Published Resources Details
Conference Paper
- Title
- Accessibility to Scientific and Engineering Heritage
- In
- Fourth National Conference on Engineering Heritage 1988: Preprints of Papers
- Imprint
- Institution of Engineers, Australia, Barton, Australian Capital Territory, 1988, pp. 116-118
- ISBN/ISSN
- 085825414X
- Url
- https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.624166678420349
- Abstract
Australia's economic development in the 19th century relied heavily on Australian and imported international engineering inventions and innovations. Steam engines, steam turbines, gas engines, etc were imported from overseas for performing work on the farm, in industry and for transport. Because of its peculiar climatic and other environmental factors the technology had to be adapted to suit local conditions. Thus an appropriate form of technology developed which gave rise to a manufacturing sector to service its needs. Today, the products of this technology are either scattered throughout the country side or lie in store rooms of country, regional or city museums or institutions. This has come to form the industrial or engineering heritage of the nation. Because of space and financial constraints or collection/exhibition policies only a small section of this engineering heritage is on display in the public areas of museums. Most of the artefacts are hidden away in stores. Some have had conservation treatment carried out on them while others are in a fairly bad condition. Artefacts in the country areas are in a worse off condition. Does the public have a right to know and be given access to this industrial and engineering heritage? Do all the objects presently held in public institutions, such as museums, be conserved and ordered in such a way as to be accessible to the public? These and other associated questions are posed and discussed in this paper on accessibility to our engineering heritage.
Related Published resources
isPartOf
- Fourth National Conference on Engineering Heritage 1988: Preprints of Papers (Barton, Australian Capital Territory: Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1988), 133 pp. Details