Another development which is worth saying something about is the Study Centre. This is located a short distance away from the main Museum site on New Oxford Street. The current projected date for completion is 2004.
Although the Study Centre is still at the planning stage, it is intended that it will house a number of currently homeless British Museum departments, including Prehistoric and Early Europe. It is also hoped that it will be the central base for the Portable Antiquities Scheme, which will be a key player in the intended use of the new building as an archaeological resource centre. Some of the ideas being discussed so far are: ‘Archaeology in Action’, which will allow visitors to see archaeological material being studied and processed by curators (e.g. coin hoards); live video conferencing, e.g. to allow link ups with British Museum archaeological fieldwork projects; handling and teaching sessions at all levels from schoolchildren to adult learners; and the opportunity for the public to work on the vast quantity of under-researched material in the BM collections.