Museum Freecycle

I've just found out about the Museum Freecycle, and wow, so many more museum professionals should know about this!

If you're not familiar with freecycle, it's a series of groups where you sign up, get approved, and then can give away, or get, things for free. Get shot of your shed, pick up a second hand sofa, find part used art supplies, vanish your old magazine collection... It's amazing, and you can also make requests. Desperate for a spare bed? Ask, and someone may supply.

And now a group exists for museums!

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https://groups.freecycle.org/group/MuseumFreecycleUK/ is the same, but only open to UK accredited museums and associated organisations, and intended to give a new lease of life to cabinets, cases, crates, furniture, lights, mannequins... and all manner of odd items like Victorian school room equipment and Art-Deco Chandeliers... You list what you want to get rid of, then pick form the people asking for it as to who gets it, then make arrangements with them. See something you want? You ask, and hopefully will be chosen by the person getting rid.

This is a fantastic resource to cheaply add new life to displays, bring down costs, and effectively dispose of items (Not your collection of course!) safe in the knowledge they will be going to an appreciate and suitable home. 

Have a look, and apply to sign up - this kind of community could be an essential tool, especially for smaller museums, facilitating the relocation of resources in a simple and effective way.

You can also find them on twitter, sharing some of the items being disposed of: ​twitter.com/MuseumFreecycle