Collection Management projects

The Rare Materials Collection in the Architecture, Building and Planning Library includes 19th and 20th century material, seminal architectural texts, collections of major local architects and planners, original drawings, sketchbooks and scrapbooks, objects from the University's architectural atelier and theses.

Collection Management – Discovery and Listing project, Cross Section Collection (project assigned)

This project involves listing and building on the existing catalogue documentation for the Cross Section Collection – Cross Section was an architectural newsletter distributed by the Department of Architecture between 1952 – 1971 and forms part of the Rare Materials Collection in the Architecture Building and Planning Library. This project will contribute to the discoverability of this collection and facilitate future access to these materials by aiding accessibility, long-term preservation, storage and appreciation of the collection.

Project guide

The University of Melbourne's Faculty of Science, Burnley Campus, was formerly the Burnley Horticultural College amongst other incarnations. It has been teaching horticultural courses for a variety of educational institutions since 1891, although land was first put aside at the site for the Victorian Horticultural Society in the 1850s. The Burnley Campus Archives consists of over 15 metres of material that relates to the Burnley Horticultural College. The archive was initially assembled for the 1991 teaching centenary of the College and to form a research source for the publication, Green Grows Our Garden: A Centenary History of Horticultural Education at Burnley, by A.P. Winzenried, Hyland House, 1991. The Archive comprises of materials that date back to the 19th century including the College's official records (principals' administration records, registers, student attendance books, alumni deposits, student club documents etc.), photographs, news cuttings, maps, plans and films. It also contains artefacts such as ploughs, leadlight windows and jodhpurs..

Collection Management – Significance Assessment project, Burnley Campus Archives

This project involves completing a significance assessment on the Burnley Campus Archives located in the Main Building, Burnley. The significance assessment will be used to inform the status of the collection and future collection management decisions in areas such as conservation, acquisition/de-accession, valuation and access.

Project guide

The Harry Brookes Allen Museum of Anatomy and Pathology collection comprises of approximately 10,000 objects. The main collection consists of dissected human remains (organs, systems or regions). There are some specimens still held in their original glass containers, dating back to the time of Sir Harry Brookes Allen (1854 –1926). Approximately one fifth of the collection is on display at any one time. The Harry Brookes Allen Museum also includes a significant collection of historical plaster, papier-mâché and wax anatomical models imported from Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries. The museum is open to current and former students and staff for study and research.

Collection Management – Cataloguing and Rehousing project (project assigned)

This project offers you the opportunity to catalogue and rehouse a small collection of historic pathology specimens that were originally part of the old Pathology Museum and which now form part of the collections of the Harry Brookes Allen Museum of Anatomy and Pathology. Once fully catalogued and documented this information will be added to Vernon (the museum’s electronic database). This project contributes to the accessibility, long-term preservation, storage and appreciation of the Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences Collections.

Project guide

International House is a residential college owned by the University of Melbourne, bringing together 300 undergraduate and graduate students from Australia and overseas. International House was born from efforts by students and community members to ease housing problems faced by international students in the late 1940s and early 1950s. IH’s first residents (all male) moved in in 1957. The official opening was in 1958. The first female residents arrived in 1972, making International House the University of Melbourne’s first residential college to admit women. In 2017 International House celebrated its sixtieth anniversary. The International House Collection incorporates the IH archives and heritage collections and comprises of several hundred items which in addition to archival materials includes paintings, photographs, furniture, objects and building fragments e.g. stained glass windows. The collection has materials that relate to many important historical themes and events.

Collections management - cataloguing International House Photograph Collection (project assigned)

This project involves cataloguing black and white photographs from the International House Collection that date from the early 1950s to the 1970s. This component of the IH collection comprises around 600 photographic prints that capture aspects of this history of life at International House. This project will expand our knowledge and understanding of the collection’s significance as well as increase public awareness of the photographs and aid in their accessibility, long term preservation, and interpretation.

Project guide

The Medical History Museum houses a research collection which documents the history of the University of Melbourne’s Medical School, its teaching hospitals and achievements of its graduates and, more broadly, the history of medical practice in Victoria. The collection consists of medical, surgical and scientific instruments, archival photographs, academic certificates, personal papers and records, commemorative medals, art works and a fully equipped, relocated 19th century London pharmacy.

Collections Management – Audit, Microscope Collection

The primary goal of this position will be to assist in an audit of the microscope collection within the Medical History Museum.  The museum’s storeroom currently has a collection of microscopes and associated storage boxes where boxes are not reconciled with the specific microscope meant to be housed within. This project provides the opportunity to complete an audit of the existing microscope store, cataloguing undocumented microscopes and completing additional cataloguing and analysis of the corresponding microscope boxes. This project will contribute to the accessibility, long term preservation, interpretation and appreciation of the Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences Collections.

Project guide

The University of Melbourne has endorsed a vision to unify its museums and collections under the umbrella of a Cultural Commons. This integrated strategy guides the University’s cultural estate to enhance scholarly and public value and strengthen the University’s global cultural standing. The Museums Collections Department was established to ensure coordination and alignment and is responsible for Buxton Contemporary, Science Gallery Melbourne, Ian Potter Museum of Art, Old Quadrangle, and the Grainger Museum . The Department aims to build a collaborative and flexible network around the University’s cultural assets so students, staff members local and global communities gain knowledge and understanding of contemporary and traditional cultures, scientific discovery and creative practice.

Research and cataloguing project - Grimwade Miegunyah Collection, UoM Art Collection (project assigned)

For this project you will have the opportunity to undertake in-depth research in the identification and provenance of items recently identified as part of Sir Russell and Mab Grimwade’s effects from their ‘Miegunyah’ residence and also to assist in the implementation of best practice cataloguing standards to these items. This project work will aid in the management, accessibility, long-term preservation, and appreciation of this collection.

Project guide

The University of Melbourne Herbarium (MELU) was established in 1926 and, with an estimated 150,000 specimens, is now the largest university herbarium in Australia. The collection includes specimens collected by Banks and Solander, as well as historic botanical objects and artwork. MELU is a vibrant and active teaching and research collection of international significance, with specimens of all major plant groups represented in the collection. The Herbarium compliments the National Herbarium of Victoria (MEL), Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, with which there is strong collaboration.

*Project details coming soon, if interested please contact the Program Coordinator for more information