Collection resources

Museums Australia is the national organisation for the museums sector, committed to the conservation, continuation and communication of Australia's heritage.

Collection sector resources

The collections area incorporates four domains: galleries, archives, libraries and museums, sometimes referred to as GLAM.

• The Collections Council of Australia (CCA) (2004-10) was established to ensure the nation-wide sustainability of collections by consulting with key stakeholders to resolve common issues and to promote the value of the sector.

• The Collections Australia Network (CAN) portal is a public gateway to collecting institutions across Australia.

• Libraries Australia is a resource sharing service coordinated which is used for reference, collection development, cataloguing and interlibrary lending.

• Archives Australia promotes good records management in Australian Government agencies, manages the valuable records of our nation and make them accessible now and for future generations.

National standards

Resources relating to collecting institutions, exhibitions and the documentation and interpretation of collections. 

• National Standards for Australian Museums and Galleries

Assessing, documentation and interpretation of significance

• Significance 2.0: a guide to assessing the significance of collections, 2009,  Collections Council of Australia

Cataloguing

• Small Museums Cataloguing Manual

Caring for collections

• reCollections: Caring for Collections Across Australia (2005) (available through CAN)(2008, currently in review)

• The Collections Council Conservation/Preservation Showcase

•  Be Prepared: Guidelines for Small Museums for Writing a Disaster Preparedness Plan