Accessing the collections

Accessing the collection

Maintaining the physical integrity of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery’s (TMAG) zoology collections at the Rosny Collections and Research Facility is paramount.  This means that they are not normally open to the public.  However, enquiries from researchers and members of the public alike are welcome, and individual or group access by appointment can be arranged. Loans of material held in the collection to recognised institutions worldwide can also be arranged.  Prospective researchers should familiarise themselves with the formal policies in these areas. 

A growing proportion of the specimens in the collections is now digitised and can be accessed online, for instance through OZCAM, the Natural Values Atlas and the Atlas of Living Australia.  Museum staff also maintain dedicated databases and websites for marine molluscs and beetles, based in large part on TMAG specimens. 

The quality and extent of the collections of physical specimens underpinning these websites and online data portals make it increasingly possible for researchers and members of the public to explore Tasmania’s faunal diversity and its distribution across the state, and how these may be changing over time.