International Student Projects Program
Museums and Collections Award 2011–2012
University of Melbourne and University of Birmingham
'The Museums and Collections Award will be offered again in 2013 - more details available soon'
Background
Students from the University of Melbourne and the University of Birmingham are invited to participate in a new international exchange program. One successful candidate from each university will work for one month on museum and/or collection projects, hosted by the partner university.
The projects undertaken will have set objectives to be completed during the one month placement. The successful applicant will also be exposed to other facets of the host’s cultural collections, through activities such as attendance at meetings and seminars and working with other museum and collections staff from across the university, including curators, collection managers, archivists and conservators in order to get a more comprehensive picture of their work. This broadening experience will enhance the Award recipient’s understanding of the different issues currently facing university collections.
The projects may include (or be a combination of):
- Documentation and cataloguing
- Research
- Interpretation and public programs
- Exhibition development
- Preventative conservation/preservation
- Significance assessment
As well as the assigned projects and associated tasks, the Award recipient may include in their placement a period of self-directed study that engages with an aspect of the host institution’s collections that are of particular interest to them. The student will need to include this area of interest on their application and it will be negotiated with the host institution.
During 2011–2012 this Award was offered between the Universities of Melbourne and Birmingham. It is hoped that in future years this program will be expanded to include other universities in the U21 network.
For more information on the museums and collections at the University of Melbourne and the University of Birmingham, and details on the Universitas 21 (U21) network, please follow the relevant links.
Further reading:
Helen Arnoldi, 'International Student Exchange', University of Melbourne Collections, issue 8, June 2011, pp. 24-5.
'Cultural Collecting', Voice, vol. 7, no. 5, 9 May-5 June 2011, p. 8.
'An international internship', MUSSE Newsletter, issue 57, 30 March 2011.