Events
Archives and Special Collections at the University of Melbourne
Featured events
A day of digital learning: perspectives from across disciplines
Oct
1
9:00am - 5:00pm
Conference or Symposium
This colloquium brings together scholars, data-science specialists, librarians and archivists from across the Melbourne University community for a day-long series of conversations about the futures of digital scholarship in the humanities: from the scholar’s desktop, to the undergraduate classroom, and beyond.
We will begin with some framing remarks from Professor Richard Freedman and members of the Melbourne Data Analytics Platform team, offering big-picture insights that emerge from current research initiatives and archival projects in Melbourne, and at other institutions around the world. We will also share lessons learned during the Plaine and Easie workshops. In talks, and in breakout sessions for ‘birds of a feather’, the aim will be to develop a set of priorities and goals that can build a sustainable community of digital scholars and digital pedagogies.
Program coming mid-August 2026.
Spotlight On: Time-travel and turtles in The Tale of Urashima Taro scroll
Oct
8
12:30pm - 1:30pm
Seminar or Forum
Uncover the fascinating story of an exquisitely decorated 17th century Japanese handscroll depicting a supernatural and time-bending folk tale in this special lunchtime program. A new acquisition for the Rare East Asian Collection, the scroll brings to life in illustrative detail The Tale of Urashima Taro, the story of a young fisherman who saves a turtle, leading him on a magical adventure in the Palace of the Dragon King lasting three years, but one thousand years in the human world. The scroll provides crucial insights into Japanese and East Asian artistic conventions as well as representing a moral tale for the ages teaching us that good deeds are often rewarded, but impatience, curiosity, and disobedience can lead to irreversible consequences.
Join Dr Mark Erdmann, scholar of East Asian visual cultures, as he explores the significance and medium of the handscroll – discussing its place within Japanese storytelling and the medieval East Asian concept of time and portrayals of the supernatural.
