20 March 2006
Australia's newest journal of material history and museum practice, reCollections, will be launched at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra tomorrow.
Aimed at becoming essential reading for academics, museum professionals and anyone interested in history and museums, the journal is easily accessible online and will be regularly updated, with new content added as soon as it becomes available.
The first edition features peer-reviewed papers, book and exhibition reviews and commentary, including articles about the Centre Culturel Tjibaou in New Caledonia, the National Museum of Australia's Papuan collection and the 1939 New York World's Fair.
National Museum director Craddock Morton will launch reCollections at the Collecting for a Nation symposium in the Museum's Studio at 1pm tomorrow. Media are welcome.
Mr Morton said the National Museum was conscious of the need to underpin its collection, exhibitions, programs and publications with research and scholarship.
'By publishing regularly we expect to find ourselves involved in rigorous discussions about museums and collecting,' Mr Morton said. 'The journal will concentrate on Australian material but will extend to the Asia-Pacific region and publish articles on issues that cross international boundaries.'
Also involving Australian National University staff, the journal strengthens the existing relationship between the organisations. Dr Stephen Foster from the ANU's Humanities Research Centre joins the museum's Dr Therese Weber and Dr Mike Smith as editors. They also sit on the editorial board, which includes Dr Libby Robin from the ANU, Dr Philip Jones from the South Australian Museum, and Dr Richard Gillespie from Museum Victoria.
The editors are inviting submissions from contributors who can access reCollections at: http://recollections.nma.gov.au.
Collecting for a Nation is a free, one-day symposium exploring the history and evolution of the National Museum's National Historical Collection, the shifting climate of collecting and the stories of the collectors behind the collections.
For interviews, images or more information please contact Leanda Kitchen on 02 6208 5338, 0438 620 710 or media@nma.gov.au