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AH40580

Academic Year 2026/2027

Collection Management (AH40580)

Subject:
Art History
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
Art History & Cultural Policy
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Assoc Professor Roisin Kennedy
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

The rationale of the module is
- To provide students with authentic practical experience of managing institutional art collections.
- A series of seminars with guest lecturers will provide students with knowledge of practical and theoretical issues concerning the management of collections today.
- An awareness of collection management principles is vital not just for students interested in museum, gallery and heritage careers but also for advanced researchers in art history.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

Students will
- Be able to understand the fundamental principles of collections management
- Know how to catalogue an object to museum standards
- Be capable of demonstrating an understanding of good practice in heritage and collections management with reference to specific institutions
- Demonstrate an awareness of the challenges faced by collection managers in museums, corporate and heritage collections today

Indicative Module Content:


- Core Principles 1 (policy, inventory, provenance, acquisition including commissioning and Percent for Art’s Scheme, deaccession)
- Core Principles 2 (cataloguing, location, risk management, loan agreements)
- Caring for Objects (storage, condition reporting, conservation, environment, packing, touring)
- Challenges of Contemporary Practice and the Future of Collection Management
- Practical work experience component

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development 1
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

12
Specified Learning Activities

30
Autonomous Student Learning

40
Placement/Work Experience

18
Total

100

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures; discussion; active task-based learning; reflective learning.
All submitted assignments should be original, non-plagiarised work without recourse to AI tools.

Last Edited - 04th Feb 2025

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Practical Skills Assessment: Based on work placement. Week 12 Graded No
60
 No
Quizzes/Short Exercises: Class based test or activity based on lecture content. Week 5 Graded No
40
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31 Thurs 10:00 - 12:50
Spring Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 21, 22 Thurs 10:00 - 12:50
Spring Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 23, 32, 33 Thurs 10:00 - 12:50
Spring Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Tues 09:00 - 11:50
Spring Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 Tues 10:00 - 11:50
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