Can I see the item I donated working when I visit your museum?

We would love for you to be able to see any exhibits you donated when you visit Derby Computer Museum.

This will often be possible, but not always. Please read all of the below to understand what we do with donated exhibits.

Exhibits donated as working

If your item has been donated to us in working condition, then we always aim to have it on display, however please note:-

• Due to space constraints, we may rotate exhibits so we can not guarantee that when you visit your donated item(s) will be on display
• We plan to rotate and theme exhibits to keep the museum interesting, so some exhibits may be on display for a while, then in storage, then back on display, then in storage, etc
• We can not bring out exhibits on request when visiting the museum; the exhibits on display on the day you visit are the exhibits we have on display that day; we don't bring out exhibits on request.
• Whilst the item(s) may be working when donated, due to the age of exhibits they often fail so we often find items donated to us need TLC even if they are initially working
• We operate on the principle that all exhibits will fail at some point (so it’s “when”, not “if”). As such we try to have in storage a spare of each exhibit on display. If we already have an exhibit like yours on display, then yours may go into storage until it is required

Exhibits donated as non working

If your item has been donated to us as not working…

• We aim to restore each item where possible and economical, however note this can take some time due to the restoration time & cost involved, and sometimes waiting for parts (which can be rare). So items can be put in storage during this time.
• In some cases we use multiple faulty machines to make one good one so your donation may end up being used for parts rather than being put on display.

Please note that in spite of best efforts we can not provide any guarantees you'll be able to see your exhibit if you come to visit the museum.