British Museum to digitise collection following thefts

The British Museum has announced plans to digitise its collection, following the theft of some items.

The museum said the project would take five years, and means the entire collection would be accessible online to anyone who wanted to explore it.

Mark Jones, the museum's interim director, said the steps would "improve security" following the thefts.

"We are now confident that a theft of this kind can never happen again," he added.

Around 2,000 treasures are thought to have been stolen from the British Museum, but recovery has begun of some of them.

A staff member at the museum suspected of involvement in the thefts was sacked earlier this year.

The museum's former director Hartwig Fischer previously stepped down after accepting a 2021 investigation into the thefts was mishandled.

Jones said: "We cannot and must not assume that the security of the collection, in a wider sense, can be achieved simply by locking everything away. It is my belief that the single most important response to the thefts is to increase access, because the better a collection is known - and the more it is used - the sooner any absences are noticed.

"So that's why, rather than locking the collection away, we want to make it the most enjoyed, used and seen in the world.

He added the process of digitising would be a "big task", with 2.4 million records to upload or upgrade. But, he said: "More than half is already done and when it is finished it will mean that everyone, no matter where in the world they live, will be able to see everything we have - and use this amazing resource in a myriad of ways."

The museum, one of the UK's most prestigious cultural institutions, has been under pressure since revealing in August that a number of treasures were reported "missing, stolen or damaged".

The items involved dated from the 15th Century BC to the 19th Century AD and had been kept primarily for academic and research purposes.

The museum has also announced plans for enhanced access to the Museum's study rooms, where members of the public and academics can see additional items from the collection by appointment.

George Osborne, chair of trustees, said on Wednesday: "The British Museum houses one of the most incredible collections on earth - with objects that amaze and inspire us, and often encourage us to change perspectives.

"Already we have some of the highest visitor numbers of any museum in the world, and a vast programme of national and international tours, but Mark has set out a compelling plan for how we can build on that to ensure the widest possible access and engagement with the collection - and I couldn't be more supportive of his ambitions."