Help us inspire a passion for the history of collecting

The Society brings together scholars, collectors, curators and all those with an interest in the history of collecting. We welcome anyone who is curious about the cultural, social and intellectual histories that collecting reveals.

Your support helps us create opportunities for research, discussion and exchange across disciplines, and ensures that the study of collecting continues to thrive.

What your support makes possible

Our membership fees cover the Society’s core administration, and generous funding supports our new online Proceedings. Additional support is vital, however, to sustain and develop the Society’s wider programme of activities, including exclusive visits.

We organise an annual lecture, sessions at leading academic conferences, and year-round online presentations featuring both early-career academics and established scholars and professionals. We would like to develop our programme further, particularly by creating more opportunities for members to meet and exchange ideas in person.

Additional funding would enable us to:

• Create more opportunities for members and experts to meet: enable special events and programmes that encourage greater involvement in the Society and help new members become part of our community.

• Develop our early-career programme: provide discounted membership and opportunities for younger members to organise seminars and build networks with established scholars and professionals in the field.

• Develop our online lecture archive: bring recordings of previous conferences up to date and create a structured, searchable platform, making this unique resource more accessible to members.

• Develop new ways of exploring collections: support initiatives such as virtual visits to collections, bringing members together with collections and expertise that might otherwise be difficult to access, encouraging greater participation and engagement with the Society.

By supporting the Society, you will help us provide a welcoming but intellectually rigorous forum for the study of collecting, encourage the next generation of researchers, and make the Society’s scholarship and resources accessible to an ever wider audience.

To find out more about supporting the Society, please contact us at development@societyhistorycollecting.org