September 2025 – Museum in a Box

Sharing made easy

Chris has been busy putting together a collection of 3D items that he is using in workshops with schools. The collection demonstrates a range of uses for additive manufacturing. He has curated a collection of items that are all CC-BY, which refers to the Creative Commons Attribution License, which allows others to share, adapt, and reuse their work, even commercially, as long as they attribute the original creator. You can find out more about Creative Commons licenses here.

Not all the items on the Heart platform are CC-BY but many are, we welcome people to share their 3D scans, images and audio by attributing it to CC-BY, so everyone can add them to their collections.

Enlightening others audiences with your new collection
It is be possible for one Museum to share its collection with any other Heart User, be they a school down the road or a Museum across the world.

Having the ability to share your own items worldwide, not only empowers the sharing organisations by extending the reach of their collection, it is also a great advocacy tool by allowing people to “visit” the item before they have even stepped through the contributing organisations door.

Already now, this takes place in a small way with the British Library or Royal Mint Museum’s collections, which they use on more than one box. In the formers case the boxes are distributed around the UK to Libraries, but each with the same standard collection on it. Find out more about The British Library’s Unearthed project.

Chris’s Utilization of STL files

3D Printed Construction Image is CC-BY. If you would like to download the STL file for this 3D print then you can go here for the details on Heart plus you can utilize the audio which is also CC-BY licensed.

All of Chris’s objects in the collection are available here. https://heart.museuminabox.org/view_collection/3501

If you have purchased a box you should have access to Heart and have the ability to upload 3D prints as an STL file.

The statue of Christ the Redeemer
Image license: CC-BY-NC-SA

This is an example of a 3D print created by user @ecoleStAndre a small rural primary school in the French Alps.

Visit this item on Heart or download the STL file for this print

STL files explained: An STL file is the most widely available format used for 3D printing. STL officially stands for stereolithography. It’s essentially just a file format that describes 3d objects.

How do you create 3D objects?

If you are looking to create a replica of an existing object you will need to make a 3d scan. Professional services are available to create high resolution models of objects through Photogrammetry or digital scanning. If you want to do it yourself good results can be achieved with available Photogrammetry software. We’ll go into more details about this in a future blog.

Alternatively if you are looking to create an new object to illustrate your collection, like Chris’s imagined moon 3d printer, you can with freely available software. Naturally we favour Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) so our recommendations are Blender and FreeCAD.

Both of these allow you to export your finalized 3D image as an STL file.

Depending on your make of 3D printer you may need to use their recommended slicer software to obtain a good final print.

3D printing is building up layers of plastic to form a 3 dimensional model.

3D scanning refers to the process of collecting data about a real world object, this is often a process undertaken by experts. This data is then pieced together often using specialist software to recreate a 3D representation of the object on screen. 3D scanning uses elements of Photogrammetry

The process of scanning and printing replica objects is becoming increasingly more accessible due to ease of access to the software and hardware tools needed.

We hope to feature more pubic collections that are based on Creative Commons licenses very soon.

Oral History

Preserving the Pulse of a Place: The Power of Oral History and the Story Shop Project

Oral history is one of the most powerful ways to preserve the heartbeat of a community. It gives voice to the everyday experiences that often slip through the cracks of written history—stories told in a person’s own words, filled with memory, emotion, humour, hardship, and perspective. More than just a method of recording the past, oral history is a human act of listening, respecting, and safeguarding the living memory of people and places.

Projects like Story Shop, based in Oswestry, Shropshire, show just how meaningful and transformative this kind of work can be.

Why Oral History Matters

At its heart, oral history is about storytelling—real, lived stories that connect generations and ground us in place and time. Unlike traditional historical records, which often privilege institutions, dates, and written documentation, oral histories capture the texture of life: the smell of a market, the feeling of a wartime dance, the sound of children playing in a street long since redeveloped.

These personal accounts enrich our understanding of history. They bring depth to public memory and ensure that everyone—regardless of background, status, or education—has the chance to contribute to the collective record.

Oral history is especially powerful in times of change. As economies shift, communities evolve, and high streets adapt to new pressures, it becomes more important than ever to preserve the memories that show how we’ve lived, adapted, and connected with one another.

The Work Behind the Stories

Capturing oral histories is both rigorous and delicate. It begins with careful planning: identifying the purpose of the project, choosing interviewees, and understanding the historical and cultural context.

Interviews aren’t just quick chats—they’re thoughtful, often emotional conversations built on trust. Trained interviewers listen more than they speak, guiding narrators to recall memories in their own way. The interviews are recorded, transcribed, and archived, often with metadata that makes them discoverable and usable for researchers, educators, and future generations.

Ethical care underpins every step—especially when dealing with sensitive or traumatic memories. Informed consent is key, and participants must feel empowered to share only what they’re comfortable with.

Story Shop: A Living Archive of Oswestry

The Story Shop project is a shining example of what oral history can achieve when rooted in community and carried out with care. Created to capture the changing story of Oswestry’s town, high street, and surrounding rural areas, Story Shop reflects the town’s evolving identity through the voices of its people.

Led by a passionate team of volunteers trained by the Oral History Society, the project focuses on intergenerational storytelling. It’s already collected a rich tapestry of memories from residents aged 40 to 95—capturing reflections on local railways, farming life, hospital work, shopping, and the unique experience of growing up on the Welsh-English border.

Each story adds texture to a broader narrative of change—how Oswestry has adapted to modern pressures like the cost of living crisis, online shopping, and demographic shifts. But these aren’t just stories about loss or nostalgia; they’re full of resilience, pride, and belonging.

All recordings are preserved in the Shropshire Archives, ensuring they’ll be accessible to future generations. A curated audio exhibition, ‘The Story So Far…’, brings these voices to life for the public, showcasing the power of lived memory to engage, educate, and inspire.

And the work continues. The team is now gathering voices from younger residents aged 18 to 40, ensuring the project reflects a fuller picture of life in Oswestry today. These future-focused stories are just as important—they show how heritage is not just something we inherit, but something we actively shape.

A Lasting Impact

Oral history doesn’t just preserve the past—it honours people. It says, “Your story matters.” And in doing so, it strengthens communities, deepens understanding, and brings history to life in the most human way possible.

Projects like Story Shop remind us of what’s possible when we slow down and listen—really listen—to the stories around us. They’re not just capturing history; they’re creating it

You can listen to the Story Shop’s collection on Heart, although much of their collection is private, some items are not, such as this one about Employment.

Featured image is CC0 – Public Domain

Bronx Oral Histories

A late addendum to this post but one which we are really pleased about is this Oral History project from the Bronx County Historical Society.

They produced Uptown Rumble: Heavy Music in The Bronx. Which documents the rich history of hard rock, heavy metal, punk rock, and related genres in The Bronx from the mid-1960s through the present. This collection includes clips from full-length oral histories recorded for the project.

Find out more and listen to the clips here.