Collections and Research
IWM’s Collections are unparalleled and unique. They cover all aspects of twentieth and twenty-first century conflict involving Britain, the Commonwealth and other former empire countries. Created to record the toil and sacrifice of every individual affected by war the Collections include a wide range of material, from multimedia holdings such as film and oral history to historic works of art and large objects.
IWM documents, cares for and protects its Collections through innovative and enterprising projects. We aim to reach the widest possible audience through our varied programme of permanent and topical exhibitions, our award-winning learning programme, loans and support to partner organisations, and digital and commercial activity. We also undertake and support research, handle a huge volume of public and press enquiries and offer drop-in access to a range of material at our Explore History Centre at IWM London.
The unrivalled significance, scale and breadth of our Collections are the result of the innovative, far-sighted and extraordinarily ambitious approach taken to its creation and development by IWM, the British government and individual supporters. These approaches were shaped and driven at the Imperial War Museum’s foundation, and subsequently during its history, by the exceptional circumstances and urgency of wartime. We continue this approach through commissions and projects that reinforce our collection of material relating to contemporary conflict and support future interpretative activity. For example, our current War Story project records the personal stories of active personnel in Afghanistan.
IWM is a national repository and is accredited under the Museums Libraries and Archives Accreditation scheme.