Student Projects List
Student Placement/Internship/Volunteer Opportunities 2009
Please note that as there will be no student placements with the collections for the first half of 2009, this Projects List should be used as a guide only of the type of projects that may be available and the cultural collections with which there will be an opportunity to be placed. The Projects List will be updated as projects become available. If you are interested in a particular collection or project type please feel free to register your interest at any time during the first half of 2009, in anticipation of a placement commencing in semester two.
Most of the projects will have individual position guides (PGs) that will give you more of an idea of the details for each of the projects; to see individual PGs click on the link after each project description.
If you are interested in any of these opportunities available from June 2009, then please complete the expression of interest form or contact:
Karina Lamb
Student Projects Coordinator
University of Melbourne
kllamb@ unimelb.edu.au
1. University of Melbourne Archives
The University of Melbourne Archives collects, manages and provides access to the historical records of the University, Victorian business, trade unions and other labour organisations, community and cultural organisations, as well as the personal papers of many individuals prominent within them. Records date back to the first years of the colony of Victoria up until the present-day and cover a very wide field of endeavour. The Archives were established in 1960 and to date hold some 15 kilometres of records.
Archives Collection web site: http://www.lib.unimelb.edu.au/collections/archives/
1.1 Archives Project Placement (project assigned)
This placement will provide the opportunity for a student, in consultation with the Senior Archivist, Collection Management, to devise their own archive related project. The project will be developed to meet the specific interests of the student while at the same time engaging with the priorities of the Archives collections. This is an excellent opportunity for History in the Field student or similar who is keen to work closely with the collections of the University of Melbourne Archives to tailor a unique work placement.
1.2 Collections Management - Documentation and Rehousing of the Century Mine Collection (project assigned)
The Century Mine collection was acquired by the University of Melbourne Archives in 2008. The collection comprises approximately 5 boxes of material, containing meeting minutes, operating records and correspondence. The requirements of this project are to list, arrange and rehouse the collection items. Under guidance, the student will place materials in acid free covers, boxes and clearly label items. The tasks will be completed in accordance with the procedures and standards set out in UMA's Collection Management System: Acquiring, Processing and Documenting Records in the University of Melbourne Archives.
2. The School of Physics Museum
Under direction of the Collection Managers, the student will assist in the documentation and cataloguing of museum objects that are housed in The School of Physics Museum storage areas. The catalogue information will be incorporated within the museum’s database where it will be accessible to the public through the museum’s web site.
This project may be undertaken by two students working together in a team throughout the semester.
Physics Museum web site: http://www.ph.unimelb.edu.au/museum/
2.1 Collections Management - Object Collection - Documentation, Cataloguing and Rehousing (project assigned)
Under direction, the Research Assistant will create database content for a selected group of museum objects. The text created will be written for a general audience and aim to demystify the Physics Museum’s collections. This information will be incorporated onto the museum’s database where it will be accessible to the public via the Physics Museum’s web site.
3. Ian Potter Museum of Art
The Potter houses the University of Melbourne Art Collection, comprising Australian art, classics and archaeology, international, Indigenous cultural material and decorative arts.
Potter web site: http://www.art-museum.unimelb.edu.au/
3.1 Collection Management - Cataloguing of the Gerard Herbst Poster Collection (project assigned)
This project will involve the manual cataloguing of a selection of posters from the Gerard Herbst Poster Collection. The collection comprises approximately 3,000 posters and contains important examples of international and Australian graphic design from the twentieth century. Students will be trained in use of the museums database EMu and will then enter catalogue information on the database. Student will gain experience in various aspects of collection management, assist in an inventory of the collection and other related duties as required.
4. Harry Brookes Allen Museum of Anatomy and Pathology
Contains more than 8,000 specimens, of which more than 3,000 are on display at any one time, complementing the Faculty's curricula. Historical displays include a series of bushrangers' death masks. The museum is open to current and former students and staff for study and research.
The museum’s web site: http://www.anatomy.unimelb.edu.au/museum/
4.1 Collection Management – Catalogue, Anatomy Book Collection
The primary goal of this position will be to create an inventory and basic catalogue listings for a collection of 500 books in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology. The collection mainly comprises historic scientific textbooks and some memoirs that were owned by staff members in the Department of Anatomy. The collection dates from the late 1800s to approximately the 1980s, with most of the books having been published in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The cataloguing of works in a collection is a necessary part of standard collection management practice. Once catalogued, these collection records will be added to a database and managed by the Harry Brookes Allen Museum.
