core to our mission. Our Access, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy explains our ambitions and intentions.

The colonial roots of our collections, and our response

Our collections are built on collections assembled in the early 20th century, following a racist, sexist and ableist system of cultural hierarchies, and our collections include many items that were taken from the people who made them through colonial structures of violence and control. Our responsibility to be honest and transparent about the past injustices in which our collections are rooted has led to a series of initiatives to change the ways we manage and use our collections.

We aim to develop and manage a portfolio of activity that places us at the centre of an experimental and vibrant research culture, blending different research perspectives and practices, and demonstrating diverse ways of exploiting our collections to inspire and support new ideas.

Safeguarding refers to the range of measures in place to protect people from harm, abuse or maltreatment. It applies to both children and adults, and some groups may be more at risk than others.

This policy outlines our approach to digital safeguarding.

Access to Personal and Sensitive Information in our Collections

These guidelines set out the criteria we use to assess sensitivity across our collections (both physical and digital) and the bases on which we make these collections available and manage access.

Access to Personal and Sensitive Information in Our Collections

We own, borrow and display human remains. This policy outlines our approach to the care of human remains in our collections and on loan to us, including the procedure for making a claim for their return.

Most of our human remains are within Sir Henry Wellcome’s Museum Collection, which is on loan to the Science Museum. You can find out more about the human remains held by the Science Museum here, including a list of the remains. You can also read statements of decisions regarding the return of some human remains.

This policy provides a high-level explanation of what kinds of collections information we have, and why and when we gather, create, hold and maintain this information in the ways that we do. Collections information is critical not only to good collections management but, importantly, must evolve and improve continuously to support our vision.

Our collections are unique and distinctive in their range and variety, and we want them to remain so. This policy describes how we actively develop our combined museum, archive and library collections, and ensures both acquisition and disposal are carried out openly and with transparency.

How we conserve and care for our collections is central to helping us achieve our core aims and objectives. The Conservation and Collections Care Policy articulates our stewardship of the collections, and our approach to balancing the preservation of and access to the collections with long-term planning aspirations.

Copyright clearance and takedown guidelines for digitised content

We have taken a ‘reasonable endeavours’ approach to finding rights holders for material that we have digitised. This document sets out the circumstances under which we will remove online material from our website.

Copyright clearance and takedown guidelines

This policy explains our approach to caring for our collections in digital formats. It explains how and why we seek to balance preservation concerns with access to these collections in the long term.

This policy describes our approach to digitising our collections: our processes, our tools, and the content that we plan to digitise.

You can use your laptop and other mobile devices in the library for research and study. If you're a library member you can also use the library computers and printing facilities according to these guidelines.

This policy covers the loan in of items to Wellcome Collection and our principles for borrowing.

We are able to provide immunity from seizure for cultural objects which are on loan from overseas under Part 6 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007. This page outlines provenance information for objects in our exhibitions requesting immunity from seizure.

This policy defines our processes and standards for lending from our collections and acts as a guide to borrowers about our loans processes.

Statement of intent regarding culturally sensitive items in our collections

We hold many items which are culturally sensitive, including sacred items, and items that should be kept secret. We are committed to working with source communities to develop appropriate care, storage, public display, access arrangements and ownership of such items. 

We subscribe to a range of online databases and collections of e-journals and e-books. These guidelines describe permitted and prohibited use of licensed online e-resources by members of the library.

These are the terms and conditions for using the library at Wellcome Collection.

These are the terms and conditions for hiring one of our spaces. 

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Filming in the library at Wellcome Collection

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Media office

Our Media Office looks after media enquiries, and provides press information about current and forthcoming exhibitions and events.

If you have a media enquiry,  require high-resolution images for press use, or wish to enquire about filming and photography please contact the Media Office.

Wellcome Collection is part of Wellcome, a global charitable foundation. For Wellcome’s press contacts and for further information, please visit the Wellcome Media Office.

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Gallery tour at Wellcome Collection

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Visitor care statement

It is our aim to deliver a consistently high level of visitor care for all visitors to Wellcome Collection. We are committed to ensuring that visitors experience a high-quality service and listening and responding to comments and suggestions for improvements.

Our aim is for every visitor to leave Wellcome Collection keen to return and eager to recommend us to others.

Give all Wellcome Collection visitors a warm, friendly and courteous welcome 

Deliver - and strive to improve upon - a consistently high level of visitor care

Ensure that the safety of visitors is paramount at all times

Keep all areas that are accessible to the public clean, presentable and safe

Ensure that all Wellcome Collection staff are easily identifiable and willing to answer visitor queries

Answer all enquiries promptly and fully or pass the enquiry to someone who can help

Display accurate and up-to-date information on the web and in promotional literature available in the Wellcome Building

Actively seek, listen to, monitor and respond to our visitors' feedback, comments and suggestions

All staff employed at Wellcome Collection are required to abide by this statement. To support them in this we will:

Train all front-of-house staff in visitor care and in health and safety practices and evacuation

Monitor staff performance and review it annually

 If you are a visitor and would like to give us feedback, please send it to info@wellcomecollection.org.

Landing

Wellcome Collection is a free museum and library. We believe everyone’s experience of health matters. Through our collections, exhibitions and events, in books and online, we explore the past, present and future of health.

You can find us near Euston station in London. Our exhibitions and events are always free. You can use our library and view items from our collections free of charge too – you may just need to book in advance.

Wellcome Collection opened in 2007. We care for many thousands of items relating to health, medicine and human experience, including rare books, artworks, films and videos, personal archives and objects. We’re part of Wellcome, a charitable foundation supporting science to help build a healthier future for everyone.

About us

Policies and plans

Media office

Visitor care statement

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