http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/rhino-horns-missing-Items-worth-tens-thousands/story-17467590-detail/story.html

With three Rhino horns stolen from the secure storage area of the New Walk Museum, Leicester, it sounds oddly like an almost inside job again, akin to medals going missing from Derby Museum and Art Gallery. (although that has not been inferred in reports) With theft from museums public areas becoming harder as security is tightened up or Rhino horns are removed from display and replaced with replicas, it seems as though behind the scenes security needs close scrutiny too.

I can think of at least one venue I have worked at that possibly still has the same safe combination (and we're talking years back here) as it was unforgettable for the staff. Closer attention needs to be paid to access to keys, regular changing of codes and regular patrols and checks of areas to be able to spot and report suspicions or thefts as soon as possible. 

I was with the little girl on this one...
Belated Happy Birthday to Nottingham Contemporary. 

November 3rd I found myself with a day to kill in Cambridge, so asked you lot for suggestions of where to go.  First up was the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences.

A quick prod online didn't tell me much other than it looked small, had a world class set of rocks and fossils, and seems geared to the academic, but with some arts and kids activities. I figured it was worth a reccy, but wasn't that fussed. As I discovered, their website really does not do them credit. (and online details on collections seem to have not been updated since 2009)

Within a university courtyard, you enter what is essentially a long L shaped pair of large corridors, with beautiful old varnished wood cabinets and small offices converted to gift shop, toilet etc. The years of study, care and collecting are tangible. I headed to the left, through no real reason other than it was the shortest end of corridor visible to me, but seem to have chosen well as I then began with a recent display about Darwin as a Geologist. Because this covered a collector, collecting and cataloguing, and the reasons and drive behind it, it helped place in context all the following exhibits.

Bewildering Americans aahhhh, endless fun. To be fair, he did laugh after a second, and I did then direct him to the best local display for the evening. 

(and yes, there's no L in Fawkes. Um, I can only blame being tired from quite a busy weekend and my pen not having a spell checker on it)

To sound slightly less crazy, voting is over and the cabinet Attendant's View will be sponsoring through 2013 at the West Highland Museum will be....
The Armada Collection!

If you missed this, then following a visit to the West Highland Museum, and chatting with staff there, I decided to join their adopt a showcase scheme, to help maintain and light a display for a year. I asked them for suggestions, then put them to you, so that you chaps could vote for the winner.

Until a few days ago, Bagpipes, and Charms and Incantations were level lead, but then the Armada shot ahead!