Collection analysis and policy development
An analysis of significance across collections helps organisations to develop a common policy across collections; set priorities for conservation, storage and exhibition; and identify gaps in collections.
The University of Melbourne collections
The University of Melbourne has developed a ‘Policy and minimum requirements for management of Cultural Collections’ to deal with its thirty-one identified cultural collections, ranging from classics and archaeology, engineering and medicine, musical instruments, zoology, art, rare books, historic maps, special collections and archives, and collections currently managed by Museum Victoria.
Policy and minimum requirements for management of cultural collections (2006)
Report cover reproduced courtesy of the University of Melbourne
Report located at http://www.unimelb.edu.au/culturalcollections/culturalcollectionspolicyminrequirements.pdf
Significance assessment underpins the management of these collections: under the general requirements of the Policy, ‘A fully documented significance assessment of the Cultural Collection should be undertaken at the earliest possible opportunity by the Collection Manager, in accordance with the methodology Significance: a guide to assessing the significance of cultural heritage objects and collections (Heritage Collections Council, 2001).’
