Cultural Collection Enhancement Project

Cultural Collection Enhancement is a major First Nations led digitisation program of collection management works built on Truth Telling principles. Cultural Collection Enhancement is digitising the Australian Museum cultural collections and actioning broad brush stroke collection enhancement programs. The team are actively removing data bias, correcting records, removing racist data, generating exceptional suites of digital assets all the while prioritising First Nations voices in museum collection management.

The levels of digitisation programs include:

• Digital collection registration
• Digitisation – photo-documentation
• Collection and storage barcoding
• Registration record enhancement
• Traditional cultural knowledge holder consultation works in collaboration with First Nations communities from across Australia and the Pacific

Importantly, Cultural Collection Enhancement are First Nations led strategic programs of Museum collection digitisation work. The approach to digitisation responds to the needs of the collections, First Nations Community, public education and NSW curriculum, Museum exhibitions, NSW Pasifika diaspora, climate crisis, and research.

The Australian Museum has spent almost 200 years building a vast collection of 22 million specimens, cultural collection items, and archives. The Cultural Collections comprise one third of the Museum’s 16 collection areas and are made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands Cultural Collection, Aboriginal Archaeology, Archives, Pasifika Cultural Collections, Rare Books Library, and World Cultures Collection.

Cultural Collections Enhancement Manager, Meredith Lynch Underwood discusses the Australian Museum's commitment to prioritising First Nations voices in cultural collection enhancement and digitisation. Through programs that engage with communities across Australia and the Pacific, the Museum is improving access, correcting data biases, and enhancing collection records with traditional knowledge, ensuring the accurate representation of cultural materials and heritage.

The Australian Museum’s largest object, the Tongan Ngatu (Bark Cloth), was unveiled in full for the first time in 50 years on June 9, 2023 for digitisation. Originally gifted by the Tongan government at the 1973 Sydney Opera House opening, this 29m x 16m, 200kg cultural treasure has been carefully preserved in climate-controlled storage. Learn more about this major collaborative effort from the Museum’s Cultural Collections Enhancement team, digitisation, conservation, and digital teams that showcases the scale and significance of this remarkable object.

Opened in October 2023, Wansolmoana (One Salt Ocean) is the Australian Museum’s newest permanent Pasifika gallery, celebrating cultural connectivity, resilience, and Australia’s Pacific regional role. Designed as a welcoming space for the Pasifika diaspora and broader audiences, the gallery showcases over 3,000 objects and 600 digital collection items, shaped through 5,000+ community interactions. A key feature is the Wansolmoana digital interactive, which provides virtual access to 2,000+ assets from 22 Pacific nations via a 65-inch touchscreen. Central to the project was an Indigenous Pasifika approach, ensuring authentic engagement and representation. The exhibition stands as a testament to the Museum’s commitment to honouring Pacific cultures and fostering meaningful global connections.