A MUSEUM in the region has become one of the first in the country to put details of its collection on-line for all to access at any time.

The Yorkshire Museum Trust in York has put details of 160,000 objects on-line – 50,000 complete with photographs.

It has allowed the museum to give access to thousands of items not currently on public display and all the images are free to access, download and be used in any way.

The Trust is one of a number of cultural organisations who are leading the way in releasing photographs of the vast majority of its collections copyright-free into the public domain.

Digital team leader Martin Fell said: “This is a groundbreaking project which enables people from all over the world to access the thousands of objects the Trust takes care of.

“York Museums Trust is at the forefront of putting images of our collections into the public domain for people to use and enjoy in any way they see fit.

“We believe it is a fantastic opportunity to spread the word about the strength of York’s collections, get more people interested in them and attract visitors to this historic city and its wonderful museums.”

The works uploaded so far include paintings from York Art Gallery, medieval and Roman treasures from the Yorkshire Museum and costumes from York Castle Museum.

Those which will not be put not on the database are still in copyright with the original creator or producer, such as more modern works of art.

The Online Collections can be seen at yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk under the Collections tab.