Owaka Museum curator Kaaren Mitcalfe is excited the Owaka Museum is "going global", with a New Zealand lotteries fund to digitally catalogue the museum's collection.
The nine-month project has received $59,931, which has allowed the museum to employ two professional cataloguers - Janine Leighton, who has moved to Owaka from Auckland, and Catherine Morgan, who has come from Te Awamutu - to organise the artefacts, record their provenance and historic information, photograph and upload them.
Ms Mitcalfe said what is on display is really only the tip of the iceberg, and instead of being locked away, the collection will be available through the computerised catalogue.
Recording the artefacts is important for management of the collection, and will allow people to see their full significance as cultural objects, rather than just things, she said.
Part of what is being archived with the artefacts are records of people's stories and experiences.
"The people whose history it is still live here. There is a real sense of connectedness," Ms Mitcalfe said.
Another unique aspect is the items themselves. Where other museums tend to house the best objects, the Owaka collection is made up of items that were used in everyday life.
"This collection is strong in its character. Nothing was thrown out. Things were used and reused," Ms Mitcalfe said, pointing out a piece of clothing fashioned from an old flour sack.
