SELECTED MUSEUMS
PURPOSE
To collect information about small museums excluded from the survey of museums with paid staff which was undertaken as part of the Service Industries Surveys (SIS). Data obtained from the Selected Museums Survey in respect of 1997-98 were intended to complement the data which the SIS collection had obtained in respect of 1996-97.
DESCRIPTION
The scope of the survey was museums which either had no paid staff or were parts of larger organisations which had predominant activities other than providing museum services. The units surveyed were museum locations. A location is defined as an unbroken physical area or site operated by a management unit. The survey was conducted by mail-out questionnaire.
GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE
Australia
FREQUENCY OF COLLECTION
Irregular
DATA ITEMS
Type of museum
Records the major focus of the museum. The categories of major focus are:
Social history museum/display
Transport (including maritime) museum
Natural history or science museum
Art/craft museum
Public gallery or art and craft display
Indigenous keeping place
Historic place/site (including house museums)
Other
Workforce
The total number of museum workers, both employed and volunteer.
Workforce status
Indicates whether museum workers are employed or volunteers.
Employment status
Classifies employed museum workers into three categories. The categories are:
Working proprietors
Employees paid by the museum
Employees paid by a related organisation
Background
Records the background of employed museum workers. The categories are:
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Non-English speaking
Other
Hours worked
The number of hours worked by all museum workers (employed and volunteer) during the last month of the reference period.
Time spent
Apportions the hours worked overall (by employed staff and volunteers) into hours worked on individual activities. The activities are:
Conservation and preservation
Exhibition development
Documentation
Public contact
Other
Training hours
Records the range of hours of training in conservation or collection management received by museum workers (employed and volunteer) prior to the end of the reference period. The ranges are:
No training
Less than 40 hours
40 hours or more
Income
The items which make up the income of museums are:
Funding from Federal Government
Funding from State/Territory Government
Funding from Local Government
Donations, bequests and sponsorships
Annual allocations from related organisations
Admissions
Other income
Expenses
The items which make up the expenses of museums are:
Wages and salaries
Purchases of art works, artefacts and other museum objects
Conservation expenses
Other repair and maintenance expenses
Exhibition and display development expenses
Other operating expenses
Admissions
Indicates the numbers of paid and free admissions during the reference period.
Exhibitions developed
The number of exhibitions or displays developed by the museum during the reference period.
Exhibition themes
Records the themes of exhibitions developed during the reference period. The themes are:
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
Non-English speaking background people
Other
Community involvement
Indicates the number of exhibitions developed with voluntary community involvement.
Exhibitions toured
Indicates the number of exhibitions developed by the museum which were toured to other venues.
Regions of exhibition
Records the regions where toured exhibitions were exhibited. The regions are:
Intrastate
Interstate
Overseas
Exhibitions hosted
Records the regions of origin of visiting exhibitions hosted by the museum. The regions are:
Intrastate
Interstate
Overseas
Number of museum objects
The number of artefacts, art works and other museum objects held by the museum at the end of the reference period.
Characteristics of museum objects
Museum objects may be categorised by:
Whether on display for public viewing
Whether documented
Whether surveyed for conservation and preservation treatment
Whether received conservation and preservation treatment
Characteristics of documented museum objects
Documented museum objects may be categorised by:
Whether documented on a computer database
Whether documented according to the standards of Australian Museums On Line (AMOL)
Conservation and preservation treatment requirement
Indicates the number of museum objects surveyed for conservation and preservation treatment and found to require such treatment.
Significance of collection
Indicates whether the museum had its collection (or part thereof) assessed for significance prior to the end of the reference period.
Characteristics of Internet access
Museums may be categorised by:
Whether they had an entry on the AMOL web site as at the end of the reference period
Whether they had access to the Internet on their premises as at the end of the reference period
Whether they had their own web site as at the end of the reference period
Geographic area
Data are available for Australia, States and Territories.
HISTORICAL DATA
The survey has only been conducted once.
DISSEMINATION
Publication
Australian Bureau of Statistics 1999, Selected Museums, Australia, 1997-98, Cat. no. 4145.0, ABS, Canberra. Price $16.00.
CONTACT
In the first instance, refer to To obtain data or further information in the Introduction to this directory.
Manager
National Centre for Culture and Recreation Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
GPO Box 2272
ADELAIDE SA 5001
Telephone: Adelaide 08 8237 7326
Facsimile: Adelaide 08 8237 7366
Email: nccrs@abs.gov.au
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