Australia

This program is designed as a flexible, self-paced learning module, allowing you to study at the times and the pace that suits you.
Who is the course for?

The course content is directed towards people who are caring and responsible for heritage collections. We hope it is useful and relevant to those working in community museums, historical societies, and with public and private collections.

Many of the exercises and recommended tasks throughout the program require you to have access to a collection or to an item that is significant to you or your community.
What is the course about?

There are four key topics covered in the course, intended to provide you with information about the main causes of damage to heritage collections, and practical measures you can employ to reduce the impact of these on your collections. The topics can be easily read independently of each other and do not necessarily need to be taken in any particular order. However, aspects of The Environment: Lighting, Temperature and Relative Humidity are relevant to issues discussed in Care: Handling, Storage and Display and Bugs: Pest Management.

Click on the topic you wish to learn more about:

    * Profession: Conservation Theory, Ethics and Practice
    * The Environment: Lighting, Temperature and Relative Humidity
    * Care: Handling, Storage and Display
    * Bugs: Pest Management

The topics contain readings, exercises and quizzes all aimed at providing you with as much knowledge as possible on how to care for your heritage collections. By working through each of the topics and by completing the exercises, you will gain an understanding of the causes of damage to collections and how, by implementing a sound and well-considered approach to caring for collections, you can ensure their preservation.

The material in the course has been written and edited by a number of past and present staff of The University of Melbourne Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation. Some of the material was prepared for the Heritage Collections Council publication reCollections: Caring for Collections Across Australia. reCollections is a series of practical guidebooks covering a broad range of topics and is a valuable resource for museum workers. It is available on line at the Australian Museums Online (AMOL) website at www.amol.org.au.
What do I need to be involved?

    * Enthusiasm
    * About five hours per topic, depending on the extent to which you take on the extra readings and assessments
    * Experience with a community museum or heritage collection
    * Access to a computer with internet connection
    * A printer will be an advantage, though not a necessity

The course does not require you to submit any written work to the University, nor are the exercises assessed by staff of the Centre. You can work through the program at a pace and at times that are convenient to you. To gain the most from the course, however, we do recommend that you treat the program as a formal learning exercise and that you are conscientious about committing time to complete the course within a reasonable period.
Registration

There is no charge for the program and you do not have to be a student at The University of Melbourne. By undertaking the program and browsing these pages, however, you agree to abide by the copyright requirements and the terms and conditions of use. Registration is not compulsory; this course is accessible to everyone and movement throughout most of the site is possible. There are, however, some areas such as the exercises to each topic that require you to be a registered user. If you do not choose to become a registered user access to these areas only will be denied. Registration can be made at any time.

To register for access please visit:
http://neo.meu.unimelb.edu.au/media/cotn/documents/home/home1.html