The British Museum in London contains over 8 million objects focused on human culture and history in its collection, with roughly 80,000 objects on public display at any given time. While only 1% of the collection can be shown permanently due to light sensitivity, 2 million objects and background information are available online. The museum lends thousands of objects annually to increase public access both in the UK and internationally, and allows research access to objects even when not on display.

1. The British museum contains work from all over the world; it has over 8 million pieces of work. All
the work focuses on human culture and history. The British museum was established 261 years
ago (1753).The British Museum collection totals at least 8 million objects.
Roughly 80,000 objects are on public display at the British Museum in Bloomsbury at any one
time. This is 1% of the collection; however, the displays include many of the most important
items. Many objects within the collection cannot be put on permanent display because of light
sensitivity.
This figure only includes the 194 designated store rooms, not the galleries.2 million objects and
background information are available to the public through the online catalogue.
The British Museum is committed to lending its collection as widely as possible to increase public
access and collaboration with collections and colleagues around the world. Of the 3,823 objects
lent on average every year over last 5 years, 1,982 objects are lent to UK displays and 1,841
objects are lent to international venues.
As much of the permanent collection as possible is available to the public for research, even when
objects are not on public display, through research libraries administered by each department.