Collection Level Descriptions

Museums and other collecting instutions have traditionally documented their collections at item level. A collection level descriptions document groups of objects.

Object groupings can be defined in many ways including:

  • Object – e.g. the Chair Collection; the Swimwear Collection.
  • Collecting area – e.g. Australian Decorative Arts.
  • Person – e.g. Paul Keating Collection; Nancy-Bird Walton Collection.
  • Organisation – e.g. Victa Lawnmower Collection; Clyde Engineering Collection.
  • Slice of time – e.g. The 1950s; The Macquarie Era.
  • Concept or Theme – e.g. Innovation : The History of Powered Flight
  • Community – e.g. the Greek Cypriot Community; The Ukulele Community.
  • Place – e.g. The Rocks, Sydney; Tropical Queensland.
  • Event – e.g. 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games; The Prince Philip Design Award.
  • Process/Material – e.g. The Scrimshaw Collection; The Plastics Collection.

Collection level descriptions can provide an overview and meaning which can be difficult to concieve in dense object catalogues.