Western Australian Museum Annual Report 2003-2004

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Museum Services
preservation of the James Matthews and presented a lecture on general on-site conservation
survey techniques and maritime archaeological conservation methods at the Studio of the
Western Sweden Conservators (SVK) in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Continuing work on the international stage was demonstrated by Ian Godfrey’s co-authored
paper on ‘The Analysis and Treatment of Waterlogged Leather II: Application of Fourier Transform
Infrared Spectroscopy and Artificial Neural Networks’ at the 9th International Council of Museums
Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC Working Group on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials
(WOAM) Triennial Conference in Copenhagen. Vicki Richards also presented two papers at the
same meeting on ‘The James Matthews Shipwreck – Conservation Survey and In-situ
Stabilisation’ and ‘In-situ Containment of Sediment for Shipwreck Reburial Projects’. Jon
Carpenter participated in a documentary for Dutch Television about the Avondster Project in
Galle, Sri Lanka, and again was involved with the documentary film by Prospero Productions
recording the story of the discovery of the Correio da Azia at Ningaloo Reef.
Ian MacLeod’s main research focus has been on a series of site inspections of rock art in the
Burrup Peninsula where he has conducted hundreds of surface measurements of the acidity
and chlorinity of rock surfaces and has assessed the impact of industrial emissions on the
rocks’ microflora and their concomitant effects on the decay mechanisms of the rocks.
MUSEUM ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Greg Wallace, Clare-Frances Craig and Val Humphrey handled requests from community
museums entailing more than 2,200 phone calls, emails, letters and meetings with clients at the
Museum Assistance Program (MAP) office. Advice was provided on day-to-day management
needs and planning as well as on grant application preparation and other matters. Requests
were received in almost equal numbers from clients in regional, rural and remote locations as
from within the metropolitan area.
Work continued on the review and revision of MAP’s information resources with assistance
from external referees. The majority of the updated information sets had been received by the
end of the year in readiness for the MAP webpage being revised and launched in the last
quarter of 2004.
The major focus for training services for the 2003 calendar year was the commitment to support
the annual conference of Museums Australia held in Perth with a special stream for regional,
rural and remoter museum workers. In calendar year 2004, the program of regional advisory
visits and workshops was resumed.
Regional advisory circuits were resumed with visits and training workshops in the Great Southern
and Kimberley. Each of these was carried out in partnership with other agencies including the
State Record Office, State Library and National Archives in the Great Southern and the National
Archives and LotteryWest in the Kimberley. In addition a training workshop on significance was
held in Geraldton for delegates to the state Conference of Museums Australia.
As part of the agreement between Edith Cowan University and the Western Australian Museum,
Greg Wallace and Val Humphrey contributed to the Certificate of Museum Studies through the
Introduction to Museums, Exhibition Development, Display Production, Planning and
Management and Museums and New Technologies modules.
Services were also provided through the Department of Culture and the Arts Planning and
Policy Division to the Indian Ocean Territories on behalf of the Commonwealth.
Field advisory visits, training workshops, seminars and courses delivered by and contributed to
by MAP staff entailed contact with more than 480 participants from a diverse range of museums,
cultural centres and kindred bodies.
MAP continued to contribute to the work of the Minister’s Museum Policy Reference Group and
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM ANNUAL REPORT 2003–2004