ABSTRACT
It is no longer viable for museums to acquire artifacts solely for the sake of preservation and display. Museums are now required to become people-focused places rather than mere storehouses of objects in order to justify the time, money, space, and labor required to manage their collections. With museum storage becoming saturated with under-utilized collections, accessibility is a key factor. University museums are well placed to avoid the pitfall of artifact redundancy through their ability to integrate artifacts into teaching curricula, escaping the storage-display dichotomy. However, amidst concerns regarding visitor appeal and policies of financial austerity, university museums must actively reflect on the value of the curation strategies they deploy. This paper discusses the University of Melbourne’s approaches to curriculum and community engagement that give relevance and meaning to its collection of Middle Eastern artifacts beyond display. 7
