Exhibition: Fantastic Archives and where to find them…

In 2023, Whitby Museum were awarded Heritage Lottery funding for a project to raise the
profile of the library and archives in Whitby Museum. For a long time the doors were closed and
the public didn’t feel welcome. Now the doors are firmly open and we look forward to visitors
and locals taking advantage of the huge collections and vast resources we have in the archive
and the library for research projects. Our new exhibition ‘Fantastic Archives and where to find them’ showcases some of the gems that were hiding in the archive including the now famous ‘Repair Shop’ Captain Cook Voyage book!

We have also included family interactive activities to encourage our younger audience and to dispel the dusty, fusty archive reputation. We encourage children to immerse themselves into library and archive roles – cleaning and organising books, Finding Frank, filling in old fashioned card index cards and stopping for a cup of tea to play a game of ‘People Pairs’.

Fantastic Archives and where to find them is rolling through to the museum closing in December and we look forward to running a few interaction sessions and small pop-up archives within that timeframe so keep your eyes peeled! Also, If you would like to take a closer look at the Captain Cook Book please enquire in the library – we’re happy to help.

Please note – the exhibition may be closed on certain days due to events in the Normanby Room. Please check ahead if travelling especially to see this exhibition. 

This exhibition has been made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.