Cultural institutions (such as libraries, archives, galleries, and museums) hold the historical, cultural and scientific evidence that communities and individuals use to build their understanding of Australian identity and values.

Australia's collections are diverse, and widely dispersed. Every town or locality, no matter how remote, has its own collections of local, regional or national significance. Collecting organisations serve as vital ‘third place’ settings for social interaction. On display, and discoverable online, collections engage the imaginations of students, tourists and the wider community, enabling them to expand and deepen their knowledge, and to solve problems.

The Collections Council of Australia, the peak body for Australia's collections sector, has scoped several major proposals that have the potential to transform the ways in which Australians understand and engage with collections. Our proposals draw on the expertise of collecting, heritage and education specialists, and use innovative approaches and technologies.

This paper will introduce our projects within the framework scoped by ALIA’s 2008 ‘DREAM’.

Particular attention will be given to 'CollectionsCare', a proposal for ‘regional hubs’ that would enhance community access to regional collections and offer benefits for service delivery; for capacity building and skills development; and for social inclusion and community identity. We envisage libraries in many regions becoming directly involved in the implementation of 'CollectionsCare' which offers exciting new roles for professionals in the collections sector who wish to engage collaboratively with others so as to make collections more accessible to communities of users.