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Curator Charlotte Smith outlines the development of an exhibition at Museum Victoria based on urban archaeology. She discusses the challenges in interpreting the ‘rubbish’ and creating a snapshot of life in nineteenth-century Melbourne.

Conservator Nicola Smith examines the management of exhibition light levels at the National Museum of Australia. She addresses display periods, object replacement and new non-destructive methods of assessing object degradation from light.

National Museum curators and researchers discuss the development of the Museum’s introductory Circa rotating theatre. They examine its function and the use of new narratives to explore the National Historical Collection.

Libby Robin looks at the use of dead animal collections in museums. She examines the scientific precedents behind these collections and how they are evolving from representations of science to components of social history and art studies.

Museum consultant Brian Crozier considers how material culture might be interpreted by museums for popular rather than academic audiences. He examines the cultural contributions that museums may make in the study of history.

Alison Wishart examines the challenges of displaying rare cookery books in museums. She focuses on Flora Pell’s Our Cookery Book, published in 1916, and suggests display methods to allow better visitor interaction.

Elspeth Wishart outlines the challenges facing the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in exhibiting important two-dimensional artefacts. She relates how the museum must balance the needs of visitors with the care of these artefacts, a letter and a flag.

Mary-Elizabeth Andrews examines an online exhibition about war brides at the Australian National Maritime Museum. She considers the use of objects, access, technical and moral concerns and how museums can reconnect with communities.

Curator Liz Gillroy discusses the development of exhibitions at volunteer museums in northern New South Wales. She examines methodologies, education, training and support from the wider museum sector.

Curator Jay Arthur on the creation of an exhibition on the struggle for Indigenous civil rights from 1920 to 1970 for the National Museum. She examines the notion of the ‘untold’ story and the challenge in assembling objects to tell this story.