The LRC’s digitisation project aims to improve the Special Collections’ accessibility and facilitate better access to learning resources for the TAFE and wider research community. The project also aims to reduce the handling of our fragile and valuable materials.
The project focus on two Special Collections: the Menu Collection and the Zimmerman Book Collection. Each collection’s background information is listed below:
- Menu Collection
The Menu Collection initially started with around 500 menus donated by WAI staff during the 1990’s to 2000’s. The collection later became very popular for research and over the years, the LRC has received over 2000 menus donated from past WAI staff and the public. The Collection functions as a wonderful resource which displays the changes of styles in food and menu design over the past 100 years. Since 2006, the LRC has been conducting a digitisation project. We started with the menus that we were granted permission to display e.g. airlines and cruise company menus. These included Qantas, P&O Cruise, Singapore Airlines and British Airways. The project continually expanded to cover the menus which were out of copyright (work before 1955).
So far, over 850 menus have been digitised and 296 menus are available online via library website at: http://library.angliss.edu.au/special-collections/14-sample-data-articles/268-menu-collection
- Zimmerman Book Collection
The Zimmerman Book Collection is another unique special collection which was donated by our first head of Cookery Department, Chef Zimmerman in the 1990s. The collection was collected by his grandfather and consists of more than 1300 menus and epicurean articles from all over England and Europe. Dating back to 1862, the menus feature table d'hôte as well as banquet menus. Most are presented in French, some with a translation in their language of origin. The menus provide interesting insights into dining habits of the times. In 2010, as part of William Angliss Institute’s celebration of its 70th year, the LRC was granted money to restore the Zimmerman Book. In 2013, the Zimmerman Book Collection was fully digitised and is available online via library website at:
http://library.angliss.edu.au/special-collections/14-sample-data-articles/270-zimmerman-collection
Both projects are currently ongoing. The LRC will continue to digitise menus and other material to provide maximum access to our unique collection.
