1. Handbook
  2. Subjects
  3. Sustainable Collections

Sustainable Collections (CUMC90029)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

You’re viewing the 2025 Handbook:
Or view archived Handbooks

Overview

Availability
April
FeesLook up fees

This subject lays a critical foundation for effective professional practice as a preventive conservation conservator and steward for sustainable collection care.

In this subject, students critically evaluate current theories, international standards and processes for sustaining heritage collections,  to create sustainable environments. Students engage with the environment, situated decision-making and values, technical processes, risk management strategies, the ten agents of deterioration, and stakeholder structures. Students examine continuity and change, and considers how these can be effectively communicated and mitigated in centralised and de-centralised collection contexts.

Off campus site visits are a regular activity for this subject, which may include visits to collection and conservation facilities, museums, galleries, library, archives and art centres.

Intended learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this subject should be able to: 

  • Establish the theoretical and practical foundations for sustaining collections, preventive conservation, managing change and creating sustainable environments
  • Identify the critical sustainability issues and management strategies for heritage collection environments including the ten agents of deterioration, risk assessments, standards and guidelines, and people-centred decision making
  • Develop the cognitive and analytical, technical and affective skills that underpin innovation in sustaining heritage collections
  • Investigate and apply advanced knowledge and skills in situated collection contexts
  • Analyse the environmental, economic, social and cultural factors related to heritage collections with the cognitive, technical and affective skills necessary to communicate information in professional and community based contexts
  • Evaluate the array of participatory, intercultural, and interactive strategies for sustaining collections in situated contexts, their potential and limitations.

Generic skills

Students who successfully complete this subject should be able to: 

  • Make critical and interdisciplinary decisions drawn from a diverse range of sources
  • Apply Technical conservation methods and skills
  • Utilize Sustainable management and organisational skills for complex collection environments
  • Employ adaptive and creative approaches through the application of skills and knowledge to collection contexts
  • Communicate effectively both orally and in writing
  • Exhibit Social and inter-cultural competency.

Last updated: 8 November 2024