Resources
The Elisabeth Murdoch Library
The Elisabeth Murdoch Library, established in 1947, is a unique resource within the University of Melbourne. A Visual Resources Library comprising over 250,000 slides and photographs, a digital image database, a film collection of over 1,000 titles, 7,000 books and periodicals, the School's thesis collection and associated multi-media. The Elisabeth Murdoch Library acts as visual resources laboratory for teaching, learning and research in the School of Culture and Communication. The library is a non-lending, research only library.
Image Library
The library maintains a collection of 250,000 glass-mounted slides, lantern slides and photographs. They are classified using the Harvard University, Fogg Art Museum Classification system. Described as one the largest collections of its kind in the southern hemisphere its history dates back to the founding of the Art History Department in 1947 and includes photographic collections from the Witt Library, the Carnegie Reference set and Illustrated Bartsch. A recent addition to the Elisabeth Murdoch Library is the Women's Art Register, a collection of national significance that documents Australian women artists and contains over 10,000 images. To satisfy conservation requirements the collection is housed in a climate controlled environment. The slide and photographic archives are available to academic staff, students and researchers.
Image Database
In recent years the library has gone through a program of digitisation of its vast collection. To date the database contains 85,000 records and 20,000 image files. To ensure the most accurate representation of images as possible the library maintains high-end scanning equipment such as dedicated Nikon film scanners, high-resolution monitors, an A3 flat bed scanner and a copy-room. Academic staff can make requests for images from the collection to be digitised in support of their teaching and research. Other digitisation services include flatbed scanning and photography of new material. All images are saved and stored in two formats: medium resolution jpegs suitable for teaching and online presentation and an archival Tiff file of approximately 18 MB each. High-resolution files that would be suitable for publication purposes, subject to copyright, can also be made available.
For access to the image database staff from the School of Culture and Communication need to contact the library for log-in, password and instructions. Student access to the image database for seminar presentations and research is currently from the Elisabeth Murdoch Library only. A new database designed to give online access for students is in the developmental stage and should be available for the start of teaching in 2012.
Screen and Cultural Studies Resources
The Library maintains a collection of films used to support teaching and research for Screen and Cultural Studies, Australian Indigenous Studies and other School programs. The collection has over 1,000 titles in 16mm film, DVD and VHS. It is library policy to purchase films used in the curriculum making them available for academic staff to use in screenings and for student research. Teaching staff placing film orders are advised to contact the Elisabeth Murdoch Library as early as possible to ensure screening schedules are met as some films are sourced from overseas or interstate. Approximately 100 to 150 cinema titles are scheduled for teaching each semester.
Films can be viewed in the library's dedicated viewing rooms. Films may be booked and a booking sheet for the viewing rooms is also available. The Elisabeth Murdoch Library holds memberships to various film archives such as the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and The National Film and Sound Archive, giving the School access to material that is otherwise unavailable. The library also has the facility to do VHS to DVD transfer. Subject to copyright, material on tape can be transferred to disc.
Technical Support
The library also provides technical assistance to guide teaching staff in the use of audio-visual equipment for lecture and seminar presentations, as well as guidance on standards and procedures for image presentation and copyright. To support teaching needs the library has some audio-visual equipment available for loan. Teaching staff and postgraduates may borrow, subject to availability, a portable data projector, slide projectors, and a digital video camera and tripod. For use off campus, an equipment being taken off campus advice form needs to be completed.
Thesis Collection
The Elisabeth Murdoch Library holds Bachelor of Arts Honours, Master of Arts and PhD theses by the students of the School of Culture and Communication. There are currently over 2,000 titles. Students are often referred to the library by their tutors and lecturers to consult the thesis collection and a searchable catalogue and printouts are available on consultation with library staff. Theses can only be viewed in the library - lending or photocopying is not permitted.
Other Resources
Other resources in the library include a significant book and periodical collection comprising a reference collection, monographs and rare books. Some titles are unique to this library. Other resources include historical archives such as catalogues and exhibition invitations that belonged to Professor Joseph Burke, additional reading draws, subject readers, viewing rooms, quiet study areas, a photocopier, a microfilm collection, microfilm reader, projectors, Mac computers and scanners for student use.
Hours of Operation
Monday 9-5
Tuesday 9-6:30
Wednesday 9-5
Thursday 9-6:30
Friday 9-5
Location
Room 142, First floor, Elisabeth Murdoch Building.
View a map of the Parkville campus
Contacts
Jane Brown – Manager, Visual Resources Librarian
E: jebrown@unimelb.edu.au
T: + 61 3 8344 5562
Ian Kendrick – Assistant Visual Resources Librarian
E: imk@unimelb.edu.au
T: +61 3 8344 5562
Photograph by Grant Hobson
