Coffee Break Header Image 1 Army Museums Ogilby Trust AMOT Coffee Breaks

Want to find out more about heritage or get advice from museum colleagues but can’t find the time to leave your desk?

AMOT Online Coffee Breaks are here to help!

The Army Museums Ogilby Trust holds a monthly online session where speakers from within the Army Museums network as well as the wider heritage sector present on a specific topic. Starting at 1030am, speakers share top tips, best practice, or update on projects, for about 15 minutes. Attendees are then able to ask questions or contribute thoughts around the topic, all from the comfort of their desk, and be ready to get back to work at 11am!

These sessions are free to attend, but booking is required. Details on our sessions, as well as the links to book your place, can be found below.

These sessions are open to all, whether you are a part of the Army Museums Network or not.

Do you have a topic you want us to cover? Do you want to share a project which you are working on? Email Jennifer Allison to offer your suggestions on [email protected]

Please see below for the upcoming sessions

Re-Interpretation and the Addressing Empire Network

Speaker: Clare Hunt, Principal Curator, National Museum of the Royal Navy

Wednesday, 9th April 2025, 10:30am

In this session, Clare Hunt will be talking about the work undertaken at the National Museum of the Royal Navy to address problematic language in the collections, including documentation and publicly accessible interpretation. Recognising the complex and sensitive nature of this work, the ‘Addressing Empires’ network was created. This network gives the opportunity for museums to share case studies, best practice and to ask advice from colleagues across the military museums sector. Join us to find out more.

Top Tips on Caring for Medals

Speaker: Alison Dwyer, Senior Conservator, Conservation and Museums Advisory Service

Wednesday 7th May 2025, 10:30am

Join Alison Foster, Senior Conservator at the Conservation and Museums Advisory Service for top tips on storing and caring for your medal collection. Learn more about cost effective ways to ensure the safety of these objects, including considerations for when they are in storage and when they are on public display.

Top Tips from Kids in Museums

Speaker: Laura Bedford, Head of Programmes, Kids in Museums

Wednesday, 11th June 2025, 10:30am

Interested in welcoming more children and young people into your museum? Want to offer more for your family visitors? Join Laura Bedford to find out about the mission of Kids in Museums and their aim to make museums and cultural organisations more welcoming for children, young people and families

In this coffee break session, Laura will talk about the Kids in Museums Manifesto, as well as giving some easy to implement, low cost tips on becoming more family friendly. Find out more about their free resources and the upcoming Takeover Day, a national day when museums invite children and young people into their venues to take over jobs normally done by adults. Join us to find out more.

Integrating Military Collections

Speaker: Gillian Kirkbride, Heritage Venues and Collections Manager & Rachel Wilkinson, Senior Collections Officer, Durham Light infantry Collection at The Story Museum

Wednesday 9th July 2025, 10:30am

Join Gillian and Rachel as they reflect on integrating the once standalone collection of the Durham Light Infantry, into the brand new ‘The Story’ in Durham. ‘The Story’ presents the history of County Durham and its people, of which the military collection of the Durham Light Infantry is an important part. Once located in its own dedicated museum, the new location has seen collections combine to show multi-faceted interpretation of the experiences and history of those who served and those who lived alongside them.

Gillian and Rachel will share their lessons learnt and the benefits which have come from a new approach to displaying military collections. Join us to find out more.