Behind the scenes: the collection catalogue

The museum's memory

Collection registrars Marnix Steenackers and Inge Cloetens have been building M’s online collection catalogue since 2024. No admission ticket required: everyone is free to browse, from academic researchers to curious doomscrollers.

The catalogue is a living tool that continues to grow

Inge Cloetens

Collection registrar

How does it work?

M’s entire collection comprises more than 58,000 items. We do not have enough floor space to exhibit them all. What we do have, however, is the online collection catalogue, available in Dutch, French and English. At the time of writing, the total stands at 1,611 documented items, but our ambition is to eventually make the entire collection accessible.

Each work is assigned an object number and a location, measured and described in detail. This includes information on materials, technique, condition, creator(s), date, title, provenance, exhibitions and documentation. Often, subject specialists from other teams participate in this process. The next step is high-resolution imaging, which comes with its own layer of metadata, such as copyright, rights status and captions.

Online collectiecatalogus van M Leuven — Foto: Kimberley Dhollander (Evenbeeld) voor M Leuven

Why go to all this trouble?

Documentation saves information from slipping into oblivion: that is the most obvious reason. But it also adds an extra dimension for visitors in the galleries: people who speak a different language, or have visual or hearing impairments, can still experience the collection via a smartphone.

Marnix: ‘Beyond the museum’s walls, collection items are mainly accessible in digital form. A digital reproduction does not replace the physical item, but the collection catalogue can provide access to information that is not always available to museum visitors in the galleries, such as provenance and previous exhibitions.’

Furthermore, the collection catalogue also serves as an academic research tool, with persistent identifiers and high-resolution IIIF images. In addition, it connects to WorldCat, the global catalogue of libraries. This means that an object from M’s depot is suddenly connected to collections all over the world.

What is often underestimated about cataloguing?

‘It’s not just a matter of reproducing existing information,’ says Marnix. ‘Anyone who assumes that is underestimating the importance of language and descriptions, and their impact on collections and how they are studied. For example, the title of every item in the collection must be correct in three languages, while ensuring that the work remains discoverable. Should you name a print for what it depicts, or for its form: a copperplate engraving, a panorama, an advertisement? Or a combination of the two?’

‘And then the issues surrounding intellectual property arise,’ Marnix continues. ‘Who holds the rights to a work, or to images of it? Figuring that out requires research.’

The work that is never finished

New additions are always arriving, and there is invariably something in the depot waiting to go online. Yet it does not feel like a Sisyphean task, because every day is different.

Inge: ‘The catalogue is a living tool that continues to grow. It is constantly evolving, with new input and new technologies. In the future, we hope to use AI to optimize the process of publishing content online or to enrich the data. We see the catalogue as an opportunity for dialogue.’

And these are not just empty words. Responses have already arrived from the general public and academics, offering encouragement, additional information and corrections.

Everyone has their favourites

Marnix hopes to continue cataloguing the clothing and textile collection soon. But when asked about his favourite discovery on the job, he replies: ‘A series of photographic postcards from M’s Print Room. They depict the devastation of Leuven in 1914, captured both journalistically and artistically by international photographers. It demonstrates the true diversity of M’s Print Room and the broader context in which it is situated.’

Inge: ‘I recently came across an unremarkable glass in the depot. It did not seem particularly special until I noticed small holes around the rim. It turned out to be a dribble glass, used for drinking games. If you drank from the wrong side – the one with the holes – you would spill the drink all over yourself. Looking back, that might seem a bit silly. But it is such a wonderful glimpse into life in the past.’

Without the catalogue, this novelty glass might have remained undiscovered in the depot for many years to come. Now it has made someone smile once again.

Prentenkabinet M Leuven — Foto: Kimberley Dhollander (Evenbeeld) voor M Leuven

Fopglas, Onbekend, 19e eeuw, Collectie M Leuven — Foto: Kimberley Dhollander (Evenbeeld) voor M Leuven

The faces behind the collection catalogue

Marnix and Inge are by no means the only ones involved in this cataloguing work. Volunteers, student workers and interns assist them. Professional photographers photograph the collection, and Marnix and Inge are in constant consultation with their colleagues from the Collections team.

The catalogue is, therefore, a reference work with a pulse of its own. It is grounded in research and dialogue and, in turn, fuels new conversations about art and material culture. Marnix and Inge’s efforts may seem like work that goes unnoticed. Until someone on the other side of the screen finds exactly what they were seeking.