Currently resources showing where and when all learning opportunities are available are not easily accessible across the four major collecting domains (archives, galleries, libraries and museums). Many courses in archives, library and information studies, and museum studies include conservation / preservation units, or seek to convey basic conservation / preservation sensibilities in dealing with collections. The respective professional bodies can be contacted in each state or territory with specific enquiries about domain-specific learning opportunities:
Australian Society of Archivists
URL: http://www.archivists.org.au
Australian Library and Information Association
URL: http://www.alia.org.au
Museums Australia
URL: http://www.museumsaustralia.org.au/
Records Management Association of Australasia
URL: http://www.rmaa.com.au/
Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials
The Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials can also be contacted for conservation training information – particularly for professional conservator education.
URL: http://www.aiccm.org.au
Collections Australia Network
The Collections Australia Network (CAN) is a portal site and is the public gateway to collecting organisations across Australia including small to medium regional organisations. Like the Collections Council of Australia, CAN is an initiative of the Cultural Ministers Council (comprising Australian Government and Australian State and Territory Governments) in partnership with the Australian cultural sector.
URL: http://www.collectionsaustralia.net
CAN is planning to develop a guide to VET Training for the Australian collections sector, as well as a professional development calendar. Currently the CAN website provides links to other portals including the National Training Information Service on vocational training opportunities (mainly through Technical and Further Education (TAFE) colleges), and the Australian Government Culture and Recreation portal.
Other useful organisations to contact with questions about conservation and preservation training, particularly in preventive conservation, are:
Museums and Galleries New South Wales
URL: http://www.mgnsw.org.au
Museum and Gallery Services Queensland
URL: http://www.magsq.com.au
History Trust of South Australia
URL: http://www.history.sa.gov.au
Heritage and Arts Departments in each state / territory
National Trust organisations in each state / territory
Various websites offer search engines that may help discover appropriate courses of study. The results of searches may, however, not be fully up to date. Two starting points are:
URL: http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/training
URL:: http://www.edna.edu.au
Conservation and preservation knowledge is transferred in Australia in five formal ways:
- Higher education
- Vocational education and training (VET or VTE)
- Self-paced, web-based learning
- Stand-alone interactive online (moderated) learning
- Workshops / seminars delivered by conservators or other specialists
Higher education
The University of Melbourne delivers post-graduate professional conservation training:
The University of Melbourne, Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation
URL: http://www.culturalconservation.unimelb.edu.au
The University of Canberra will deliver under-graduate professional conservation training from 2009:
The University of Canberra, Donald Horne Institute for Cultural Heritage
URL: www.canberra.edu.au/courses-units/ug/bchc
Vocational education and training
For help with VET opportunities please contact your local TAFE college or check the:
National Training Information Service
URL: http://www.ntis.gov.au
TAFE offers Certificates I-IV, Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas in Museum Practice and Library Information Services, which contain conservation / preservation components. Parts of these courses have been run each year since 1999 (revised 2004) at varying locations around Australia.
Currently the Powerhouse Museum is working with the Sydney Institute of TAFE to revise the content of some Museum Practice components to cover conservation / preservation in greater depth. These changes may be implemented Australia-wide with the next formal review of these courses by 2009.
Self-paced, web-based learning
A number of the organisations listed above offer web-based training in conservation / preservation e.g. MGNSW, MGSQ.
The Collections Australian Network (CAN) has incorporated the Australian Museums and Galleries Online (AMOL) website which contained a number of training resources for self-paced, web-based conservation / preservation learning, including some TAFE certificates:
URL: http://www.collectionsaustralia.net.au/
The University of Melbourne also offers basic online training in conservation / preservation:
URL: http://www.culturalconservation.unimelb.edu.au/courses/online.html
The Northeast Document Conservation Center in the United States has developed the 'Preservation 101' course especially for practitioners working in small to medium sized library or archives. It focuses on paper-based materials: URL: unfacilitated.preservation101.org/loggedin.asp
Stand-alone interactive online (moderated) learning
Currently no independent interactive online courses are available in Australia in the conservation / preservation area. Some overseas organisations are beginning to offer this kind of training. The Canadian Heritage Information Network offers a few digital preservation courses of this kind:
Canadian Heritage Information Network
URL: http://www.chin.gc.ca
The Northeast Document Conservation Center in the United States can offer the 'Preservation 101' course with moderation, by arrangement (on a fee-for-service basis). Click through on 'Before you begin' for more information on this option from the following link:
URL: unfacilitated.preservation101.org/loggedin.asp
Workshops / seminars delivered by conservators or other specialists
Conservators, conservation businesses, CAVAL (Cooperative Action by Victorian Academic Libraries), MGNSW, MGSQ, professional organisations (such as Museums Australia via its state branches, the Australian Registrars Committee, ASA, ALIA, RMAA, and the AICCM) and the outreach services of large collecting organisations all offer short conservation / preservation training opportunities from time to time. Please contact the relevant organisations in your state / territory for details. Click HERE for suggestions of places to start.