British Museum spends $12.1 million to digitize more than 8 million artifacts

ARTNews reported that the British Museum has announced plans to digitize its entire permanent collection, which totals more than 8 million artifacts.

The British Museum announced the move in an effort to increase security and public access, after the museum reported a shocking theft of thousands of artifacts in August.

The digitization project requires uploading more than 2.4 million pieces of data and is estimated to take more than five years to complete. The virtual version of the museum is expected to be completed by 2029. The British Museum will spend a total of 12.1 million USD on the digitization of the artifacts.

An artifact at the British Museum. Photo: British Museum

“I believe the most important response to thefts is increased accessibility, because the more well-known the collection is, the sooner any disappearances will be detected,” stressed museum acting director Mark Jones.

For this project, the museum is committed to raising funds through private investors. Previously, the museum digitized half of its collection as part of a project that began in 2020.

The British Museum, a popular tourist attraction in London, fired an employee in late August after discovering several pieces of gold and gemstone jewelry dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century had been stolen.

British police said they had questioned but not charged the suspect with stealing valuables.

Late on August 25, it was announced that the museum's deputy director, Jonathan Williams, had voluntarily stepped aside from some of his current duties, pending the completion of an independent review of the suspected thefts.

Professor Dan Hicks, a world archaeologist at the Pitt Rivers Museum of Oxford University (UK), said that the failure to investigate raised questions for the entire senior leadership team and trustees of the museum.

One expert estimated that up to 2,000 items may have been stolen, including almost the entire collection of unregistered gems.

Minh Hoa (reported by Lao Dong, Thanh Nien)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/bao-tang-anh-chi-121-trieu-usd-de-so-hoa-hon-8-trieu-hien-vat-a631942.html