Cultural Collections Projects Program 2010 The University of Melbourne The year in review Each year around this time as I look over the names Johanesen chose to work with the Alan Villiers of the students and volunteers who have worked Collection. The goal of this project was to help on projects with the University’s cultural collections, preserve items held in the collection through the I am always impressed by the number of people adoption of basic conservation procedures. For the who have participated in this program and at the project Danielle re-housed collection items to help quality, breadth and scope of the work achieved. ensure their preservation and longevity. These achievements in themselves are great, but in addition to these excellent results there are also Special Collections further benefited from the the less tangible ones that should be taken into assignment of Jane Beattie and Ester Blau on two of account such as skills learnt, professional networks its projects. Jane commenced work on the nurtured, friendships made, collections knowledge Documenting and Rehousing of Newspapers increased and interests stimulated. These great project, which required her to create lists of results happen because enthusiastic students and newspaper publishing information, content and volunteers get involved with the University’s cultural storage location, create labels and document this collections, and collection staff extend the reach information onto a spreadsheet. Jane undertook of their collections through the facilitation of the placement to satisfy her love of all things placements. It leads to a rewarding and ongoing historical. Meanwhile Ester, studying for her relationship that ensures all parties involved, including the collections, benefit from this exchange. Much has been achieved in 2010, in fact this year has proven to be busier than previous ones with more volunteers and students taking up projects, and more waiting for the opportunity to secure a project with their chosen collection. Following below, in no particular order, is a summary of the projects that were worked on this year and the students and volunteers who worked on them… For her industry placement, Amanda Winters (Masters in Information Technology, Queensland Amanda Winters working in Special Collections in April. University of Technology) worked with Special Collections on a cataloguing project. She worked Graduate Diploma Information Management, RMIT, alongside a team of cataloguers on rare books, undertook a Special Collections cataloguing theses, incunabula and new acquisitions. Also placement where after specialist training she working in Special Collections, was Library and catalogued the C.M. Hotimsky collection. The Information Management student Barbara Nicholls project enabled her to gain a unique insight into the cataloguing process while being able to utilise ( D iploma Library and Information Services, Box Hill her Russian language skills – an added bonus she Institute). Barbara recently commenced a project said. with the McLaren Collection of Australiana, which sees her working on a selection of items from the collection and rehousing them to meet The Baillieu Library Print Collection benefited this conservation standards. This is part of a large year from five students working with its rich holdings. ongoing project that has had several students and Earlier in the year Executive Master of Arts student, volunteers work on it during the year including Gemma Lumley (University of Melbourne) worked Glenda Lonsing (Graduate Diploma Information & as a catalogue and research assistant adding to Library Studies, Curtin University of Technology). As the information contained on EMu (Electronic part of the project Glenda had to identify priority Museum), the Print Collection’s electronic items within the collection for re-housing. Working catalogue. Kate Hughes and Jenny Anderson both on another aspect of Special Collections, and studying for their Masters of Cultural Material studying for a Master of Library and Information Conservation ( University of Melbourne) spent time Management at Charles Sturt University, Danielle The University of Melbourne working closely with a selection of prints from the Master of Art Curatorship student, Clare Saunder collection and adding to information on the catalogue. (University of Melbourne) worked on a cataloguing Mathieu Lartigau a Diploma of Education student project at the Museum. Through the project she (Victoria University) also completed a placement with expanded on existing catalogue entries and also fully the Print Collection this year. For his project he worked catalogued previously un-accessioned items into the on the collection catalogue, researched a selection of collection. This project required her to complete prints and also assisted with the preparation of manual catalogue worksheets, assign accession collection items for exhibition. Master of Art Curatorship numbers, photograph objects and then add this student Viona Fung (University of Melbourne), chose to information to the catalogue. Another Melbourne undertake a project with the Print Collection after student, Mathilde Lester (Bachelor of Arts) completed curating a ‘virtual’ exhibition for her Virtual Print Room research on some of the microscopes on display within subject. Through her placement she has been the museum and created object labels which have augmenting existing catalogue information on EMu been incorporated into the ornate wooden display and will be continuing her placement into the new year cases within the Museum. where she will be researching Japanese prints within the collection. The University of Melbourne Archives (UMA) this year hosted nine students and volunteers on various projects The Ian Potter Museum of Art had several students with its collections. Emily Cheah completing her Masters working with their collections this year. Anna Taylor , in Cultural Heritage (Deakin University) and Minna Muhlen-Schulte worked on the UMA’s 50 th anniversary Bachelor of Arts/Commerce student (University of exhibition Primary Sources: 50 stories from 50 years at Melbourne) was keen to gain some experience in the the Archives. They provided assistance in various aspects of the preparations from the researching of exhibition content through to helping with the installation of the exhibition. Earlier in the year Natalie Johnson (Graduate Diploma Information Management, RMIT) completed an archive documentation and rehousing project with the Century Mine Collection. The project required her to list, arrange and where necessary re-house the collection to meet archival standards. Jocelyn Penington undertook research relating to company records held at the UMA to identify current company status and increase our knowledge of the business collections. Meanwhile, Moyra McAllister has been working with a selection of early archival files from the business collections identifying and preparing details for the new database Mathilde Lester studies the display in the Medical History Museum . that relate to acquisition, ownership and access. Bob Appleyard has utilised his knowledge of the mining art industry that would complement her academic sector in his project work with the Rio Tinto Mining studies. Through her Potter placement she worked on a Collection where he has been documenting the de-accessioning research project that enabled her to relationships between various subsidiaries and learn about this sensitive area and general day to day businesses. This work will provide an additional source of collection management duties within an art museum. intellectual control over the mining collection and will Another project at the Potter involved the Gerard be utilised in an updated subject guide. Staying in the Herbst Collection, a collection of international poster mining sector, Steven Richardson (Master of Information art. Two students, Gabrielle Fanning ( Bachelor of Arts, Management, RMIT) has been working on an archival University of Melbourne) and Nigel McBain ( Master of documentation project that has seen him assisting in Information Management, RMIT) undertook this the processing and listing of the Shell Company of conservation and cataloguing project which required Australia Collection. Meanwhile, Barbary Clarke and them to learn how to flatten rolled up posters through a Ardy Tibby have continued with their ongoing volunteer humidification process and then catalogue these work with the Victorian Women’s Liberation and posters onto EMu. Both were keen for the opportunity to Lesbian Feminist Archive . work within an art museum and gain skills through working closely with a collection. Two very different significance assessments have been completed on collections this year. Earlier in the year This year a couple of students worked with the Museum Studies student Melanie Horder ( Deakin interesting collections of the Medical History Museum . University) took up the challenge of a week long stay at Dookie campus just outside of Shepparton to expenses paid professional placement with the cultural commence work on an assessment of the Dookie collections of the University of Melbourne. Katy was in College Historical Collection . The collection comprises Melbourne in August and during that time she worked a wide range of items dating from the 1860s to the 1990s that detail the history of Victoria’s oldest agricultural college and includes farm equipment, documents, photographs, animal and plant specimens, farm journals and sporting memorabilia.