Museums and Collections Award 2013
University of Melbourne and University of Birmingham
Background
Students from the University of Melbourne and the University of Birmingham are invited to participate in a unique international exchange program where a successful candidate from each university will work for one month on museum and collection projects, hosted by the partner university.
The Award recipient will work on a selection of collection management projects each with set objectives to be completed during the month long placement at the host institution. As part of the Exchange, the recipient will also have the opportunity to be exposed to other aspects of collections work through activities such as attendance at meetings and seminars and working with other museum and collections staff across the university, including curators, collection managers, archivists and conservators. This broadening experience will enhance the Award recipient's understanding of the different issues currently facing university collections and museums and collections more broadly.
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 2013 this Award will be 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:
Emily Millward 'International Museums and Collections Award 2012' University of Melbourne Collections, issue 11, December 2012, pp.51-52.
Gabrielle Murphy 'From the Baillieu to Birmingham and onto the Bodleian' Voice, vol.8, no.7, July 2012, p.8
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.