An international internship

The International Student Projects with Cultural Collections exchange program was supported by the University Library and the U21 network, and facilitated by Cultural Collections staff from the universities of Melbourne and Birmingham, to give students from each institution a unique opportunity to explore cultural collections overseas.

Participants gained collection management skills by working with the museums and collections on campus, as well as invaluable professional links with overseas colleagues and broader professional experience.

The first participant from the University of Birmingham, Katy Wade, worked with the University of Melbourne’s Cultural Collections Unit in August last year.

Helen Arnoldi, from Melbourne’s Cultural Collections Unit, said the universities were collaborating  because it was important for students to gain professional experience and broaden their skills by exploring different collections.

“It is our hope that every student who takes part in the program discovers passions and ideas they haven’t previously encountered, that the experience opens their eyes,” she said.

Ms Wubben said she applied to go to Birmingham because she thought the program would be a valuable opportunity to gain international experience in collections management. 

“I had previously worked with the University’s Cultural Collections team, so I was really excited to work with another university collection and note the similarities and differences between the ways in which the collections were managed,” she said.

“I discovered although the collections differ, the ways in which they are managed are similar. Staff have the same concerns about the best ways to track and catalogue items, and how to preserve and display their accompanying information.

“It was great to learn that, regardless of collection or location, once you’ve gained the knowledge and skills, they can be applied to most collections around the world.” 

http://www.unimelb.edu.au/culturalcollections/