Collection Management (ACUR90007)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

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Semester 1
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This subject will introduce students to the theory and practice of collection management as applied to collections of visual cultural material, with emphasis on works of art. This can range from wider debates regarding significance, ‘canons’ of art history and the impact of new technologies to specific skills associated with accessioning and de-accessioning, cataloguing systems, and collection policies. The subject will be taught in collaboration with the staff of the University of Melbourne’s Ian Potter Museum of Art.

Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

  • analyse current debates regarding collection management and collection development in collecting institutions, including the ethical issues raised by de-accessioning and questions of collection sustainability.
  • assess the varying collection management requirements of different types of collecting institutions and organisations.
  • apply knowledge and skills relating to collection management practices, to prepare accessioning and de-accessioning proposals and to conduct provenance surveys in a collecting institution.
  • catalogue and conduct significance assessments on collection objects in a collecting institution

Generic skills

At the completion of this subject, students should gain the following generic skills:

  • Be able to research through the competent use of the library and other information sources, and be able to define areas of inquiry and methods of research in the preparation of essays
  • Be able to conceptualise theoretical problems, form judgments and arguments and communicate critically, creatively and theoretically through essay writing, tutorial discussion and presentations
  • Be able to communicate knowledge intelligibly and economically through essay writing and tutorial discussion
  • Be able to manage and organise workloads for recommended reading, the completion of essays and assignments and examination revision
  • Be able to participate in team work through involvement in syndicate groups and group discussions.

Last updated: 4 March 2025