Museum Methods

This resource publication was first produced by the NSW Branch of AMaGA in 1994, with the assistance of the Department of Communications Information Technology and the Arts. The second edition was published in 2002 as a national resource by the National Office of AMaGA.

The Museum Methods publication has been a particularly successful formula for meeting the needs of small museums. Its printed format was a 400 page, loose-leaf technical manual.  Between 1994 and 2001, approximately 730 copies of the manual were distributed. Since 2002 more than 500 copies of the second edition were sold. While the manual remains in demand, Museum Methods has not been updated since the second edition was produced and the printed format is now considered to be static and inflexible.

In 2019 AMaGA National Office began to review and revitalise Museum Methods to ensure the publication remains relevant and accessible to small museums and galleries across Australia. One of the major changes to this edition is the re-arrangement of the information sheets to reflect the three sections of the National Standards for Australian Museums and Galleries.  The 2020 edition of Museum Methods will be made available online in a staged release over the next few months. The flexibility of the digital delivery of this third edition of Museum Methods will guarantee that the publication can be regularly updated with new and additional information and associated resources.

The 2020 edition of Museum Methods will be free to members both in Australia and internationally. At this time, it will not be available to non-members. Once the staged releases are completed, the publication will also be available to all for purchase.

How to use Museum Methods

You must be a member of AMaGA to access Museum Methods. 

This page lists the contents of Museum Methods under the three main sections of Manage, People and Collections. As information become available the links to those pages and resources will appear in orange.

Each topic’s page will include a range of related information and resources that can be navigated around using the links on the page. The pages for most topics will include:

• Introductory information on the topic
• Fact sheets that relate to the topic
• Case studies that will help you understand the topic
• Relevant sections of the National Standards for Australian Museums and Galleries
• Guide to the development of policies or plans relating to the topic
• Useful links
• Resources and further reading
• Related Resources
• A downloadable version of the whole topic or the individual segments from the page

The links to the individual fact sheets noted in the contents list directly link to the fact sheet rather than the associated topic page enabling quick access to specific information.

Print distribution of Museum Methods

To maintain the flexibility of the online edition of Museum Methods the publication will not be available as a pre-printed book. However, once the publication has been fully released, we will make available a paid print on demand version of the publication for those organisations that have difficulty with online access.

Review and feedback

Our thanks to expert colleagues for their advice and support as the manual is updated. AMaGA also welcomes feedback so that the manual remains accurate and useful.