5. Tiegs Zoology Museum
A collection of zoological specimens dating from the late 19th century to the present, the Tiegs Zoology Museum holds a working set of all types of animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, used principally in teaching undergraduate classes. The Tiegs Museum is a resource for students and researchers.
See http://www.zoology.unimelb.edu.au/tiegs/
5.1 Collection Management - Research into the history of Tiegs Zoology Museum (project assigned)
The student will complete research on a specific aspect of the collections or the history and development of the Tiegs Zoology Museum. In consultation with the Collection Manager and Student Projects Coordinator the student will determine the theme of their research project. They may choose for example to investigate the history and development of the museum and its collection and its relationship to the teaching of Zoology within the Department. Alternatively, they may wish to select some ‘highlights’ from the collection and research their provenance, historical use within the Department and greater significance in the broader community. It is anticipated that this research will be used to form an introduction to the collections of the Museum that will be integrated onto the museum’s website.
6. The Henry Forman Atkinson Dental Museum
The Museum documents the history of dentistry and dental education in Victoria. It includes historic records and archival material, as well as dental surgery, workroom and laboratory equipment dating from the 18th century to the present day.
Visit the Museum’s web site: http://museum.dent.unimelb.edu.au/dental/home.html
6.1 Collection Management – Significance Assessment – Dental Drill Collection
The Museum holds an important collection of dental drills dating from approximately the early 19th century through to the 20th century, which includes examples of early single point hand held drills, through to mechanical, ratchet and bow drills, and dental foot engines (dental pedal drills). The primary goal of this position will be to complete a Significance Assessment on this collection, using the established methodology Significance 2.0: A guide to assessing the significance of collections (R. Russell & K. Winkworth, Canberra: Collections Council of Australia Ltd, 2009).
6.2 Henry Forman Atkinson Dental Museum Project Placement (project assigned)
This placement will provide the opportunity for a student, in consultation with the Curator, to devise their own project that will meet the specific interests of the student while at the same time engaging with the priorities of the Henry Forman Atkinson Dental Museum. This is an excellent opportunity for a History in the Field student or similar who is keen to work closely with the collections to tailor a unique work placement. Suggested projects could incorporate article development, didactic panel development or label research on, for example: The relationship between dentistry and the traditional crafts (early dentists employed traditional craft based skills including ivory and bone carving, gold and silver smithing, sand casting, swaging, ceramics, jewelry and clock making); The history of dental apprenticeships and the trade union movement; The collection, preparation and delivery of natural human teeth (either robbed from the grave or taken from the battle field corpse) to the dentist for use in dental prosthetics. These are examples only and student/s may explore areas of interest relevant to the collection.
7. Special Collections – Baillieu Library
The Special Collections comprise some 200,000 rare or historic books, serials and pamphlets and literary archives. There are incunabula, rare and first editions, Australiana, children's books, middle-eastern manuscripts, prints, theses and the Melbourne University Press collection.
Special Collections web site: http://www.lib.unimelb.edu.au/collections/special/
7.1 Collection Management - U of M Collection (Preventative Preservation) (project assigned)
The primary goal of this position will be to identify and implement preventative preservation measures on the University of Melbourne Collection within Special Collections at the Baillieu Library. This project will require the re-housing and preservation of the U of M Collection. The student will need to identify priority items for re-housing and then proceed to re-house these items to meet conservation standards. The student will also identify those items that require boxing, and make a listing of items that may require future conservation treatments. The U of M collection comprises items sourced from all Departments, Faculties and Units of the University, and the second part of this project will involve the student identifying an improved means for the sourcing of such material and making recommendations for a more systematic approach to its collection.
7.2 Collection Management ‘Work Experience’ Placement (project assigned)
This placement will provide the opportunity for a student, in consultation with the Deputy Curator, Special Collections, to devise their own ‘work experience’ related project. The placement will be developed to meet the specific interests of the student while at the same time engaging with the day-to-day priorities of Special Collections. This is an excellent opportunity for a Library Studies/Information Management student who is keen to work closely with Special Collections.
