The Museum of Miniature Found Objects regrets to announce a number of curators have begun picketing the museum at the main entrance on Beastly Way. Strike action began on Thursday morning, with the curators protesting at the recently imposed smoking ban. The Union of Curatorial & Educational Staff (UC&ES) balloted its members the day before, and the membership voted overwhelmingly to take action until the Smoking Cubicle is reinstated. In a statement from UC&ES, union leader Roy Nardle said, "Some call these curators renegades – I call them freedom fighters!"

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Found objects:

= boy with glasses: 3.40pm, Saturday 16 July 2011, Fairholt Road, north London;

= boy with turban: 10.27pm, Sunday 19 January 2019, Hungerford Bridge, central London;

= dog: 5.07pm, Wednesday 30 November 2019, Shaftesbury Avenue, central London;

= Ganesh: 10.17am, Wednesday 19 August 2009, Richmond Road, London Fields, east London;

= green-haired girl: 3.42pm, Saturday 25 August 2018, Dalston Junction Station, east London;

= lion: 6.32pm, Wednesday 8 May 2019, Yoakley Road, north London;

= orange-jacketed boy with glasses: 8.34am, Friday 7 December 2012, Dunsmure Road, north London;

= pink cat: 9.11am, Friday 25 March 2016, Woodberry Down, north London;

= Pokémon (large): 1.26pm, Tuesday 9 August 2011, Highbury Corner, north London;

= Pokémon (small): 1.23pm, Tuesday 9 August 2011, Highbury Corner, north London;

= Smurf: 1.23pm, Friday 20 September 2019, Gerrard Street, central London;

= snake finger puppet: 5.52pm, Monday 1 August 2016, platform 7, Kings Cross Station, central London.

A visitor to the Museum of Miniature Found Objects has reported losing her umbrella on the premises. The umbrella has a curved wooden handle and the fabric is decorated with a cat motif, in red and blue. The visitor believes she may have left it towards the rear of the museum. The MMFO kindly requests those visiting the Winston Masala Galleries, or using the Samarkand Staircase, to keep an especial look out for it. All found items should be handed in at the Lost Property Bureau on the third floor, next to the Van Buren XPressway entrance in Roman Britain (Room 49).

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Found objects:

= fabric bracelet: 6.17pm, 12 June 2015, Euston Road, King’s Cross, central London;

= marble: 8.41am, Monday 21 March 2011, Gray’s Inn Road, central London;
= marble: 12.36pm, Tuesday 19 June 2012, Upper Street, north London;
= marble: 2.10pm, Thursday 17 April 2016, Granary Square, King’s Cross, central London;
= marble: 7.28pm, Thursday 9 May 2019, Stroud Cemetery, Stroud, Gloucestershire;
= marble fragment: 11.02am, Friday 22 February 2019, back garden of Flat 2, 84 Fairholt Road, north London.

Following the near fatal fire in the Smoking Cubicle last December, the Board of Trustees has now permanently banned smoking at the Museum of Miniature Found Objects. As a consequence, the MMFO is delighted to announce the former Smoking Cubicle will become the Conversation Saloon, using Carpathia+Chasm’s innovative design module, BioLogica. BioLogica creates an intimate 'feeling' space. As visitors step into the Conversation Saloon sensors detect their emotional state. The Saloon then initiates an interactive dialogue with the visitors on the basis of their current mood. The museum is delighted such a ground-breaking experience will shortly be available to all visitors, opening on Saturday 22 August.

The Museum of Miniature Found Objects is proud of the expertise and enthusiasm its staff brings to the field of museology. To keep the public in touch with the valuable work they undertake, the MMFO is presenting a series of interviews with staff members. This week, the MMFO talks to Rita Berg:

MMFO: What's your role at the museum and what does it involve?

RB: I work as the Keeper of Semi-Perishable Found Artefacts. When we receive a donation from a member of the public, it's my job to check it against the Criteria for Receiving – these are very important principles and were laid down by Sir Gideon Hythe-Gommerly in 1759, when the MMFO first opened its doors. So I feel a living connection with history each time I carry out a check!

MMFO: What's the best thing about working at the MMFO?

RB: I meet scholars from all corners of the world, who come to study our collection. We curators are quite an international tribe, you know!

MMFO: What's the worst thing?

MMFO: I'm responsible for accessioning donations. When I've catalogued an item, I take it down to the Storage Depository and it's really labyrinthine down there – a maze, in fact. Once I got trapped. I wasn't able to find my way out and I was locked in overnight!

MMFO: Which person, dead or alive, would you most like to meet?

RB: Sir Gideon Hythe-Gommerly, of course!

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Found objects:

= badge: 2.47pm, Tuesday 24 September 2013, Holloway Road, north London;

= Florival bottle top: 2.11pm, Monday 15 October 2018, Place Saint-Job, Brussels;

= frog: 9.03pm, down escalator to Piccadilly line, Holborn Station, 7.12pm, 1 October 2019, central London;

= green & blue organic form: 9.23am, Tuesday 22 October 2013, Holmdale Terrace, north London;

= green car: 4.47pm, Monday 30 July, Clissold Park Café, north London;

= orange animal form on books: 5.17pm, Tuesday 14 July 2015, Goswell Road, central London;

= torso of man: 4.27pm, Thursday 30 May 2019, Queen Elizabeth’s Walk, north London;

= yellow car: 3.16pm, Monday 10 December 2018, Hay’s Galleria, Battle Bridge Lane, London Bridge, south London.

A recent surge of news reports describes a mummy stalking Bloomsbury at night, in particular in the vicinity of the British Museum and the Museum of Miniature Found Objects. One witness, who declined to give his name, said he was standing outside the MMFO late on Thursday night waiting for a friend, when the mummy approached him from behind. On hearing the rustle of ancient bandages, he fled the scene. He said he has not been able to contact his friend since and has concerns for his safety. The police have increased the number of night patrols in the locality. The Museum of Miniature Found Objects would like to make clear these alleged sightings have no connection with the recent investigation into the jam residues found in the Egyptology Galleries at the British Museum.

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Found object:
= smiley face key ring: 5.22pm, Friday 17 May 2019, westbound Central Line train, Bank Tube Station, central London.