Collections are made and maintained for pleasure, status, nation or empire building, cultural capital, as a substrate for knowledge production, and everything in between. In asking how collections end, we shift the focus from acquisition and growth to erosion, loss and decay, and expose the intellectual, material and curatorial labour required to maintain collections. Moving between the laboratory, the museum, and difficult-to-classify spaces in between, we argue that ‘ending’ is not anathema to ‘collecting’ but is always present as a threat, or as an everyday reality, or even as a necessary part of a collection’s continued existence. A focus on ending draws attention not only to the complex internal dynamics and social contexts of collections, but also to their roles in producing scientific knowledge.

— Introduction to How Collections End (2019)

Skip with books from a defunct scientific laboratory

Skip with books from a defunct scientific laboratory