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I am a librarian and historian with over a decade of experience in the GLAM sector. I have worked at Museums Victoria since 2010 in a variety of roles, including Image Management & Copyright Officer, Librarian and Manager, Library.

As library manager I am responsible for the oversight of library services, staff and a historic museum library that includes a Rare Book Collection with a strength in 18th and 19th century natural history titles. Through my involvement in various professional groups I advocate for the development of specialist skills and knowledge relating to rare books and special collections librarianship and support broad interaction with bibliography and book history.

I have expertise in the management of special libraries, museum libraries and rare books & special collections. My research interests include the history of the Museums Victoria Library, rare natural history books, provenance in rare books, book history, and queer history. My project experience includes curation of rare books, collection valuation, collection relocation, digitisation, program development and event management.

Qualifications

Graduate Diploma of Information Management, RMIT

Bachelor of Arts (Hons., History), La Trobe University

Professional Training

• Beginning Bibliography, Beginning Cataloguing (2020)
• Rare Book Summer School (ANZ): English Book Bindings, 1450–1850: Identification & Interpretation, State Library of New South Wales (2020)
• Marketing & Fundraising Workshops, More Strategic (2019)
• London Rare Book School: Provenance in Books, University of London (2018)
• Informing Change: Engaging LGBTQ Audiences, V&A Museum (2018)
• Grant-seeker Workshop, Strategic Grants (2017)
• Rare Book Cataloguing, Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (2016)
• Rare Books Summer School (ANZ): The Paper Museum, State Library of Victoria (2014)
• Collection Emergency Response Training, Museums Victoria (2013)

Links

• Rare Book Collection on MV Collections
• Museums Victoria Library’s collection on Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Time Flies in Museum Collections - Ornithology in Victoria
• BHL Blog posts
• So You Want My Arts Job: Hayley Webster

Conference presentations

Steele, Gemma & Webster, Hayley (2021) “Volumes in Vogue: Women, Readership and the Book”, Gender & the Book Trade Conference.

Steele, Gemma & Webster, Hayley (2020) “A beautiful ornament: tracing change through ornithology publications”, BSANZ: The History of the Book and the Future of the World Conference.

Steele, Gemma & Webster, Hayley (2019) “Volumes in Vogue: Women, Readership and the Book”, BSANZ/ALHF: Tradition and Innovation: Readers, Books and Libraries Conference.

Webster, Hayley (2018) “Marginalia in Scientific Books”, BSANZ: Marginalia: Bibliography at the Margins Conference.

O’Hanlon, Clare & Webster, Hayley (2018) “Queerying the GLAM sector: New GLAMorous solidarities for collecting, celebrating, curating and conserving queer legacies”, Queer Legacies, New Solidarities Conference.

Webster, Hayley, (2017) “Circulating Scientific Literature: the development of the Museums Victoria Library collection”, BSANZ: Connecting the Colonies: Empires and Networks in the History of the Book Conference.

Webster, Hayley, (2013) “Biodiversity Heritage Library: Digitising Scientific Literature”, BSANZ: Bibliography in the Digital Age Conference.

Webster, Hayley, Cash, Leonie and Unger, Ingrid, (2012) “Google Art Project”, ARLIS/ANZ: Collaborations: Artists, Scholars and Libraries in a Research Ecosystem Conference.

Committees

Conference organising committee for the 2019 Bibliographical Society of Australia and New Zealand (BSANZ) conference Tradition and Innovation: Readers, Books and Libraries

Victorian Representative for ALIA Rare Books and Special Collections

Professional Associations

Professional Historians Association (Vic & Tas)
2021 – Present: Associate Historian

Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing (SHARP)
2020 – Present: Member

Bibliographical Society of Australia & New Zealand (BSANZ)
2017 – Present: Member;
2019 – 2022: Editor, Broadsheet

I'm available for student supervision.

I am available to supervise tertiary students undertaking qualifications in library and information studies, especially those with an interest in special libraries, museum libraries, and rare books & special collections.

Webster, Hayley (2020) Rare Opportunities, INCITE, 41 (9/10).

Webster, Hayley (2020) LGBTIQA+ Leadership at Museums Victoria, INCITE, 41 (3/4).

Webster, Hayley, “Annotated bibliography” in Kean, John, 2013, The art of science: remarkable natural history illustrations from Museum Victoria, Carlton, Vic. : Museum Victoria.