Preservation

Baron Ferdinand von Mueller’s Educational Collections of Australian Plants

Baron Ferdinand von Mueller’s Educational Collections of Australian Plants

May 26, 2023

Collection Care, Preservation, Preventive conservation:

Baron Ferdinand von Mueller served as Government Botanist and Director of the Botanical Gardens in the mid-1800s. He compiled and published ‘The Educational Collections of Australian Plants’ (1873-1876), motivated by a desire to bring botany to the masses. The Library’s edition was recently rehoused by our Preservation team.

A-Z of Collection Care: Part 2

A-Z of Collection Care: Part 2

April 28, 2023

Collection Care, Conservation, Preservation, Tips and tricks:

Looking for some more insights into the day-to-day activities of the Library’s Collection Care team?

Part 2 of the A-Z of Collection Care series takes us from marvellous maps to pesky pests and beyond.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Ledger recording details and placement of seed varieties sewn in the gardens at Sunnybrae, 1984-2005 (YMS 16267, Box 62)

The archive of a pioneer ‘slow’ food restaurant

May 29, 2020

Collection Care, People & professions, Preservation, Social life & customs, Such was life:

Coinciding with the reopening of many of Victoria’s restaurants after lockdown, we celebrate the story of Sunnybrae, a much-loved regional restaurant ‘in the middle of a paddock’, and the early innovations in food provenance and seasonal, sustainable produce that it became known for.

Collection Care from home

Collection Care from home

May 26, 2020

Collection Care, Conservation, Our stories, Preservation, Preventive conservation:

The majority of the work undertaken by Collection Care staff requires physical access to the collections. The recent Library closure as a result of COVID-19 has meant staff are unable to access studios and labs for the time being, prompting a re-imagining of how they normally approach their roles.

Original writing box containing correspondence, from the Syme Family Papers collection

A lesser known story of the Syme family

February 5, 2020

Collection Care, People & professions, Preservation, Such was life:

Found within the family papers of The Age editor-in-chief David Syme, are a set of letters that give a small insight into the women of the Syme family.

The chaos and order of Marion Page

The chaos and order of Marion Page

June 28, 2019

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

Follow the journey of a large, multi-format Manuscript collection belonging to the late Marion Page from a South Yarra storage room to our Preservation team.