| CODE | BLH5525 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Care of Collections | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Conservation and Built Heritage | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The unit will focus on the conservation management and care of collections. The students will be guided to develop an understanding of the key factors impacting on the care and use of cultural heritage collections, and apply those lessons to real world contexts with consideration for sustainable professional practice. Focus will be given to the development of a critical approach, reflective practice and communication skills to plan, develop, implement and manage care of collections strategies in professional working practice. Polices, legislation and ethics that provide the framework for professional practice will also be discussed, along with other topics such as surveys, packing, handling and transportation of collections, storage and access to collections, emergency preparedness, health and safety. The students, through practicals and fieldwork, will face different case studies and experience collection management and operation first-hand. Demonstrations of some procedures, such as un-framing and re-framing a work of art, will be carried out, as well as tours of local museums and virtual tours of renown museums and galleries, where the students will be required to consider and discuss the often challenging demands of professional practice. Study-unit Aims: - Provide a sound knowledge of different strategies for the management and care of collections, in the frame of ethical and legislative policies; - Develop a critical approach, reflective practice and communication skills to plan, develop, implement and manage collections care; - Provide skills for the practical care of collections, including design, planning, implementation of practical procedures, emergency preparedness and health and safety. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Discuss different strategies and procedures for the management and care of collections; - Develop a critical approach to the planning, development, and management of care of collections strategies in professional working practice; - Describe how ethical and legislative policies have an impact on the care of collections, applying it to case studies and/or real case scenarios. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Design and implement different strategies and procedures for the management and care of collections in reference to real case studies; - Develop reflective practice and communication skills to plan, develop, implement and manage care of collections strategies in a professional framework; - Carry out some procedures which are part of the care of collections implementation and management. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: ESSENTIAL READINGS: - National Park Service. 2005. Museum Handbook, Part I: Museum Collections - Appelbaum, B. 2019. Preserve, Protect, and Defend: A Practical Guide to the Care of Collections - National Trust. 2006. Manual of Housekeeping. The care of collections in historic houses open to the public. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann - De Torres, A., ed. 1990. Collections care: a selected bibliography. Washington, D.C.: National Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Property - Knell, S., ed. 1994. Care of collections. Leicester Readers in Museum Studies. London and New York: Routledge - Bachman, K. 1992. Conservation concerns: a guide to collections care. Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press - Stolow, N. 1986. Conservation and exhibitions: packing, transport, storage and environmental conditions. London: Butterworth Publishers. FURTHER READINGS: - Cassar, M. 1995. Environmental management: guidelines for museums and galleries. London and New York: Routledge - Butcher-Younghans, S. 1993. Historic house museums: a practical handbook for their care, preservation & management. New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Fieldwork, Lectures and Practicum | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Claudia Garradas Damian Lizun Reuben Grima Rekha Verma |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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