Meredith Lynch Underwood

Meredith Lynch Underwood co-leads the Australian Museum’s Collection Enhancement Project and manages the Digitisation and Collections Enhancement for the cultural collections: First Nations; Pasifika Cultural Collections; Aboriginal Archaeology; World Cultures Collections, Rare Books Library and Archives in partnership with Collection Managers.

Meredith joined the AM after undertaking a similar role leading strategy in the Collection Digitisation Project at the Powerhouse Museum. Prior to that appointment Meredith managed the Powerhouse Museum Special Collections team. Meredith is a Collection Manager, Project Manager, Arts Administrator and People Leader with many years of experience leading world class cultural projects across digitisation, collection care, collection management, conservation, collection relocation, display and exhibitions, collection audits and more.

Meredith Lynch Underwood is speaking at the Digital Collections Summit:

Collection Enhancement at the Australian Museum

The Australian Museum’s Collection Enhancement Project (CEP) represents a decade-long major government investment in digitisation. In turn, the CEP demonstrates museum digitisation best practices. Cultural Collections are First Nations-led while Natural Science collections remain scientist-directed, reflecting digitisation’s diverse requirements rather than one-size-fits-all approach. Scientific collections provide open access for global research communities. Cultural collections offer controlled, respectful access serving community needs. These engineered workflows are purpose-built for their respective requirements. The Australian Museum digital revolution honours dual knowledge systems, ensuring information serves communities appropriately while respecting both scientific rigour and cultural protocols—a model balancing accessibility with cultural sensitivity. The CEP is one massive digitisation project, that encompasses many purpose-fit programs to deliver exceptional outcomes.