The devastation to Victorian communities caused by the Black Saturday bushfires was a tragic, powerful reminder of the need to protect and preserve our history and heritage.

In 2009, seed funding was provided to Museums Australia (Victoria) and Museums Victoria to develop a community digitisation project and Victorian Collections was born.

The project launched in 2010 for use by all Victorian collecting organisations.

The aim was to provide small to medium-sized collecting organisations with a free, web-based collections management system, and access to an accompanying suite of training programs in cataloguing and collections care.

The option for these collecting organisations to publish their records online has allowed unprecedented access to Victoria's material culture. The website now offers the public access to over 100,000 digitised items including photographs, art works, objects and books, and represents the remarkable dedication and tireless work of the community collecting sector in Victoria.

The objects on Victorian Collections have been contributed by more than 480 organisations.

These include incorporating museums, historical societies as well as non-traditional collecting organisations including RSLs, historic houses, fire brigades and sports clubs.

Separately, these collections bring previously undocumented stories to light. Together, they tell wider stories about our shared identity and add contrasting voices to our collective memory.

Victorian Collections provides training and support for collecting organisations across the state.

Since the project’s launch, over 1,000 people have attended more than 200 workshops. The workshops cover collection management principles, copyright, preventive conservation and cataloguing theory and practice. Participants are given the tools, confidence and support to begin using Victorian Collections.

These workshops build capacity within regional Victoria, connect like-minded organisations and help to foster a sense of community within the collecting sector.

For organisations using Victorian Collections, their increased digital presence has led to a higher profile, and a greater community awareness of their work and collections.

This has translated into increased numbers of physical visitors and new volunteers. It has also helped to make their collections more relevant and sustainable, as well as opened up potential for new research and increased interest from future custodians.

Victoria’s ex-service community and associated organisations form an integral part of our collective history.

The Veteran’s Heritage Project began in 2016 and is supported by the Department of Premier and Cabinet. The project works to build digitisation and collections care capacity within the ex-service community.

Through this project, select ex-service groups have been provided tailored training in collections care, cataloguing and oral history. These workshops have provided a forum for local sub-branches to showcase and focus on their memorabilia and develop collaborative relationships.

Military heritage catalogued on Victorian Collections greatly increases the breadth and significance of the distributed state collection, and the addition of digitised, peer-to-peer oral history recording from ex-service men and women is an incredible resource for all Victorians.

Victorian Collections also fosters and strengthens collaborative community relationships and promotes sector development.

In partnership with Deakin University, the program facilitates student placements within collecting organisations. The program also runs a series of community and capacity-building initiatives such as VC Day: a low cost, one day conference that facilitates the transfer of skills between professionals and volunteers; and presents three cataloguing awards each year at the Victorian Museum Awards.

It is through the dedication of the Victorian Collections community that hundreds of thousands of unique connections between new audiences and future custodians are forged each year.

While we celebrate the first 100,000 objects shared on Victorian Collections, it’s important to acknowledge the hard work and commitment shown by members of hundreds of collecting organisations who have contributed their time and expertise, and given so much heart to ensuring the next generation of Victorians will have access to and knowledge of their rich heritage.

Each and every Victorian collecting organisation is welcome to join the Victorian Collections party.