This archive is part of Mapping Museums project (mappingmuseums.org). The Mapping Museums research project began in October 2016 and will conclude in September 2020. It is based at Birkbeck, University of London and is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The project focuses on growth and change in the UK museum sector from 1960 to 2020 and it has four main outputs:

- A database containing information on over 4,000 museums. This data can be browsed, searched, and visualised through a web application, and is free to use under the terms of the Creative Commons (BY) license.
- A website that houses the database and web application, and additional resources linked to the project. These include a glossary, detailed information on research methods, transcripts of interviews with museum founders, films and podcasts, and links to the project publications.
- A series of academic articles addressing research methods and findings.
- A monograph that draws on data, interviews with museum founders, and historical research, to analyse how and why so many new museums were established in the late twentieth century. Publication is planned for 2021.

Report reference:
Fiona Candlin, Jamie Larkin, Andrea Ballatore, Alexandra Poulovassilis (2020) Mapping Museums 1960–2020: A report on the data. London: Birkbeck, University of London.