7.3 Special Collections Cataloguing Placement (project assigned)
This is an ongoing work experience placement position for students to gain experience and training using the INNOPAC cataloguing system. Students will catalogue items held within various Special Collections, including the Ian McLaren Australiana Collection and backlogs. If a student has Russian language skills, there is a specific cataloguing placement available within the Nina Christesen Collection.
8. Baillieu Print Collection, Special Collections – Baillieu Library
Comprises approximately 7,000 individual prints and volumes from the 16th to early 20th centuries. It covers many printmaking techniques including woodcuts, wood engravings, copper plates, steel engravings, etchings, mezzotints, aquatints, lithographs and chromolithographs.
For more information on the Print Collection go to http://www.unimelb.edu.au/culturalcollections/collections/visualarts.html#prints
8.1 Collection Management – Catalogue Assistant (project assigned)
The goal of this position will be to assist in checking and researching information on a selection of prints from the Baillieu Print Collection. The information generated will be added to the electronic catalogue (EMu) at a later date. Under direction, the student will ensure catalogue details for a selection of prints from the collection are reviewed for accuracy and that information is updated where possible. The student will be responsible for checking, updating and expanding on current print catalogue records through the close inspection of the prints and use of current records. Catalogue fields that will require particular attention include dates, attributions and print states and the student will need to research these areas using catalogues raisonnés and other appropriate resources.
9. Louise Hanson-Dyer Music Library: Rare Materials Collection
The Rare Collections of the Music Library are diverse in both content and origin. Though the Conservatorium was founded in 1891, there was no library at all until 1908, and for many years members of the teaching staff provided music for their students ad hoc. Some of these items are still with the library, augmented by numerous donations and purchases over the past century.The manuscripts are chiefly of works by Australian composers from the colonial period to the present day, while the printed music includes many early and rare editions of European composers from Corelli to Stravinsky. Among both the musical scores and the smaller collection of books on musical topics there are many unusual and obscure items.
For more information on the collection go to http://www.lib.unimelb.edu.au/collections/music/rare/
9.1 Collection Management – Conservation Research
In this project the student will be required to apply basic conservation practices to a scrapbook album held in the Rare Collections of the Louise Hanson-Dyer Music Library. The album contains programs for concerts held in Melbourne and their associated press reviews and date from 1886 to 1916. The contents provide a rich resource of historical material that relates to musical performances in late 19th and early 20th century Melbourne. The album is currently in a fragile state and requires basic conservation measures and an index to be created to ensure that the historical information it contains is preserved and accessible for the future.
9.2 Collection Management - Documentation and Rehousing (project assigned)
The Barry Tuckwell collection was acquired by the University of Melbourne Louise Hanson-Dyer Music Library in 2009. It consists of a collection of print sheet music, music manuscripts, posters, programs, audio recordings, press clippings, photographs and correspondence. This project will contribute to the documentation of the correspondence component of the collection by; assessing the correspondance, listing subject matters, creating labels and rehousing in appropriate boxes. This work will be completed in line with three documents outlining the methods and standards for the collection by Francis Danesi (as outlined in the position description). The work will be completed in line with best industry practice for the preservation of archival materials.
10. Lenton Parr Music, Visual and Performing Arts Library - EJ Moeran Collection
The Lenton Parr Library supports the learning, teaching and research activities at the Faculty of the Victorian College of the Arts and Music, University of Melbourne. The collection was founded with the National Gallery School Library collection, when the VCA was proclaimed in 1972. The two founding Schools of Art and Music provided early strengths in these areas including books, journals, music scores and sound recordings.
EJ Moeran was an English composer of Anglo-Irish background. He had success with a number of performances of smaller orchestral works, including the First Rhapsody for Orchestra (performed by the Halle Orchestra) and other small genres, songs and piano works. His folk-song inspired compositions exert various influences including Delius, Vaughan Williams and Holst, The EJ Moeran Collection was gifted to the VCA in 1977 by Peers Coetmore, Moeran’s wife. In her bequest to the VCA she left her collection of manuscripts and published works by E.J. Moeran (including works by other composers from Moeran and Coetmore’s own collections).
