Collection Care

A-Z of Collection Care

A-Z of Collection Care

February 24, 2023

Collection, Collection Care, Conservation, Digitisation, Preservation, Preventive conservation, Registration and loans, Tips and tricks:

Curious about the effects of light or the stories behind old repairs? Ever wondered why old books yellow over time? Keen for a peek behind the scenes of Library exhibitions? Read on!

How to protect and salvage your flood damaged treasures

How to protect and salvage your flood damaged treasures

October 21, 2022

Collection Care:

Floodwaters in Victoria have caused significant damage to personal possessions and cultural heritage collections. Learn how to protect your treasures and salvage flood-damaged collections.

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

October 13, 2022

Collection Care:

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is a key date in the calendar for all collecting institutions, big and small, entrusted with the care of irreplaceable cultural heritage. On this day, the Library joins Blue Shield Australia and other major Australian cultural institutions in raising awareness about the importance of disaster preparedness, response and recovery to protect and preserve our collections and the stories held within them.

Preserving Marvellous Melbourne

Preserving Marvellous Melbourne

May 6, 2022

Collection Care, News, Our stories:

William Butterfield’s original drawings of St Paul’s Cathedral are in urgent need of conservation treatment. Learn how the Library’s working to preserve the plans for the State Collection, and how you can help.

Bushfires: protecting your treasures

Bushfires: protecting your treasures

December 22, 2020

Collection Care, Conservation, Preservation:

It’s bushfire season again. How can you reduce the risk of loss of treasured objects before a disaster and what sort of salvage strategies can you use to recover them? If you live in an area where bushfire is an all too real possibility, it’s never too soon to start planning for their preservation.

Constitution Hill at

Conservation rejuvenates ‘Constitution Hill at Sun set’

December 15, 2020

Collection Care, Conservation:

During the Library closure, Collection Care had the opportunity of attending to the conservation treatment of one of the Library’s iconic paintings, Constitution Hill by colonial artist John Glover. Recent conservation treatment has transformed its appearance and inspired a new appreciation of this important work.

Detail of Blinky Bill and Mrs Koala, Dorothy Wall, [between 1933 and 1940?]; H2015.180/28

Blinky Bill: in the Conservation Lab

October 9, 2020

Collection Care, Conservation:

Blinky Bill has been a favourite amongst Australian children since he first made an appearance in the 1933 book Blinky Bill: The Quaint Little Australian. A collection of drawings by author and illustrator Dorothy Wall (1894–1942) were recently acquired by the Library – several of which have come to the Conservation Lab for assessment and treatment.

Adam Lindsay Gordon and the Adam & Eve Hotel

Adam Lindsay Gordon and the Adam & Eve Hotel

August 7, 2020

Collection Care, Preservation, Such was life:

A photograph of an old cottage inspires an investigation into the connections between Australian author Adam Lindsay Gordon, John Kinmont Moir and the mysterious Adam & Eve Hotel.

Perfecting the lighting of a series of exhibition prints during installation

The changing face of Victoria: behind-the-scenes with Conservation

August 6, 2020

Collection Care, Conservation, Registration and loans:

The Conservation department play a major role in the development of exhibitions at the Library. We recently completed work on the installation of the Changing Face of Victoria exhibition, which this year involved preparing over 150 items for display.

Cigarette cards: preservation of a small, but unique collection

Cigarette cards: preservation of a small, but unique collection

July 10, 2020

Collection Care, Our stories, Preservation, Social life & customs:

Collectible cards as we know them today have a very long tradition, dating back to the mid-late nineteenth century with the production of cigarette cards. A small, but unique collection of these wonderful items were recently rehoused by our Preservation team.