Australian Society of Archivists

This paper considers the potential merits and pitfalls of convergence in the collections sector. Australia’s archive, gallery, library and museum domains are being encouraged to work more closely together and to be recognised as a ‘collections sector’. The domains are borrowing techniques from each other in order to meet the expectations of their audiences. In some settings, new hybrid organisations are being created on the assumption that greater sustainability can be achieved through the shared delivery of similar services. We offer some observations on trends toward convergence of the domains, and a set of possible indicators for the analysis of future convergent evolution of the Australian collections sector