10.1 Significance Assessment (project assigned)
The goal of this project will be to complete a Significance Assessment on the EJ Moeran Collection in the Lenton Parr Library. The student will use the established significance assessment methodology set out in Significance: A guide to assessing the significance of cultural heritage objects and collections (Heritage Collections Council), to provide the intellectual framework to complete the significance assessment on the Collection. The Significance Assessment will be used to inform future collection management decisions on areas such as conservation, acquisition/de-accession, valuation and access.
11. Victorian College of the Arts - Art Collections
The VCA Art Collection spans the history of the College and its predecessor, the National Gallery School of Art. Comprising painting, sculpture, photography and works on paper, most works are by students, staff or alumni. It includes work by notable practitioners such as John Brack, John Vickery, Jan Nelson, Jon Campbell and Sally Smart. There are also many life paintings and drawings from the National Gallery School of Art by prominent alumni including Hugh Ramsay, Charles Wheeler, Grace Joel and Constance Stokes. The Margaret Lawrence Australian Ceramics Collection was bequeathed to the Collection in 2004 and comprises some 500 pieces of Australian ceramic work from the 1920s through to 2004.
11.1 Significance Assessment (National Gallery School Collection) (project assigned)
The primary goal of this position will be to complete a Significance Assessment of the National Gallery School Collection. The student will use the established methodology set out in Significance: A guide to assessing the significance of cultural heritage objects and collections (Heritage Collections Council), to provide the intellectual framework for the assessment. The Significance Assessment will be used to inform future collection management decisions on areas such as conservation, acquisition/de-accession, valuation and access.
12. Dookie Campus Historical Collection
Dookie Agricultural College commenced operation on 4th October 1886, and was managed by the Council of Agricultural Education following the implementation of the Agricultural Education Act 1884. Dookie's association with the University of Melbourne began in 1910 when Bachelor of Agricultural Science students spent a year at Dookie as part of their degree studies. The collection has drawn together a variety of administrative documents dating back to the commencement of the college as well as educational material that has been utilized by past teaching staff and students. A large collection of photographs details the wide variety of campus activities undertaken at the College including women’s classes and ex-servicemen training. A range of historical material related to the College site forms part of the collection and includes geological surveys, soil and erosion maps and reports.
12.1 Significance Assessment (Dookie Campus Historical Collection)
The primary goal of this position will be to complete a significance assessment on this collection, using the established methodology Significance 2.0: A guide to assessing the significance of collections (R. Russell & K. Winkworth, Canberra: Collections Council of Australia Ltd, 2009). The significance assessment will be used to inform future collection management decisions on areas such as conservation, acquisition/de-accession, valuation and access.
13. Medical History Museum
Since its opening in 1967, the Medical History Museum's collection has grown substantially through the donation of documents, photographs, instruments, and records from medical graduates, families and institutions in and around Melbourne. The Brownless Biomedical library, in which the museum is located, is currently undergoing a large redevelopment. It is anticipated that the library will open in February 2010. Further information on the museum can be found at http://www.chs.unimelb.edu.au/programs/jnmhu/museum.
13.1 Collections Management: Object collection – Documentation and Rehousing (project assigned)
Under direction of the Curator, the student/s will assist in the packing and relocation of objects that are housed in museum display areas, for the duration of the library’s refurbishment. The student/s will gain invaluable experience in the handling of museum objects and safe housing practices under museum guidelines. This will be a short term position offered 1-2 days per week. On completion of the relocation, a project will be available to continue working with the collection to assist with research on the ceramic drug jar collection.
14. School of Chemistry Collection
The School of Chemistry collection consists of laboratory equipment and chemicals dating from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The collection is temporarily located at the University of Melbourne Archives repository in Brunswick, until it can be relocated to a refurbished storage area in the School of Chemistry on the Parkville Campus.
14.1 Collections Management - Chemistry Collection Volunteer Placement (project assigned)
This placement will provide the opportunity for a volunteer, in consultation with the Collections Manager, School of Chemistry, to participate in rehousing the University of Melbourne Chemistry Department's historical collection. The collection consists of laboratory equipment dating from the nineteenth century. The placement is located at the University of Melbourne archives repository in Brunswick.
Under supervision, the volunteer will; identify chemicals from the catalogue and obtain Material Safety Data Sheets online to direct storage requirements; will work from the catalogue to label non-fragile items while listing their dimensions and date of creation if possible; will assist with cross checking the historical card catalogue with the Excel catalogue; will assist with rehousing of items and assist with photographing items as directed.