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.

The AE Smith string quartet held by the National Museum is outlined by conservator Robin Tait. She also discusses the conservation strategy of display and occasional use for functional museum objects.

Conservator David Hallam outlines the metal and corrosion analysis which helped to authenticate the Leichhardt nameplate. The plate is the only known artefact from Ludwig Leichhardt’s lost 1848 Australian expedition with a corroborated provenance.

The history of the Springfield collection, more than 2000 objects from a major rural property near Sydney, is outlined by registrar Carol Cooper. She explores the remarkable family who cared for it and the Museum’s work to make this collection available.