As a member of the collections team at NESM one of my tasks is to assess, preserve and catalogue the books, magazines and other documents that make up our library. It’s a mammoth task; there are thousands of items to be worked through, some in better condition than others, and more seem to be sneaking in every time I look. I must remind my colleagues to stop finding things in cupboards!

In one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most iconic stories, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Dr James Mortimer states that Sherlock is ‘the second highest expert in Europe’. When a disgruntled Sherlock asks who could possibly be above him, Mortimer responds ‘to the man of precisely scientific mind the work of Monsieur Bertillon must always appeal strongly…’

One of the exciting things about working with the museum’s collection is that researching objects can lead you to some amazing stories about the person they belonged to. This is never more true than when it comes to the life of Superintendent Tom Breaks, whose personal collection is cared for by NESM. After all, how often do you learn about someone who took on an escaped tiger single-handedly!

“So what exactly do you lot do then?” That’s a common question asked to members of our Collections Team. Visitors are often interested to know what goes on behind the