Collections
Scalloway Museum holds over 5,000 objects in its collections, and visitors and researchers can access these at the Scalloway Museum.
As well as the extensive displays held in our galleries, we hold an extensive archive in our Shetland Bus Reference Room. The vast archive includes books and newspapers about Scalloway and Shetland as well as a comprehensive Shetland Bus archive which is available for visitors and researchers to access.
Like most museums, only a small proportion of the Scalloway Museum collections are on display. Researchers wishing to access the collections for study should contact the curatorial team for more information about the objects and archive, and to arrange access.
[email protected]
If you have an item you would like to donate to the collection, please read our Donate An Artefact guidance below for more information.
As well as the extensive displays held in our galleries, we hold an extensive archive in our Shetland Bus Reference Room. The vast archive includes books and newspapers about Scalloway and Shetland as well as a comprehensive Shetland Bus archive which is available for visitors and researchers to access.
Like most museums, only a small proportion of the Scalloway Museum collections are on display. Researchers wishing to access the collections for study should contact the curatorial team for more information about the objects and archive, and to arrange access.
[email protected]
If you have an item you would like to donate to the collection, please read our Donate An Artefact guidance below for more information.
Donate an artefact
The majority of new acquisitions to Scalloway Museum collections are from donations made by the public. These are always gratefully received.
There are times where we are unable to accept an item – for example if we already have something identical, or if the item is too large for us to store, too badly damaged to restore, or if it has no significant connection with Scalloway’s past. Unfortunately, we can’t keep everything.
There are some guidelines below to help you decide if an item may be suitable to offer us. If you think your item is appropriate, please complete and submit the form below and a member of our curatorial team will get in touch. You can also drop in during museum opening hours and leave it at the front desk for the collections team to consider.
There are times where we are unable to accept an item – for example if we already have something identical, or if the item is too large for us to store, too badly damaged to restore, or if it has no significant connection with Scalloway’s past. Unfortunately, we can’t keep everything.
There are some guidelines below to help you decide if an item may be suitable to offer us. If you think your item is appropriate, please complete and submit the form below and a member of our curatorial team will get in touch. You can also drop in during museum opening hours and leave it at the front desk for the collections team to consider.
- Is the item linked with Scalloway and the surrounding area’s past in some way? Remember we can’t accept items just because they are old.
- Is it in reasonably good condition or was it made by someone locally?
- Is the item a rare or socially important object?
- Is the item a suitable size to transport safely?
- Do you know the story of the object? Who made it, who used it, what makes it special, and what it can tell us about the past?
